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AssigneeThe ExOne Company
InventorsJohn A. Bai, Kevin D. Creehan, Howard A. Kuhn
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Three-dimensional printing processes are disclosed which utilize printable fluids comprising a carrier fluid, a polymeric binder, and nanoparticles. The three-dimensional printing processes are useful for making articles from a build material powder, e.g., a ceramic, metal, metal alloy, or intermetallic powder. The nanoparticles enable low temperature interparticle bonding of the build material powder particles, e.g., by forming bridging bonds between adjacent powder particles, and/or increasing the interparticle friction between the build material powder particles to enhance the structural strength of the as-built article during a thermal treatment over at least a part of the temperature range which has as its low end the temperature at which the structural strength due to the binder becomes insubstantial and as its high end the temperature at which the structural strength due to interparticle sintering of the build material powder becomes substantial, i.e., the article's debile temperature range. Green density improvements are achievable.
1:
The method of claim 1, further comprising a step (d) heat-curing the polymeric binder contained within the object, wherein the nanoparticles of the first set of nanoparticles form interparticle bonds between the build material powder particles during the heat-curing to provide structural strength to the article when the article is heated into its debile temperature range.
The method of claim 1, wherein the step (b) further comprises selectively printing a second fluid onto the layers of the build material powder particles, the second fluid comprising a second carrier liquid and a second group of nanoparticles.
The method of claim 1, wherein the first fluid also includes a first dispersant.
The method of claim 1, wherein the step (b) includes selectively depositing the first fluid in locally varying amounts so as to locally vary a concentration of the nanoparticles of said first group of nanoparticles within said article.
The method of claim 1, wherein the build material powder particles include at least one selected from the group consisting of a ceramic, a metal, a metal alloy, and an intermetallic compound.
The method of claim 1, wherein the build material powder particles include at least one selected from the group consisting of AlN, SiC, Si3N4, WC, Al2O3, Al(OH)3, Fe2O3, Fe3O4, MgO, SiO2, TiO2, Y2O3, ZnO, ZrO2, BaCO3, In2O3, SnO2, carbon, magnesium, aluminum, iron, titanium, niobium, tungsten, chromium, tantalum, cobalt, nickel, vanadium, zirconium, molybdenum, palladium, platinum, copper, silver, gold, cadmium, zinc, and combinations of these with each other and/or with a nonmetallic element or elements.
The method of claim 1, further comprising a step (e) further heating the article to transform the article into a sintered article.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.