# US 2019/0169717 A1 · Printable Aluminum Alloys with Good Anodized Cosmetic Surfaces

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- Number: US 2019/0169717 A1
- Document ID: US20190169717A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/212,479
- Filed: 2018-12-06
- Published: 2019-06-06
- Earliest claimed: 2017-12-06
- Assignees: Apple Inc.
- Applicants: Apple Inc.
- Inventors: Hoishun Li; James A. Yurko; Herng-Jeng Jou; James A. Wright
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190169717A1

## CPC

- C22C 21/08: with silicon
- B33Y 70/00: Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
- C22C 1/026: {Alloys based on aluminium}
- C22C 1/0416: {Aluminium-based alloys}
- C22C 21/00: Alloys based on aluminium
- C22C 21/02: with silicon as the next major constituent
- C22F 1/04: of aluminium or alloys based thereon
- C22F 1/043: of alloys with silicon as the next major constituent
- C22F 1/047: of alloys with magnesium as the next major constituent
- C22F 1/05: of alloys of the Al-Si-Mg type, i.e. containing silicon and magnesium in approximately equal proportions
- B22F 10/28: Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM]
- Y02P 10/25: Process efficiency
- C22C: ALLOYS (treatment of alloys C21D, C22F)
- B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
- C22F: CHANGING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF NON-FERROUS METALS AND NON-FERROUS ALLOYS (surface treatment of metallic material involving at least one process provided for in class C23 and at least one process covered by this subclass, C23F17/00)
- B22F: WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER (making alloys by powder metallurgy C22C); APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

The disclosure provides aluminum alloys with high tensile strength and appealing cosmetics and improved tensile yield strength. The aluminum alloys include 0.5 to 3.0 wt % Mg and 0.2 to 3.0 wt % Si. The alloys have a weight ratio of Mg to Si ranging from 2 to 4.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An aluminum alloy comprising: 0.5 to 3.0 wt % Mg and 0.2 to 3.0 wt % Si, wherein the alloy has a weight ratio of Mg to Si ranging from 2.0 to 4.0.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The alloy of claim 1, wherein the alloy comprises 0.5 to 1.6 wt % Mg.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The alloy of claim 1, wherein the alloy comprises 0.2 to 0.5 wt % Si.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The alloy of claim 1, wherein the alloy comprises at least 0.04 wt % Fe.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The alloy of claim 1, wherein the alloy comprises 0.35 wt % Fe or less.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The alloy of claim 1, wherein the alloy comprises less than 0.06 wt % of the one or more elements Cu, Cr, Mn, Zn, and V.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The alloy of claim 1, wherein the alloy further comprises up to 0.5 wt % of an additional metal chosen from Zr, Sc, and any combination thereof.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The alloy of claim 1, wherein the alloy has a yield strength of at least 200 MPa.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The alloy of claim 8, wherein a Scheil temperature of the alloy is higher than a solvus temperature Tsolvus for Mg2Si.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The alloy of claim 1, wherein the alloy has a Scheil temperature ΔT80%-99% smaller than 60° C.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The alloy of claim 1, wherein the alloy has a solutionizing temperature window of at least 20° C.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The alloy of claim 1, wherein the alloy has a critical cooling rate less than 80° C./s.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The alloy of claim 1, wherein the alloy comprises MgSi2 particles and excess Mg in the alloy matrix in an amount of up to about 2 wt % of the alloy.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The alloy of claim 13, wherein the alloy has the Mg2Si particles of at least 0.15 vol. %.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The alloy of claim 1, wherein the alloy comprises 0.8 to 1.2 wt % Mg2Si particles and 0.6 to 0.75 wt % Mg within the Al matrix.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The alloy of claim 1, wherein the alloy comprises an eutectic fraction of at least 5% such that hot tearing from thermal contraction during solidification is reduced.

### Claim 17

An aluminum alloy comprising
0.5 to 1.6 wt % Mg,
0.2 to 0.5 wt % Si,
0.04 to 0.35 wt % Fe,
less than 0.06 wt % of the one or more elements Cu, Cr, Mn, Zn, and V,
0.5 wt % of an additional metal chosen from Zr, Sc, and any combination thereof, and
the remainder aluminum and incidental impurities;
wherein the weight ratio of Mg to Si ranges from 3.0 to 4.0.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The aluminum alloy of claim 17, comprising 0.8 to 1.2 wt % Mg2Si particles and 0.6 to 0.75 wt % Mg.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The aluminum alloy of claim 18, wherein the Mg2Si particles are at least 0.15 vol % of the alloy.

### Claim 20

A method of making an aluminum alloy comprising:
depositing a powdered aluminum alloy comprising 0.5 to 3.0 wt % Mg and 0.2 to 3.0 wt % Si, wherein the alloy has a weight ratio of Mg to Si ranging from 2.0 to 4.0 on an aluminum alloy substrate;
heating the powdered aluminum alloy to form a melted alloy on the aluminum alloy substrate; and
cooling the melted alloy on the aluminum alloy substrate to form the aluminum alloy.