Method and apparatus for manufacturing powder for additive manufacturing
AssigneeHamilton Sundstrand Corporation
InventorsSergey Mironets, Luke Borkowski, Alexander Staroselsky
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Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing a powder for additive manufacturing. The method comprises steps of: vaporising a precursor metal material to form a metal vapor, wherein the precursor material includes a metal alloy and inclusions, and vaporising the alloy includes heating the precursor material to a temperature above the boiling point of the metal alloy and below the boiling point of the inclusions; condensing the metal vapor to form a molten metal; and atomizing the molten metal to form a metal powder. The present disclosure also relates to an apparatus for carrying out the method.
Claims20
A method of manufacturing a powder for additive manufacturing, the method comprising:
- vaporising a precursor metal material to form a metal vapor, wherein the precursor material includes a metal alloy and inclusions, and vaporising the alloy includes heating the precursor material to a temperature above the boiling point of the metal alloy and below the boiling point of the inclusions;
- condensing the metal vapor to form a molten metal;
- and
- atomizing the molten metal to form a metal powder.
An apparatus for manufacturing a powder for additive manufacturing, the apparatus comprising:
- a vaporization chamber;
- a crucible disposed within the vaporization chamber for holding a precursor metal material;
- a heat source for vaporising the precursor metal material to form a metal vapor;
- a condenser in fluid connection with the vaporization chamber for condensing the metal vapor to a molten metal;
- a feed chamber in fluid connection with the condenser for receiving the molten metal;
- an atomizer for atomizing the molten metal into a powder, wherein the atomizer comprises a nozzle for forming a powder from the molten metal, wherein the feed chamber is configured to hold the molten metal and feed the molten metal to the nozzle;
- and
- a collection chamber downstream of the nozzle for collecting the powder.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.