Three-dimensional printing
AssigneesHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P., Nanyang Technological University
InventorsKarl DAVIDSON, Po-Ju CHIANG, Matteo SEITA, Kristopher J. ERICKSON, Lihua ZHAO
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An example of a three-dimensionally printed object includes a bulk portion having a ferritic microstructure; and a site-specific alloyed section having a pearlite microstructure. The three-dimensionally printed object may be generated using different examples of a three-dimensional (3D) printing method. Each example of the 3D printing method utilizes a two-stage heat treatment.
Claims15
A method for generating a site-specific alloyed section of a three- dimensional (3D) object during three-dimensional printing, the method comprising:
- based on a digital 3D object model of the 3D object, patterning individual layers of a metal-based build material with a binding agent to form an intermediate structure;
- based on the digital 3D object model, patterning a portion of at least one of the individual layers with an alloying agent to form a pattern of the site-specific alloyed section;
- and
- exposing the intermediate structure to a two-stage heat treatment to mitigate diffusion of the alloying agent from the pattern of the site-specific alloyed section and to form the 3D object having the site-specific alloyed section, the two-stage heat treatment involving:
- heating the intermediate structure to a first temperature;
- holding the intermediate structure at the first temperature for a predetermined time, thereby initiating sintering of the metal-based build material;
- and
- heating the intermediate structure to a second temperature that is higher than the first temperature.
A method for generating discrete site-specific alloyed sections of a three-dimensional (3D) object during three-dimensional printing, the method comprising:
- based on a digital 3D object model of the 3D object, patterning individual layers of a metal-based build material with a binding agent to form an intermediate structure;
- based on the digital 3D object model, patterning at least two discrete portions of one or more of the individual layers with an alloying agent to form respective patterns of the site-specific alloyed sections, wherein:
- i) the at least two discrete portions are patterned in at least one of the individual layers and are separated from each other in an X-direction or a Y-direction by at least four hundred microns;
- or
- ii) the at least two discrete portions are patterned in at least two different ones of the individual layers, and the at least two different ones of the individual layers are separated in a Z-direction by at least four of the individual layers that are not patterned with the alloying agent;
- or
- iii) i and ii;
- and
- exposing the intermediate structure to a two-stage heat treatment to mitigate diffusion of the alloying agent from the respective patterns of the site-specific alloyed sections and to form the 3D object having the discrete site-specific alloyed sections.
A 3D printed object, comprising:
- a bulk portion having a ferritic microstructure;
- and
- a site-specific alloyed section having a pearlite microstructure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.