Composite materials and composite manufacturing methods
AssigneeM4 Sciences, LLC
InventorsJames B Mann, Brian J. Arnold, Brian D. Gootee
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of forming a composite includes providing a plurality of metallic particles having a nano-crystalline microstructure. The method includes selecting an internal microstructure of the metallic particles to be present in the composite and determining a processing temperature in response to the selected internal microstructure. The method includes heating an amalgamation of the metallic particles and a polymer to the processing temperature and extruding the heated amalgamation through a printer nozzle to form the composite.
Claims20
A method for forming a composite, comprising:
- providing a plurality of metallic particles, wherein the plurality of metallic particles includes a nano-crystalline microstructure;
- selecting an internal microstructure of the metallic particles to be present in the composite;
- determining a processing temperature in response to the selected internal microstructure;
- heating an amalgamation of the metallic particles and a polymer to the processing temperature;
- and
- extruding the heated amalgamation through a printer nozzle to form the composite.
A method for forming a composite through fused deposition modeling, comprising:
- providing metallic particles having a nano-crystalline microstructure;
- selecting an internal microstructure of the metallic particles to be present in the composite;
- determining a processing temperature and a processing time in response to the internal microstructure;
- heating a mixture of a polymer and the metallic particles to the processing temperature;
- and
- extruding the heated mixture through a printer nozzle to form the composite.
A method for forming a composite, comprising:
- providing a plurality of metallic particles including a nano-crystalline microstructure;
- providing a polymer;
- mixing the metallic particles with the polymer;
- heating the polymer to a first temperature, wherein the first temperature is at least as high as a glass transition temperature of the polymer, and wherein the first temperature is lower than a grain growth temperature threshold of the metallic particles so that the metallic particles retain the nano-crystalline microstructure through the heating;
- and
- extruding a heated amalgamation of the metallic particles and the polymer to form a composite having the metallic particles adhered with a polymer matrix.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.