Directional electrostatic accretion process employing acoustic droplet formation

A Directional Electrostatic Accretion Process process apparatus comprising,

• a droplet generator for generating a plurality of liquid metal droplets,
• a material source for supplying molten liquid to said droplet generator,
• a charge electrode for charging each of said plurality of liquid metal droplets,
• deflection plates for deflecting each of said plurality of liquid metal droplets,
• an accretion target for receiving each of said plurality of liquid metal droplets, and
• a DEAP process control device connected between said droplet generator, said charge electrode, said deflection plates and said accretion target thereby controlling a trajectory of said droplet.

A nozzleless droplet generator comprising:

• an acoustic focusing lens;
• sidewalls extending upward from said acoustic focusing lens, thereby creating a reservoir for molten metal;
• a buffer rod coupled to said acoustic focusing lens and extending downward from said acoustic focusing lens;
• a piezoelectric transducer coupled to said buffer rod on an end oppositely disposed from said acoustic focusing lens for generating acoustic energy through said buffer rod to said acoustic focusing lens.

A Directional Electrostatic Accretion Process apparatus, comprising:

• an evacuated process chamber,
• a molten metal supply connected to said process chamber,
• a plurality of nozzleless acoustic droplet generators contained within said process chamber and housing a supply of molten metal that generates droplets directly from the free surface of the molten metal, said generators are further supplied with molten metal by said molten metal supply,
• an accretion target receiving said droplets,
• plurality of electrostatic trajectory controls located parallel to the path of said droplets that controls the trajectory of said droplets, directing said droplets from said droplet generators onto a specific position on said accretion target,
• a Directional Electrostatic Accretion Process control unit connected between said process chamber and said molten metal supply for controlling said Directional Electrostatic Accretion Process, and
• a Direcional Electrostatic Accretion Process design workstation connected to said Directional Electrostatic Accretion Process control unit thereby controlling said Directional Electrostatic Accretion Process.