Process of making a molded refractory article
Assignee3D Systems, Inc.
InventorsMichael S. Lockard, Kris Schmidt, Charles W. Hull
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for making a molded refractory article including the steps of providing a mold including a master pattern, the mold and master pattern defining a mold cavity; filling the mold cavity with a mixture comprising refractory particles and a heat fugitive binder; placing the assembly of the mold, master pattern and mixture in a furnace; curing the mixture; separating the mold and master pattern from the cured mixture; removing the binder to form a porous structure, sintering the porous structure to provide a porous refractory article and infiltrating the porous refractory article with a filler metal.
Claims14
A method for making a molded refractory article comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a mold including a master pattern, the mold and master pattern defining a molding pattern, at least the master pattern being formed using a stereolithographic or selective deposition modeling process;
- b) filling the molding pattern in proximity to the master pattern with a mixture comprising refractory particles and a heat fugitive binder;
- c) curing the mixture;
- d) heating the mold and cured mixture to a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time so as to cause the master pattern to melt, oxidize, or reduce, leaving a molded refractory particle/binder article with a mold pattern thereon substantially duplicating the master pattern;
- e) heating the molded refractory particle/binder article to a temperature sufficient to cause the binder to leave the molded refractory particle/binder article to form a porous refractory article, and
- f) heating the porous refractory article to a temperature greater than in step e) to cause the refractory particles to adhere to each other forming a sintered porous refractory article;
- the resultant product being a porous refractory article.
A method for making a molded refractory article comprising the steps of:
- providing a mold having a cavity therein corresponding to a master pattern substantially duplicating an article to be formed, the mold being formed using a stereolithographic or selective deposition modeling process;
- filling the mold cavity with a mixture comprising refractory particles in a liquid heat-fugitive binder;
- placing the mold and mixture in a furnace and raising the temperature within the furnace over a predetermined temperature and time schedule so as to cause, in order,
- a) the heat fugitive binder to cure to a solid,
- b) the mold to melt, oxidize, or reduce, leaving a molded refractory particle/binder article,
- c) the binder to leave the molded refractory particle/binder article to form a substantially binder free porous refractory article, and
- d) the refractory particles in the substantially binder free porous refractory article to adhere to provide a sintered porous molded refractory article;
- wherein said sintered porous molded refractory article duplicates the master pattern.
A method for making an article comprising the steps of:
- providing a mold;
- disposing a master pattern within the mold to define a mold cavity;
- filling the mold cavity around the master pattern with a mixture comprising refractory particles and a heat fugitive binder to form a cast assembly;
- placing the cast assembly in a furnace, the furnace programmed to heat to preset temperatures over a fixed period of time, the preset temperatures held constant for a predetermined period of time;
- curing the mixture;
- separating the mold and master pattern from the cured mixture;
- removing the binder from the cured mixture;
- and
- sintering the binder free cured mixture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.