Method for preparation of metallic and ceramic foam products and products made

A method of fabricating a porous object comprising, in combination:

• (a) mixing structure forming powder, binder, and microspheres to provide a flowable composition;
• (b) gelling the flowable composition in a mold to form a composite object;
• and
• (c) heating the composite object to a temperature and for a time effective for providing a sintered object having internal porosity defined at least in part by one or more of the microspheres.

A method of fabricating a porous object comprising, in combination:

• (a) mixing structure forming powder, binder, and microspheres to provide an extrudable composition;
• (b) extruding the extrudable composition through a dispensing head;
• (c) depositing the extrudable composition onto a working surface in a predetermined manner to form a composite object;
• and
• (d) heating the composite object to a temperature and for a time effective for providing a sintered object having internal porosity defined at least in part by one or more of the microspheres.

A method of fabricating a porous object comprising, in combination:

• (a) mixing structure forming powder, binder, and a pore forming compound to provide an extrudable composition, wherein the pore forming compound is generally immiscible with the structure forming powder and binder;
• (b) extruding the extrudable composition through a dispensing head;
• (c) depositing the extrudable composition onto a working surface in a predetermined manner to form a composite object;
• and
• (d) heating the composite object to a temperature and for a time effective for removing at least an amount of the pore forming compound to generate one or more pores and thereby provide a sintered object having internal porosity.