Three-dimensional printing techniques

US5387380A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology · US

Inventors

• Michael J. Cima · Winchester, US
• Emanuel M. Sachs · Newton, US
• Tailin Fan · Nashua, US
• James F. Bredt · Watertown, US
• Steven P Michaels · Carlisle, US
• Satbir Khanuja · Cambridge, US
• Alan Lauder · Kennett Square, US
• Sang Joon Lee · Stanford, US
• David Brancazio · Cambridge, US
• Alain Curodeau · Cambridge, US
• Harald Tuerck · Cambridge, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 5, 1992
• Grant date: Feb 7, 1995
• Expiry date: Jun 5, 2012

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H05K2203/0522
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A process for making a component by depositing a first layer of a powder material in a confined region and then depositing a binder material to selected regions of the layer of powder material to produce a layer of bonded powder material at the selected regions. Such steps are repeated a selected number of times to produce successive layers of selected regions of bonded powder material so as to form the desired component. The unbonded powder material is then removed. In some cases the component may be further processed as, for example, by heating it to further strengthen the bonding thereof.