Selective laser sintering using nanocomposite materials
US5431967A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 8, 1993 |
| Grant date | Jul 11, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 8, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02P10/25
- WIPO fieldMaterials, metallurgy
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
A method of fabricating three-dimensional objects in a layerwise fashion, and having high structural strength and high density, is disclosed. Methods are disclosed by which nanocomposite powders of ceramic-ceramic systems, ceramic-metal systems, ceramic-polymer systems, and metal-polymer systems are produced. Disclosed examples utilize solution chemistry approaches, such as sol-gel processing, by way of which a gel is produced which is then fired and milled to form a powder suitable for selective laser sintering, where a laser fuses selected portions of layers of the powders according to a computer-aided-design data base. The ultraheterogeneity of the powder results in larger surface area and grain boundaries of the constituents, which enhances the solid state diffusion mechanism, and thus reduces the time and temperature required for sintering to occur. In addition, the higher stored metastable energy of the nanocomposite powder is believed to enhance densification during solid-phase sintering. Objects of high density of complex shape may thus be obtained directly from CAD data base design representations.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.