EP0431924B1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Three-dimensional printing techniques
Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
•
Filing: 1990-12-05
•
Granted: 1996-01-31
•
Expires: 2010-12-05
Abstract
No abstract record available.
Inventors
- 👤 Emanuel M. Sachs
- 👤 John S. Haggerty
- 👤 Michael J. Cima
- 👤 Paul A. Williams
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 22:41
CPC Classifications
B; B22; B22F; B22F3/00; B22F3/004; B05; B05C; B05C19/00; B05C19/04; B22F10/00; B22F10/10; B22F10/14; B22F10/50; B28; B28B; B28B1/00; B28B1/001; B29; B29C; B29C41/00; B29C41/006; B29C41/02; B29C41/12; B29C41/34; B29C41/36; B29C64/00; B29C64/10; B29C64/106; B29C64/112; B29C64/165; B29C67/00; B29C67/02; B29C67/04; B29C67/24; B29C67/242; B29C67/243; B30; B30B; B30B15/00; B30B15/30; B30B15/302; B33; B33Y; B33Y10/00; B33Y40/00; B33Y40/20; B33Y50/00; B33Y50/02; B33Y70/00; B41; B41J; B41J2/00; B41J2/005; B41J2/01; B41J2/07; B41J2/075; B41J2/08; B41J2/085; B41J2/09; H; H05; H05K; H05K3/00; H05K3/10; H05K3/102; B22F10/20; B22F10/22; B22F10/30; B22F10/36; B22F10/366; B22F12/00; B22F12/22; B22F12/224; B22F12/50; B22F12/53; B22F12/55; B22F2998/00; G; G05; G05B; G05B2219/00; G05B2219/30; G05B2219/49; G05B2219/49013; H05K2203/00; H05K2203/01; H05K2203/0104; H05K2203/013; H05K2203/05; H05K2203/0502; H05K2203/0522; Y; Y02; Y02P; Y02P10/00; Y02P10/25; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/12; Y10T428/12014; Y10T428/12021
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 53
Claim 1
Independent Claim
126 words
A process for making a component comprising the steps of: a) depositing a layer of particulate material in a confined region (Fig. 2(A)); b) causing said layer of particulate material to become bonded at one or more selected regions (Fig. 2(B)); c) repeating steps a) and b) a selected number of times to produce a selected number of successive layers (Fig. 2(C) and (D)); and d) removing particulate material which is not at said one or more selected regions to provide the component (Fig. 2(E)); characterized in that a binder material is applied to selected regions of a porous layer of particulate material, and that the binder bonds the particulate material in the said selected regions and causes successive layers to become bonded to each other.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
30 words
A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein deposition of the particulate material applied two or more different types of particulate material at different regions of the component being formed.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
A process in accordance with claim 1 or 2 wherein said particulate material is a ceramic, metallic, or plastic material and said binder material is an inorganic material, an organic material, or a metallic material.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
A process in accordance with claim 1 or 3 wherein said particulate material is a ceramic and said binder material is a colloidal suspension of ceramic particles.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
38 words
A process in accordance with claim 1 or 2 wherein said particulate material is a ceramic powder or ceramic fiber and said binder material is an inorganic ceramic material, an organic ceramic precursor material, or a metallic material.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
28 words
A process in accordance with claim 1 or 2 wherein said particulate material is a metal powder and said binder material is a metallic or a ceramic material.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
28 words
A process in accordance with claims 1 or 2 wherein said particulate material is a plastic material and said binder material is a solvent for said plastic material.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
32 words
A process in accordance with any of claims 1 to 7 including the step of further processing by heating or curing said bonded material to improve the properties of the finished component.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
37 words
A process in accordance with claim 8 wherein said further processing includes the step of heating said selected number of successive layers of bonded material to further strengthen the bonding of said successive layers of bonded material.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
A process in accordance with any of claims 1 to 9 wherein said particulate material is deposited in a dry state.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
A process in accordance with claim 10 and further including the step of vibrating the dry particulate material to settle said material as said layers thereof are deposited (Figs. 3-5).
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
47 words
A process in accordance with claim 11 wherein said vibrating is performed by mechanical vibration of said deposited particulate material (Fig. 3), by applying acoustic energy to said deposited particulate material (Fig. 4), or by applying a piezoelectric scraper device to said deposited particulate material (Fig. 5).
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
39 words
A process in accordance with any of claims 1 to 9 wherein said particulate material is deposited in a liquid vehicle and further including the step of at least partially drying the particulate material before applying said binder material.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
40 words
A process in accordance with claim 13 wherein said at least partial drying is performed by applying infrared or hot air heat to said deposited layer of particulate material or by applying microwaves to said deposited layer of particulate material.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
29 words
A process in accordance with any of claims 10 to 14 wherein the porosity of said component is determined in accordance with the packing density of said particulate material.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
20 words
A process in accordance with any of claims 1 to 15 wherein said binder material is applied as a liquid.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
18 words
A process in accordance with claim 16 wherein said liquid is an aqueous solution or a colloidal suspension.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
18 words
A process in accordance with claim 17 wherein said liquid comprises binder particles entrained in a carrier liquid.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
42 words
A process in accordance with any of claims 1 to 18 wherein said binder material comprises at least two different binder materials, said two different binder materials being applied to at least two different selected regions of said particulate material (Fig. 2(B)).
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
24 words
A process in accordance with any of claims 1 to 19 wherein said binder material is applied as one or more jet streams thereof.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
27 words
A process in accordance with claim 20 wherein each of said one or more jet streams of binder material is applied as a continuous jet stream thereof.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
25 words
A process in accordance with claim 20 where each of said one or more jet streams is applied as a plurality of separate droplets thereof.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
21 words
A process in accordance with claim 20, 21 or 22 wherein said binder material is applied as a single jet stream.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
27 words
A process in accordance with claims 20, 21 or 22 wherein a plurality of jet streams are applied in one or more linear arrays thereof (Fig. 1).
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
23 words
A process in accordance with any of claims 1 to 24 wherein said binder material is at least partially hardened after being applied.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
18 words
A process in accordance with claim 25 wherein said binder material is hardened by applying heat energy thereto.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
19 words
A process in accordance with claim 26 wherein said heat energy is applied as infra-red or microwave heat energy.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
16 words
A process in accordance with claim 27 wherein said binder material is hardened by chemical reaction.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
33 words
A process in accordance with claim 28 wherein the particles of said particulate material are covered with a coating material and said chemical reaction occurs between said binder material and said coating material.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
34 words
A process in accordance with claim 28 wherein said particulate material is deposited in a wet state and said chemical reaction occurs between said binder material and the liquid in said wet powdered material.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
35 words
A process in accordance with claim 28 including the step of supplying a gaseous material to said binder material, said binder material chemically reacting with said gaseous material to form a partially hardened binder material.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
20 words
A process in accordance with any of claims 1 to 31 wherein said material which is removed is removed ultrasonically.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
59 words
A process in accordance with any of claims 1 to 32 for making a mold having re-entrant regions and one or more passageways for the admission of molding material into said mold, wherein said binder material is not applied to said re-entrant regions and unbonded particulate material is removed from said re-entrant regions via said passageways (Figs. 7, 8).
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
21 words
A process in accordance with claim 33 when said powder material is a ceramic powder material for forming a ceramic mold.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
45 words
A process in accordance with claim 33 wherein said mold comprises a main body region and core regions, one type of further material being applied to form said main body region and a different type of further material being applied to form said core regions.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
17 words
A process in accordance with any of claims 1 to 32 wherein said component is a mold.
Claim 37
Independent Claim
97 words
A system for making a component, comprising: means (13) for depositing a selected number of successive porous layers of a particulate material; means (15) for causing the particulate material to become bonded at one or more selected regions in each layer to form said component; and means for removing particulate material which is not at said one or more selected regions; characterized in that the means (15) for causing the particulate material to become bonded comprises means for applying a binder material to said selected regions of each successive layer after each successive layer has been deposited.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
28 words
A system in accordance with claim 37 wherein said binder material applying means (15) includes means (43) for applying said material as one or more jet streams thereof.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
29 words
A system in accordance with claim 37 and further including means for further processing by heating or curing said bonded material to improve the properties of the finished component.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
29 words
A system in accordance with claim 39 wherein said means for further processing includes means for heating said bonded material to further strengthen the bonding of said bonded material.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
25 words
A system in accordance with claim 37 wherein said particulate material depositing means (13) deposits said material as a powder material in a dry state.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
43 words
A system in accordance with claim 41 and further including means (61) for mechanically vibrating said dry deposited powder material, for applying acoustic energy (63) to said deposited powder material or for applying a piezoelectric scraper device (65) to said deposited powder material.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
25 words
A system in accordance with claim 39 wherein said particulate material depositing means (13) deposits said material as a powder material in a liquid state.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
23 words
A system in accordance with claim 43 and further including means for at least partially drying the powder material before applying further material.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
38 words
A system in accordance with claim 44 wherein said drying means includes means for applying infra-red or hot air heat to said deposited layer of powder material or for applying microwaves to said deposited layer of powder material.
Claim 46
Independent Claim
23 words
A system in accordance with any of claims 37 to 45 and further including means for at least partially hardening said binder material.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
21 words
A system in accordance with claim 46 wherein said hardening means includes means for applying heat energy to said binder material.
Claim 48
Independent Claim
35 words
A system in accordance with any of claims 37 to 47 wherein said binder material applying means (43, 43A) applies two different types of binder materials to different regions of said layers of particulate material.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
27 words
A system in accordance with claim 37 wherein said binder material applying means (15) applies said material using a continuous jet means or a drop-on-demand jet means.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
34 words
A system in accordance with claim 37 wherein said binder material applying means (15) is arranged to provide a relative movement of said applying means with respect to said successive layers of particulate material.
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
36 words
A system in accordance with claim 37 wherein said binder material applying means (15) is moved over said successive layers of particulate material in a selected pattern, said successive layers of particulate material being maintained stationary.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
30 words
A system in accordance with claim 37 wherein said binder material applying means (15) is moved over said successive layers of particulate material in a raster scan pattern (Fig. 9).
Claim 53
Dependent Claim
61 words
A system in accordance with claim 37 and further including; a chamber (72); a piston (70) movable in said chamber, said depositing means (13) depositing said successive layers of particulate material within a region defined by the chamber and the piston; and means for moving said piston downwardly in said chamber after the depositing of each successive layer of particulate material.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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