Patent US4996022A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
← Back to Patent Explorer
US4996022A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Process for producing a sintered body

Assignee: Juki Corp
•
Filing: 1990-07-10
•
Granted: 1991-02-26
•
Expires: 2010-07-10
📄 Original PDF 🌐 Google Patents 🔄 Sync Now

Abstract

Abstract A sintered body is produced by a process comprising the steps of mixing one or more metal powder particles with an organic binder, injection-molding the mixture to form a green body of a predetermined shape, removing the binder from the green body to form a porous body substantially made of the metal powder, and heating the porous body to a sintering temperature and holding it at that temperature to produce a sintered body, in which process the binder is removed through the sequence of the following steps: preheating the green body in an inert gas atmosphere in a temperature range that creates open pores in it; placing the green body, in which open pores have started to form, in a hydrogen gas atmosphere optionally mixed with an inert gas; holding the green body in a temperature range where the metal powder is not carburized and where the open pores will be maintained, so that the greater part of the binder is removed to form a porous body that is substantially made of the metal powder alone; and further holding said porous body at said heating temperature for a sufficient period of time to vaporize the carbon in the small amount of residual binder in the porous body through reaction with hydrogen.

Inventors

  • 👤 Norikazu Shindo
  • 👤 Tomoyuki Sekine
  • 👤 Yoshikatsu Nakamura
  • 👤 Takashi Kawamoto

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-06 11:23
CPC Classifications
B; B22; B22F; B22F3/00; B22F3/22; B22F3/225; B22F3/10; B22F3/1017; B22F3/1021; B22F2201/00; B22F2201/01; B22F2201/02; B22F2201/20; B22F2998/00

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim 211 words
In a process for producing a sintered body comprising the steps of mixing one or more metal powder particles with an organic binder, injection-molding the mixture to form a green body of a predetermined shape, removing the binder from the green body to form a porous body substantially composed of the metal powder, and heating the porous body to a sintering temperature and holding it at that temperature to produce a sintered body, the improvement wherein the binder is removed through the sequence of the following steps: preheating the green body in an inert gas atmosphere in a temperature range that creates open pores in it; placing the green body, in which open pores have started to form, in a hydrogen gas atmosphere optionally mixed with an inert gas; holding the green body in a temperature range where the metal powder is not carburized and where the open pores will be maintained, so that the greater part of the binder is removed to form a porous body that is substantially made of the metal powder alone; and further holding said porous body at said heating temperature for a sufficient period of time to vaporize the carbon in the small amount of residual binder in the porous body through reaction with hydrogen.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 211 words
In a process for producing a sintered body comprising the steps of mixing one or more metal powder particles with an organic binder, injection-molding the mixture to form a green body of a predetermined shape, removing the binder from the green body to form a porous body substantially composed of the metal powder, and heating the porous body to a sintering temperature and holding it at that temperature to produce a sintered body, the improvement wherein the binder is removed through the sequence of the following steps: preheating the green body in an inert gas atmosphere in a temperature range that creates open pores in it; placing the green body, in which open pores have started to form, in a hydrogen gas atmosphere optionally mixed with an inert gas; holding the green body in a temperature range where the metal powder is not carburized and where the open pores will be maintained, so that the greater part of the binder is removed to form a porous body that is substantially made of the metal powder alone; and further holding said porous body at said heating temperature for a sufficient period of time to vaporize the carbon in the small amount of residual binder in the porous body through reaction with hydrogen.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 18 words
The process according to claim 1 wherein the hydrogen content of said gaseous mixture is at least 5%.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 22 words
The process according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the binder is removed at a temperature in the range of 600°-800° C.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 34 words
The process according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the porous body obtained by removing the binder from said green body is presintered by elevating its temperature, with the presintered body being subsequently sintered.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 15 words
The process according to claim 4 wherein the temperature for presintering is at 600°-800° C.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 32 words
The process according to claim 3 wherein the porous body obtained by removing the binder from said green body is presintered by elevating its temperature, with the presintered body being subsequently sintered.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 15 words
The process according to claim 6 wherein the temperature for presintering is at 600°-800° C.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 15 words
The process according to claim 4 wherein the temperature for presintering is about 700° C.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 15 words
The process according to claim 7 wherein the temperature for presintering is about 700° C.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 11 words
The process according to claim 1 wherein said metal is iron.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 11 words
The process according to claim 7 wherein said metal is iron.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 16 words
The process according to claim 1 wherein iron carbonyl powder is mixed with a thermoplastic binder.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 24 words
The process according to claim 7 wherein 60 vol. % of iron carbonyl powder is mixed with 40 vol. % of a thermoplastic binder.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US4113480A Cited
US4305756A Cited
US4404166A Cited
US4569821A Cited
US4534936A Cited
US4661315A Cited
US4836980A Cited
US4758272A Cited
US4921665A Cited
US4917859A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1994-02-25 1994-08-27 1995-02-26 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1998-02-25 1998-08-27 1999-02-26 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2002-02-25 2002-08-27 2003-02-26 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

Assigned Categories & Tags

No categories assigned to this patent yet.

Assign Category Tag