Patent US5340090A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5340090A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method and apparatus for droplet stream manufacturing
Assignee: University of Southern California
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Filing: 1993-03-19
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Granted: 1994-08-23
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Expires: 2013-03-19
Abstract
Abstract A method of manufacture of a net form product, including directing a stream of liquid from a nozzle onto a collector of the shape of the desired product, applying an amplitude and time dependent modulated disturbance to the stream to produce a droplet stream, and with the nozzle and collector in a chamber, controlling the chamber environment. An apparatus for manufacturing a net form product having a source of molten material under pressure, a support for positioning a product collector in a chamber with the collector defining a desired product, a droplet stream generator positioned within the chamber and including a nozzle, a conduit for conducting molten material from the material source to the generator nozzle, a mechanism, typically a modulator, for amplitude and time dependent modulation disturbance of the droplet stream, and a drive mechanism for relative movement of the nozzle and support.
Inventors
- 👤 Melissa E. Orme
- 👤 Eric P. Muntz
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 23:04
CPC Classifications
B; B22; B22F; B22F9/00; B22F9/02; B22F9/06; B22F9/08; C; C23; C23C; C23C4/00; C23C4/12; C23C4/123; B22F2998/00
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
132 words
In an apparatus for manufacturing a net form product, the combination of: a source of liquid material under pressure; a chamber; a support for positioning a product collector in said chamber, said collector defining the shape of a desired product; liquid droplet stream generator means positioned within said chamber for generating an aligned stream of droplets, said generator means including a nozzle; conduit means for conducting molten material from said material source to said generator nozzle; disturbance means for providing an amplitude and time dependent modulated disturbance to said stream at said nozzle to produce a stream of liquid droplets monodispersed in a single line; and drive means for relative movement of said nozzle and said support for impacting liquid droplets of said stream onto said product collector in a predetermined pattern.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
132 words
In an apparatus for manufacturing a net form product, the combination of: a source of liquid material under pressure; a chamber; a support for positioning a product collector in said chamber, said collector defining the shape of a desired product; liquid droplet stream generator means positioned within said chamber for generating an aligned stream of droplets, said generator means including a nozzle; conduit means for conducting molten material from said material source to said generator nozzle; disturbance means for providing an amplitude and time dependent modulated disturbance to said stream at said nozzle to produce a stream of liquid droplets monodispersed in a single line; and drive means for relative movement of said nozzle and said support for impacting liquid droplets of said stream onto said product collector in a predetermined pattern.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said disturbance means includes means for providing time dependent modulation in the form of a frequency modulation.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said disturbance means includes means for providing time dependent modulation is in the form of a phase modulation.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
36 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said disturbance means includes means for providing time dependent modulation in the form of an amplitude modulated carrier with a non-integer ratio of carrier frequency to modulation frequency.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said disturbance means includes means for providing time dependent modulation in segments, with different waveform characteristics in the segments.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1 including a plurality of said nozzles and a separate conduit means for each of said nozzles.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
15 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said nozzle is a single stream nozzle.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
15 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said nozzle is a multiple stream nozzle.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
34 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1 including a plurality of said nozzles and a separate conduit means for each of said nozzles, and wherein each of said nozzles is a multiple stream nozzle.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
16 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1 including means for controlling the environment in said chamber.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
16 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 10 including means for producing a vacuum in said chamber.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
18 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 10 including means for providing a reactive gas flow in said chamber.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
39 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1 including a plurality of sources of liquid material under pressure, a plurality of nozzles, and a separate conduit means for connecting each of said nozzles to a separate one of said sources.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
32 words
The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said drive means includes means for rotating said product collector about an axis, and means for moving said nozzle along said axis of rotation.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
51 words
The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said generator means includes first and second generators, each having a nozzle, and said conduit means includes first and second conduits for said first and second generators, respectively, with said nozzles positioned to provide colliding droplet streams for forming disks of said material.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
20 words
The apparatus as defined in claim 15 wherein said generators means includes means for varying the velocities of said streams.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
19 words
The apparatus as defined in claim 1 including means for directing a flow of gas into said droplet stream.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
24 words
The apparatus as defined in claim 17 wherein said means for directly includes means for directing said gas flow countercurrent to said droplet stream.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
24 words
The apparatus as defined in claim 17 wherein said means for directly includes means for directing said gas flow along with said droplet stream.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
86 words
In an apparatus for producing a stream of disk shaped droplets, the combination of: a source of liquid material under pressure; a chamber; droplet stream generator means positioned within said chamber, said generator means including first and second nozzles; conduit means for conducting liquid material from said material source to each of said generator nozzles for producing intersecting streams; modulator means for providing an amplitude and time dependent modulated disturbance to said streams to produce droplet streams; and means for maintaining a vacuum in said chamber.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
86 words
In an apparatus for producing a stream of disk shaped droplets, the combination of: a source of liquid material under pressure; a chamber; droplet stream generator means positioned within said chamber, said generator means including first and second nozzles; conduit means for conducting liquid material from said material source to each of said generator nozzles for producing intersecting streams; modulator means for providing an amplitude and time dependent modulated disturbance to said streams to produce droplet streams; and means for maintaining a vacuum in said chamber.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
20 words
The apparatus as defined in claim 20 wherein said generators means includes means for varying the velocities of said streams.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-08-22 | 1998-02-21 | 1998-08-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-08-22 | 2002-02-21 | 2002-08-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-08-22 | 2006-02-21 | 2006-08-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |