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US5393613A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Composition for three-dimensional metal fabrication using a laser
Assignee: Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corp
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Filing: 1993-12-03
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Granted: 1995-02-28
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Expires: 2013-12-03
Abstract
Abstract Direct fabrication of three-dimensional metal parts by irradiating a thin layer of a mixture of metal powder and temperature equalization and unification vehicle to melt the metal powder and form a solid metal film. The vehicle also protects the molten metal from oxidation. The metal powder can contain an elemental metal or several metals, the vehicle can be an organic resin or an amalgam, and the irradiation can be selectively applied by a YAG laser.
Inventors
- 👤 Colin A. MacKay
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 10:38
CPC Classifications
B; B22; B22F; B22F3/00; B22F3/10; B22D; B22D23/00; B22D23/06; B33; B33Y; B33Y10/00; B33Y40/00; B33Y70/00; B22F10/00; B22F10/20; B22F10/28; B22F12/00; B22F12/40; B22F12/41; Y; Y02; Y02P; Y02P10/00; Y02P10/25; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/12; Y10T428/12014; Y10T428/12028; Y10T428/12063; Y10T428/12104; Y10T428/12111; Y10T428/1234
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
57 words
A composition for three-dimensional metal fabrication, said composition comprising: metal powder, whereas said metal powder has a melting point above 400°; and a temperature equalization and unification vehicle mixed with said metal powder to form a mixture, wherein a thin layer of said mixture may be irradiated to melt the metal powder and form a metal film.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
57 words
A composition for three-dimensional metal fabrication, said composition comprising: metal powder, whereas said metal powder has a melting point above 400°; and a temperature equalization and unification vehicle mixed with said metal powder to form a mixture, wherein a thin layer of said mixture may be irradiated to melt the metal powder and form a metal film.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
15 words
A composition as recited in claim 1, wherein said metal powder comprises a single metal.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
A composition as recited in claim 1, wherein said metal powder comprises a plurality of metals.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
A composition as recited in claim 1, wherein said metal powder comprises an alloy powder.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
17 words
A composition as recited in claim 1, wherein said metal powder comprises copper particles and solder particles.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
A composition as recited in claim 1, wherein said vehicle is selected from the group consisting of sodium, potassium, calcium, carbonates, silicates, aluminium and combinations thereof.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
18 words
A composition as recited in claim 6, wherein said metal powder has a melting point above 900° C.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
19 words
A composition as recited in claim 1, wherein said vehicle comprises a resin cream comprising tin and lead particles.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
A composition as recited in claim 1, wherein said vehicle protects the molten metal from oxidation.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
14 words
A composition as recited in claim 1, wherein said vehicle comprises an organic resin.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
23 words
A composition as recited in claim 10, wherein said vehicle further comprises dimer and trimer variants of said resin as rheological control additives.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
34 words
A composition as recited in claim 11, wherein said dimer and timer variants are at the 0.3 percent level and said mixture is dissolved in a solvent to produce a 55 percent volume mixture.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
25 words
A composition as recited in claim 12, wherein said organic resin is selected from the group consisting of water white rosin and tall oil rosin.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
22 words
A composition as recited in claim 12, wherein said solvent is selected from the group consisting of butyl carbitol and isobutyl alcohol.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
20 words
A composition as recited in claim 1, wherein said vehicle is an amalgam and said metal film includes said amalgam.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
15 words
A composition as recited in claim 15, wherein said mixture includes copper, nickel and gallium.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
21 words
A composition as recited in claim 1, wherein said metal film is a continuous film which does not contain said vehicle.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
27 words
A composition as recited in claim 1, wherein said mixture contains thick and thin distributions of said metal powder which result in thick and thin films, respectively.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
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| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1998-02-27 | 1998-08-29 | 1999-02-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2002-02-27 | 2002-08-29 | 2003-02-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2006-02-27 | 2006-08-29 | 2007-02-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |