Infiltration device for 3DP (three-dimensional printing) piece

Abstract

The utility model discloses an infiltration device for a 3DP printing piece, and relates to the technical field of additive manufacturing, the infiltration device comprises a container and an infiltration material placed in the container; a porous ceramic gasket is placed above the infiltration material and is used for placing a 3DP printing piece; the container is made of a high-temperature-resistant material, and a ceramic gasket with a hole is additionally arranged between a 3DP printing piece and an infiltration material, so that the contact area of the infiltration material and the printing piece is not too large, and copper phase corrosion on the direct contact position of the printing piece and the infiltration material can be effectively relieved, and therefore, the surface quality of a sample is ensured; and the printing piece can be separated from the infiltration material after the infiltration is finished.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of additive manufacturing technology, and in particular to a melt infiltration device for 3DP printed parts. Background Art

[0002] Binder jet printing technology, also known as 3DP technology (Three dimensional printing), is an additive manufacturing technology developed by MIT in the early 1990s. Similar to most additive manufacturing principles, binder jet printing technology forms an STL file based on the CAD three-dimensional model through slicing and layering. The printing device spreads the metal or ceramic powder layer on the metal printing platform through a powder dropping device, and then the print head selectively deposits organic or inorganic binders on the powder layer through the slice contour of each layer of the three-dimensional model in the STL file to bond the powder together. As the printing process continues, the printed layers of powder are bonded together to generate a printed-green part with the desired geometric structure, and then the printed-green part is cured, degreased, and sintered to finally obtain a formed part with ideal density and mechanical properties.

[0003] In the 3DP printing process, the printed and degreased parts will shrink significantly during the sintering process, which can easily cause obvious structural deformation of the formed parts, resulting in poor final dimensional control accuracy of the printed parts. Excessively high temperatures may cause incomplete or over-sintering of the material, affecting the performance of the material.

[0004] Compared with metal powder materials, metal-ceramic composite powder materials are more difficult to infiltrate due to the poor compatibility between ceramics and infiltrated metal alloys, which leads to metallurgical reactions in the area where the printed part contacts the infiltrated metal alloy, causing severe alloying corrosion and significantly changing the material properties of the printed part itself. In particular, when the printed part is a metal-ceramic composite material, the corrosion of the infiltrated alloy may significantly reduce the ceramic phase content in the area where the printed part contacts the infiltrated alloy, severely reduce the strength of the area where the printed part contacts the infiltrated alloy, and cause a huge difference in the microstructure and properties of the area where the printed part contacts the infiltrated alloy from those far away from the contact area, which will reduce the material properties of the area where the printed part contacts the infiltrated metal alloy. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of this, the present application provides an infiltration device for 3DP prints, in which a ceramic gasket with holes is added between the 3DP print and the infiltration material, which can effectively reduce the erosion of the direct contact position between the print and the infiltration material, thereby ensuring the surface quality of the sample.

[0006] The specific technical solutions adopted are as follows:

[0007] A melt infiltration device for 3DP printed parts, comprising: a container, and a melt infiltration material placed in the container; a ceramic gasket with holes is placed above the melt infiltration material, and the ceramic gasket with holes is used to place the 3DP printed parts; the container is made of high temperature resistant material, and the container can withstand a temperature exceeding the melt infiltration temperature by 200-300°C. The container is made of existing high temperature resistant material, and this application does not involve improvements to the high temperature resistant material.

[0008] Preferably, the material of the container is alumina ceramic or graphite.

[0009] By heating the container to melt the infiltration material, the 3DP print on the ceramic gasket can be infiltrated.

[0010] The infiltration process mainly relies on the capillary force formed by the pores of the printed part. Adding a ceramic gasket with holes under the 3DP printed part does not affect the infiltration process.

[0011] Preferably, the thickness of the perforated ceramic gasket is 0.5-3 mm. The thickness of the ceramic gasket should be as thin as possible to shorten the penetration path.

[0012] Preferably, the number of holes in the perforated ceramic gasket is several; preferably, the portion of the perforated ceramic gasket in contact with the bottom of the 3DP printed part is provided with evenly distributed holes.

[0013] Preferably, the diameter of a single hole of the perforated ceramic gasket is 5-20% of the bottom size of the 3DP print.

[0014] Preferably, the infiltration material is at least one of Cu-Sn alloy, Cu-Ni alloy and Cu-Ni-Mn alloy. The infiltration materials are all known alloy materials.

[0015] Preferably, the perforated ceramic gasket can be replaced by a perforated graphite gasket.

[0016] Beneficial effects of this application:

[0017] 1) Compared with the traditional binder jet printing, thermal curing, degreasing and sintering process, the metal-ceramic composite powder is 3DP printed to obtain a printed part, degreased to obtain a printed-degreased part, and then the infiltration device described in the present application is used for infiltration heat treatment to uniformly infiltrate the molten alloy into the pores of the infiltrated matrix; the use of a perforated ceramic gasket-infiltration device instead of traditional solid phase sintering can effectively reduce the number of pores and shrinkage of the formed part, thereby improving the density and dimensional accuracy.

[0018] 2) A ceramic gasket with holes is added between the 3DP printed part and the infiltration material to ensure that the contact area between the infiltration material and the printed part is not too large, which can effectively slow down the copper phase erosion at the direct contact position between the printed part and the infiltration material, thereby ensuring the surface quality of the sample and helping to separate the printed part from the infiltration material after the infiltration is completed.

[0019] 3) The aperture of the perforated ceramic gasket is 5-20% of the bottom size of the printed part. It will neither cause a long infiltration time due to a hole size that is too small, nor cause the collapse of the infiltration sample due to a hole size that is too large.

[0020] 4) The thickness of the perforated ceramic gasket is 0.5-3mm. Try to choose a thinner one to shorten the penetration path. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the melt infiltration device for 3DP prints described in the present application during melt infiltration.

[0022] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a ceramic gasket with holes.

[0023] In the figure: 1. Container, 2. 3DP print part, 3. Ceramic gasket with holes, 4. Infiltration material, 5. Hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The following will be combined with the drawings of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the embodiments described in the present application are only some embodiments of the present application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0025] See also Figure 1 A melt infiltration device for 3DP printed parts, comprising: a container 1, and a melt infiltration material 4 placed in the container; a perforated ceramic gasket 3 is placed above the melt infiltration material, and the perforated ceramic gasket is used to place a 3DP printed part 2; by heating the container 1 to melt the melt infiltration material 4, the 3DP printed part 2 on the perforated ceramic gasket can be melt infiltrated, thereby forming a high-density 3DP printed-melt infiltration part.

[0026] In this embodiment, the container 1 includes a crucible, and the container 1 may also be made of other existing high temperature resistant materials, such as alumina ceramics, graphite, etc. The heat resistant temperature of the high temperature resistant material should be 200-300°C higher than the infiltration temperature. The infiltration temperature is the temperature during the infiltration process, at which the infiltration material is in a molten state; the infiltration temperature is 100-300°C lower than the melting point of the metal material in the 3DP print.

[0027] The infiltration process mainly relies on the capillary force formed by the pores of the printed part. Adding a perforated ceramic gasket under the 3DP printed part does not affect the infiltration process.

[0028] The thickness of the perforated ceramic gasket is 0.5-3 mm. The thickness of the perforated ceramic gasket is preferably thinner to shorten the penetration path.

[0029] See also Figure 2 The number of holes of the perforated ceramic gasket is several; preferably, the part of the perforated ceramic gasket that contacts the bottom of the 3DP print is provided with evenly distributed holes. The diameter of a single hole of the perforated ceramic gasket is 5-20% of the size of the bottom of the 3DP print.

[0030] The perforated ceramic gasket can be replaced by a perforated graphite gasket or a perforated gasket made of other high temperature resistant materials.

[0031] The present application does not involve improvements to the infiltration materials, which are all known alloy materials, such as Cu-Sn alloy, Cu-Ni alloy, and Cu-Ni-Mn alloy.

Claims

1. Melt infiltration device for 3DP printed parts, including: A container, and an infiltration material placed in the container; characterized in that a perforated ceramic gasket is placed above the infiltration material, and the perforated ceramic gasket is used to place a 3DP print; the container can withstand a temperature that exceeds the infiltration temperature by 200-300°C.

2. The infiltration device for 3DP printed parts according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material of the container is alumina ceramic or graphite.

3. The infiltration device for 3DP printed parts according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thickness of the perforated ceramic gasket is 0.5-3 mm.

4. The infiltration device for 3DP printed parts according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of holes in the perforated ceramic gasket is several.

5. The infiltration device for 3DP printed parts according to claim 1, characterized in that: The portion of the perforated ceramic gasket that contacts the bottom of the 3DP print piece is provided with evenly distributed holes.

6. The infiltration device for 3DP printed parts according to claim 1, characterized in that: The single hole diameter of the perforated ceramic gasket is 5-20% of the bottom size of the 3DP printed part.

7. The infiltration device for 3DP printed parts according to claim 1, characterized in that: The infiltration material is at least one of Cu-Sn alloy, Cu-Ni alloy and Cu-Ni-Mn alloy.

8. The infiltration device for 3DP printed parts according to claim 1, characterized in that: The perforated ceramic gasket can be replaced by a perforated graphite gasket.

Images