Additive Tool Steel Articles With Wrought-Like Hardness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing additive manufacturing techniques for tool steel articles often result in significant reductions in hardness, tensile strength, toughness, and elongation compared to wrought tool steels, leading to suboptimal mechanical properties.
Innovation Solution
A method involving consolidating tool steel powder alloys via additive manufacturing techniques, such as selective laser melting or binder jetting, followed by hot isostatic pressing and heat treatment to achieve hardness of 35 to 65 HRC, utilizing alloy compositions with specific carbon, manganese, silicon, nickel, cobalt, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, and vanadium content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If additive manufacturing techniques are used to produce tool steel articles, then design freedom and manufacturing efficiency are improved, but mechanical properties (hardness, tensile strength, toughness, elongation) deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by optimizing the alloy composition with specific ranges of carbon (0.2-2 wt%), chromium (5-25 wt%), and other alloying elements, combined with controlled additive manufacturing parameters and heat treatment conditions, to achieve mechanical properties comparable to wrought tool steels while maintaining design freedom
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite material principles by creating a multi-phase microstructure through controlled alloy composition and heat treatment, resulting in a complex microstructure that combines different phases to achieve both high strength and ductility in additively manufactured tool steel articles
2Device complexity
If powder metallurgical techniques are used to produce tool steel articles, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but mechanical properties (hardness, tensile strength, toughness, elongation) deteriorate significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by precisely controlling the alloy composition parameters and processing parameters (additive manufacturing conditions, heat treatment schedules) to transform the microstructure and enhance mechanical properties, achieving hardness of 35-65 HRC and tensile strength comparable to wrought tool steels
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by optimizing the alloy composition before manufacturing and performing pre-manufacturing assessments to ensure the additive manufactured articles will achieve the desired mechanical properties, avoiding the need for extensive post-processing while maintaining high performance
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method produces tooling articles with mechanical properties comparable to or exceeding those of wrought tool steels, including high hardness, tensile strength, and fracture toughness, enabling the creation of complex tooling structures without significant property loss.
Implementation Method 1
consolidating powder alloy into the tooling article via an additive manufacturing technique
Implementation Method 2
hot isostatic pressing the tooling article prior to the heating treatment
Implementation Method 3
heat treating the tooling article to provide the tooling article hardness of 35 to 65 HRC
Data Source
AI summary
In one aspect, methods of foil ling tooling articles from tool steel powder compositions via additive manufacturing techniques are described herein. A method of forming a tooling article comprises consolidating powder alloy into the tooling article via an additive manufacturing technique and heat treating the tooling article to provide the tooling article hardness of 35 to 65 HRC. The tooling article can be formed of an alloy composition comprising 0.2-2 weight percent carbon, 0-1 weight percent manganese, 0-1.5 weight percent silicon, 0-0.3 weight percent nickel, 0-15 weight percent cobalt, at least two of chromium, molybdenum, tungsten and vanadium in a combined amount of 5-25 weight percent and the balance iron. As described herein, the method can further comprise hot isostatic pressing the tooling article prior to the heating treatment.