Arc-Melted Refractory Wire Feedstock for Dense 3D Metal Parts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Additive manufacturing of metallic parts faces challenges such as sparking, blistering, splattering, excessive porosity, cracking, and insufficient density due to the melting of conventional metallic precursor materials, which are often contaminated with volatile impurities.
Innovation Solution
The development of wires with reduced gaseous and volatile impurities, such as oxygen, sodium, and phosphorus, made from refractory metals like niobium, tantalum, rhenium, tungsten, and molybdenum, fabricated through arc melting in a vacuum or inert ambient, minimizing impurities and enabling successful additive manufacturing with minimal defects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional metallic precursor materials are used in additive manufacturing, then the process can be performed with readily available materials, but the melting results in sparking, blistering, and splattering due to volatile impurities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies inert atmosphere processing by conducting arc melting in a vacuum or inert gas environment (argon, nitrogen, or hydrogen). This prevents oxidation and minimizes the incorporation of volatile impurities into the metallic wire feedstock, thereby eliminating sparking, blistering, and splattering during subsequent additive manufacturing processes while maintaining material availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-processing the metallic wire feedstock through arc melting in a controlled vacuum or inert atmosphere before use in additive manufacturing. This preliminary treatment removes volatile impurities and creates a clean, stable material that will not generate harmful effects during the main manufacturing process, thus resolving the contradiction between material availability and process stability.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional powder metallurgy feedstock materials are used, then additive manufacturing can proceed with standard materials, but the parts exhibit excessive porosity and cracking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs inert atmosphere processing during arc melting to prevent oxidation and volatile impurity incorporation in the metallic wire feedstock. This produces dense, crack-free material that eliminates porosity and cracking issues associated with conventional powder metallurgy feedstock, while maintaining ease of manufacture through a refined version of standard materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by transitioning from powder metallurgy feedstock to arc-melted wire feedstock with controlled composition and microstructure. This fundamental material parameter change eliminates porosity and cracking while improving density and mechanical properties, resolving the contradiction between using standard materials and achieving high manufacturing precision.
3Productivity
If conventional precursor materials are melted during additive manufacturing, then the layer-by-layer fabrication can proceed, but the parts exhibit insufficient density and poor machinability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses inert atmosphere arc melting to produce wire feedstock with controlled composition and minimal volatile impurities. This creates dense, homogeneous material that maintains excellent density and machinability during layer-by-layer fabrication, resolving the contradiction between productivity and manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a refined composite material system by combining arc-melted metallic wire with controlled alloying elements. This composite approach ensures consistent material properties that maintain high density and good machinability throughout the additive manufacturing process, eliminating the insufficient density and poor machinability issues of conventional materials.
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 approach results in three-dimensional parts with high density (>96% of theoretical density) and reduced porosity and cracking, while maintaining machinability and stability during the additive manufacturing process.
Implementation Method 1
the feed electrode is arc-melted in a processing ambient including, consisting essentially of, or consisting of a vacuum or one or more inert gases, thereby forming a billet
Implementation Method 2
the tip of the wire is melted by, e.g., an electron beam or a laser
Implementation Method 3
the tip of the wire is melted by, e.g., an electron beam or a laser
Data Source
AI summary
In various embodiments, wire composed at least partially of arc-melted refractory metal material is utilized to fabricate three-dimensional parts by additive manufacturing.