Ceramic Substrate Laser Additive Manufacturing Without Part Detachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laser additive manufacturing methods face challenges in detaching mechanical parts from the manufacturing platform without deformation, and are limited in material choices for substrates and parts.
Innovation Solution
A method using a ceramic substrate with a melting temperature higher than the laser additive manufacturing temperature, combined with metal powders, to create mechanical parts with improved adhesion and reduced deformation risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a metal substrate is used for laser additive manufacturing, then heat removal efficiency is improved, but the part must be detached from the platform which causes deformation and time loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a sacrificial support structure made of metal powder that acts as an intermediary between the ceramic substrate and the part being manufactured. This support structure facilitates heat removal during manufacturing and provides mechanical support, then can be easily removed after manufacturing without affecting the final part.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a disposable sacrificial support structure that is intentionally designed to be temporary. This support structure is created during manufacturing to enable heat removal and part support, then deliberately removed after the part is complete, accepting that it will be discarded rather than reused.
2Ease of manufacture
If material choices for substrate and part are limited to the same metal, then manufacturing process simplicity is maintained, but material versatility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of substrate material from metal to ceramic, which has a higher melting temperature. This parameter change enables the substrate to withstand the laser additive manufacturing process temperatures without melting, thereby allowing the use of metal powders for the part while maintaining process simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a composite approach by combining a ceramic substrate with metal powder layers. The ceramic substrate provides thermal stability and structural support, while the metal powder enables the desired part geometry and properties. This composite material strategy achieves both material versatility and manufacturing simplicity.
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
This method allows for the reliable and reproducible production of high-quality mechanical parts with technical and/or decorative functions, avoiding the risks of deformation and simplifying the manufacturing process by eliminating the need for part detachment from the substrate.
Implementation Method 1
the selective melting method by means of a laser beam, also known as Selective Laser Melting or SLM, is a rapid prototyping technique by melting a powder of a metallic material by means of a laser beam
Implementation Method 2
the metal powder melts and then solidifies according to the outline of the first 2-dimensional stratum
Implementation Method 3
The substrate, which is metallic, allows to efficiently remove the heat caused by melting the powder and therefore to relax at least in part the thermal stresses which are present in the part being manufactured
Implementation Method 4
The metal powder by means of which the part is manufactured is most often of the same nature as the material from which the substrate is made because this promotes the attachment of the part to the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
A method for laser additive manufacturing of a mechanical part includes providing a laser beam the operation of which will be controlled by a computer into which is introduced a CAD computer file which is cut into one or more strata which, once superimposed, allow to form the structure of the desired mechanical part, disposing a substrate in a manufacturing enclosure wherein an atmosphere of a neutral gas is created, depositing on the substrate at least a first layer of a powder of a first metallic material to be melted, levelling the first layer, subjecting by means of the laser beam the first layer to a selective melting step, if necessary, depositing on the substrate a second layer, levelling the second layer and subjecting this second layer to a step of selective melting, removing the excess material and cleaning the assembly and subjecting the part to finishing operations.