Liquid Metal Jet Printing With Laser Oxide Ablation and Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Liquid metal jet printing faces challenges in achieving satisfactory properties due to low surface temperatures and oxide layers, which inhibit remelting, coalescing, and metallurgical bonding, leading to unsatisfactory articles with voids and cold laps.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a controlled heating and ablation system, such as the CHAMP system, which concurrently heats the substrate and ablates oxides using a laser to regulate interfacial temperatures and remove contaminants, ensuring proper thermo-fluidic processes during additive manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If liquid metal jet printing is performed without additional heating, then the process is simple and fast, but the surface temperature is insufficient to enable proper remelting, coalescing, and metallurgical bonding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the heating function with the existing liquid metal jet printing system by integrating a heating source (such as a laser or resistive heating element) into the printing apparatus. This merging allows the system to simultaneously perform heating and printing operations, raising the surface temperature to enable proper remelting and metallurgical bonding without requiring separate offline heating processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary heating to the substrate or previously deposited metal layers before the liquid metal droplets are deposited. This preliminary action ensures that the surface is at the appropriate temperature for remelting and bonding when the droplets arrive, thereby enabling proper metallurgical bonding without compromising the overall process speed.
2Reliability
If offline secondary processes are used to treat the substrate surface, then oxide removal and heating are effective, but productivity is reduced due to additional processing steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the oxide removal and heating functions into the online liquid metal jet printing process. By integrating an ablation source (such as a pulsed laser) and heating source directly into the printing system, the substrate surface is treated concurrently with the deposition process, eliminating the need for separate offline secondary processes and maintaining high fabrication rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maintains continuous operation by performing oxide ablation, heating, and droplet deposition in a continuous online manner. The useful actions of surface preparation and material deposition occur simultaneously without interruption, ensuring that the fabrication process maintains high productivity while achieving reliable metallurgical bonding.
3Manufacturing precision
If the substrate surface is not heated, then the process is simple and fast, but voids and cold laps form due to insufficient remelting and coalescing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates heating and ablation functions into the liquid metal jet printing system, combining multiple functions (droplet ejection, surface heating, oxide removal) into a single unified online process. This merging enables precise control of surface temperature to ensure complete remelting and coalescing of droplets, eliminating voids and cold laps while maintaining article quality.
4Reliability
If oxide layers are not removed, then the process remains simple, but metallurgical bonding is inhibited leading to unsatisfactory articles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines oxide ablation with the liquid metal jet printing process by integrating an ablation source (such as a pulsed laser) into the printing system. This merging allows real-time removal of oxide layers from the substrate and previously deposited layers during the deposition process, ensuring clean surfaces for metallurgical bonding without requiring separate offline cleaning steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary ablation to remove oxide layers from the substrate surface and previously deposited metal layers before new droplets are deposited. This preliminary action ensures that the surface is free of oxides and contaminants that would inhibit metallurgical bonding, thereby improving reliability while maintaining process efficiency.
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 approach enhances the quality of fabricated articles by improving remelting, coalescing, and bonding, reducing voids and cold laps, while maintaining productivity without the need for offline secondary processes.
Implementation Method 1
The controlled heating and ablation system is configured to heat the substrate and ablate oxides on a surface of the substrate. The output from the laser has a power of from about 40 watts (W) to about 1500 W.
Implementation Method 2
The controlled heating and ablation system is configured to heat the substrate and ablate oxides on a surface of the substrate.
Implementation Method 3
liquid metal jet printing includes utilizing a direct current pulse applied by an electromagnetic coil to expel molten metal drops toward the substrate
Implementation Method 4
As the metal drops contact the substrate, the metal drops cool to form the article
Data Source
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AI summary
An additive manufacturing device includes a stage configured to support a substrate. The device also includes a printhead disposed above the stage. The printhead is configured to heat a build material to a molten build material and to deposit the molten build material on the substrate in the form of droplets to fabricate an article. The device also includes a controlled heating and ablation system disposed proximal the printhead. The controlled heating and ablation system is configured to heat the substrate and ablate oxides on a surface of the substrate.