Powder Layer Sintering Inhibition via Resin Residue
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing complex metal objects through powder metallurgy face challenges with deformation and binding issues during the sintering process, particularly due to the difficulty in separating the sintered body from the support material.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the sequential application of powder layers, object forming liquid, and sintering inhibiting liquid to form a laminate structure, where the sintering inhibiting liquid contains a resin that inhibits sintering and has a residue of 800 ppm or greater upon thermal decomposition, allowing for the separation of the sintered product from the support material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a support material is used to support the sintering precursor, then deformation such as warping or straining is suppressed, but the sintered body and the support material are bound with each other making it difficult to remove the support material
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is divided into two distinct regions: a support region made of sinterable particles that provides structural support during sintering, and a sintering-inhibited region made of non-sinterable particles that prevents binding between the support and the sintered body. This segmentation allows the support to fulfill its function while enabling easy removal of the sintered body.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the support material are given different properties: the support region has high sintering density for mechanical strength and deformation suppression, while the sintering-inhibited region has low sintering density to prevent binding and facilitate removal. This local differentiation of properties resolves the contradiction between support function and removability.
2Ease of operation
If a powder of a sintering inhibiting material is used to interface between the sintering precursor and the support material, then releasability is improved, but the storage stability of the sintering inhibiting liquid deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sintering-inhibited region uses a composite approach by combining non-sinterable particles with a binder resin. The resin-containing composition provides both the sintering inhibition function for good releasability and forms a stable structure that improves storage stability of the liquid precursor, resolving the contradiction between releasability and storage stability.
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 effectively suppresses the relative sintering density of the sintered product in the inhibited region, enabling easy separation and improving storage stability of the sintering inhibiting liquid, thus addressing deformation and binding issues.
Implementation Method 1
a predicted amount of a residue calculated by multiplying a mass ratio (mass of the first resin or the second resin/mass of the powder) between a mass of the first resin or the second resin and a mass of the powder in a sintering inhibited part formed by laminating the sintering inhibited region by a ratio of a residue of the first resin or the second resin through thermal decomposition at 550 degrees C. is 800 ppm or greater
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an object producing method including a powder layer forming step of forming a layer of a powder containing sinterable particles, an object forming liquid applying step of applying an object forming liquid to the layer of the powder to form an object forming region, and a sintering inhibiting liquid applying step of applying a sintering inhibiting liquid to the layer of the powder to form a sintering inhibited region in which sintering of the particles is inhibited, and includes a layer laminating step of sequentially repeating these steps to form a laminate. The object forming region and the sintering inhibited region adjoin each other. The sintering inhibiting liquid contains a first resin. The sintering inhibited region contains the first resin or a second resin derived from the first resin. A predicted amount of a residue calculated by a predetermined method is 800 ppm or greater.