Soluble Former Powder Consolidation for Complex Dense Shapes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for creating objects from powders, such as hot isostatic pressing and field assisted sintering, face challenges in producing complex geometries due to the need for costly and complex dies or canisters, which increases production costs and limitations on the types of objects that can be formed.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a soluble former member made from materials like sodium chloride, which is used to shape the object, surrounded by powder, densified using heat and pressure, and then dissolved to separate the object, allowing for the creation of complex shapes with reduced material costs and complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If hot isostatic pressing or field assisted sintering is used to consolidate powder, then fully dense objects with minimal porosity are achieved, but complex geometries require costly and complex dies or canisters
Solution Approach 1:
A soluble former member is introduced as an intermediary tool to define the shape of the object during consolidation. The former member is surrounded by powder and undergoes densification together with the powder, then is subsequently removed by dissolution. This intermediary approach eliminates the need for complex external dies or canisters while maintaining manufacturing precision for complex geometries.
Solution Approach 2:
The soluble former member serves as a temporary copy or template of the desired object geometry. By surrounding this former with powder and densifying them together, the object replicates the former's shape. The former is then removed by dissolution, leaving the final object with the desired complex geometry without requiring complex external tooling.
2Shape
If traditional dies or canisters are used for hot isostatic pressing, then object shape is defined, but material costs and production complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The soluble former member is a temporary, disposable component that is dissolved after serving its shaping function. This eliminates the need for expensive, reusable dies or canisters. The former is made from soluble materials that can be easily removed by dissolution, significantly reducing material costs and production complexity for achieving complex geometries.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the state or form of the shaping tool from a permanent solid die to a soluble temporary form. By using materials that can undergo phase change or dissolution, the former can be easily removed after serving its purpose, transforming the manufacturing process from one requiring expensive tooling to one using inexpensive temporary forms.
3Device complexity
If soluble former members are used to shape objects, then complex geometries can be produced cost-effectively, but additional processing steps are required to remove the former
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical removal process (such as machining or breaking out traditional cores) is replaced with a chemical dissolution process. The soluble former members are removed by dissolving them in appropriate solvents, which is a simpler and often faster process than mechanical removal methods, thereby improving productivity despite the additional processing step.
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 enables the cost-effective production of fully dense objects with complex geometries by using a soluble former member to shape and densify the powder, reducing material costs and simplifying the production process while maintaining object integrity and porosity.
Implementation Method 1
dissolving the former member using a non-hazardous solvent to separate the object from the former member
Implementation Method 2
densifying the powder which surrounds the portion of the former member to form the object
Implementation Method 3
the heat causes the compacted material of the green object to densify under diffusion bonding and pore closure mechanisms
Implementation Method 4
a second step is required to close the porous cells of the green object through diffusion bonding. This is typically achieved through the application of heat in a process known as sintering
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes creating an object by consolidating a powder including providing a former member made from a soluble material soluble in a non-hazardous solvent for shaping the object, surrounding a portion of the former member with the powder, densifying the powder which surrounds the portion of the former member to form the object and dissolving the former member using a non-hazardous solvent to separate the object from the former member.