Spark Plasma Sintering for Void-Free Additive Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Additive manufacturing processes like LOM can result in internal vacancies and dislocations, leading to reduced structural integrity and increased surface roughness in manufactured components.
Innovation Solution
A method combining laminated object slicing, tack welding, and spark plasma sintering to produce void-free additively manufactured parts, where sheets are cut, tack welded, and then spark plasma sintered to reduce vacancies and dislocations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If LOM processes are used to manufacture components, then layer-by-layer manufacturing capability is achieved, but internal vacancies and dislocations are present in the structure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies spark plasma sintering with specific parameters (temperature, pressure, time) to transform the microstructure of LOM-manufactured components. By controlling the sintering parameters, the process eliminates internal vacancies and dislocations while maintaining the layer-by-layer manufacturing advantage, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and manufacturing precision.
2Ease of manufacture
If LOM processes are used to manufacture components, then layer-by-layer manufacturing capability is achieved, but surface roughness increases
Solution Approach 1:
Spark plasma sintering with optimized temperature and time parameters densifies the surface layer and reduces surface roughness. The rapid heating and sintering process smooths out the layer interfaces characteristic of LOM manufacturing, thereby improving surface finish while preserving the manufacturing efficiency of the layer-by-layer approach.
3Use of energy by stationary object
If traditional sintering methods are used, then energy consumption is high, but processing time is long
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional thermal conduction-based sintering with spark plasma sintering, which uses electrical discharge (spark) to generate heat directly at the sintering interface. This substitution of the heating mechanism enables rapid heating rates and shorter processing times while maintaining or reducing overall energy consumption, as the energy is delivered more efficiently and locally to where it is needed.
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 structural integrity of additively manufactured parts by eliminating voids and dislocations, resulting in improved surface finish and reduced processing time and energy compared to traditional methods.
Implementation Method 1
spark plasma sintering the tack-welded stack of sheets to reduce vacancies and dislocations between adjacent sheets of the stack
Data Source
AI summary
A method of additive manufacturing of a component includes cutting a plurality of sheets, each sheet corresponding to a respective cross-section of the component, tack welding the sheets to one another to form a stack, arranging the stack in a mold, and spark plasma sintering the tack-welded stack of sheets to reduce vacancies and dislocations between adjacent sheets of the stack.