SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FORMING DIRECTIONALLY SOLIDIFIED PART FROM ADDITIVELY MANUFACTURED ARTICLE

• Main Authors: MARTINEZ, Edwin, BUI, Tho X, OTALUKA, Will, WOODWORD, John, MITTENDORF, Don, KASAL, Yathiraj
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 14.02.2018
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF SINGLE CRYSTALS OR A HOMOGENEOUSPOLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; APPARATUS THEREFOR; CASTING; CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES; CHEMISTRY; CRYSTAL GROWTH; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; METALLURGY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; POWDER METALLURGY; PRODUCTION OF A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITHDEFINED STRUCTURE; REFINING BY ZONE-MELTING OF MATERIAL; SINGLE CRYSTALS OR HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITHDEFINED STRUCTURE; SINGLE-CRYSTAL-GROWTH; TRANSPORTING; UNIDIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION OF EUTECTIC MATERIAL ORUNIDIRECTIONAL DEMIXING OF EUTECTOID MATERIAL; WORKING METALLIC POWDER

A method of manufacturing a directionally solidified article of the present disclosure includes providing a collection of particulate material and additively manufacturing a first article with an outer wall from the particulate material. The outer wall defines at least part of a cavity. The cavity contains an amount of the particulate material. The method also includes encasing at least a portion of the first article with an outer member. The outer member defines an internal cavity that corresponds to the first article. The method further includes heating the outer member and the first article to melt the first article into a molten mass within the internal cavity of the outer member. Additionally, the method includes solidifying the molten mass along a predetermined solidification path within the outer member to form a second article that corresponds to at least a portion of the internal cavity of the outer member.