Additive manufacturing using heated gettering

• Main Authors: Howard James Price, Peter Neil Stewart
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 06.09.2023
• Subjects: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY; ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OFTHREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVEAGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING,STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; CASTING; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; POWDER METALLURGY; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; TRANSPORTING; WORKING METALLIC POWDER; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

A method for the additive manufacture of an article using a chamber 100 containing a getter 300. In use, before the introduction of the feed material, the chamber is evacuated using vacuum pump 200, reducing the concentration of a gas within the system. Getter 300 will continue to lower the concentration of the gas, which may be oxygen, to levels of 50 ppm or below. The getter may be a substrate for additive manufacture (e.g. a base plate) and may be heated by fusion source 400 leading to melting/sublimation (e.g., by rastering of a laser or electron beam). The getter may be a stainless steel or comprise an alloy of either titanium, nickel, aluminium or cobalt. The feed material may comprise a first or second row transition metal, a group III element and/or a mixture thereof.