METAL DROP EJECTING THREE-DIMENSIONAL (3D) OBJECT PRINTER AND METHOD OF OPERATION FOR FORMING METAL SUPPORT STRUCTURES

• Main Authors: Herrmann, Douglas K, McConville, Paul J, Wyble, Thomas J, Praharaj, Seemit, LeFevre, Jason M, Liu, Chu-Heng
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 09.02.2023
• 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; CASTING; CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; POWDER METALLURGY; TRANSPORTING; WORKING METALLIC POWDER

A three-dimensional (3D) metal object manufacturing apparatus is equipped with two solid metal moving mechanisms that are independently operated to move two different metals into the receptacle of a vessel in a melted metal drop ejecting apparatus. The ejector is operated to form object features with melted metal drops of one of the two different metals and to form support features with melted metal drops of the other of the two different metals. The thermal expansion coefficients of the two metals are sufficiently different that the support features easily separate from the object features after the object and support features cool.