Method and apparatus for droplet stream manufacturing

• Main Authors: MUNTZ; ERIC P, ORME; MELISSA E
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 23.08.1994
• Edition: 5
• Subjects: CASTING; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY IONIMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; METALLURGY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; POWDER METALLURGY; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THESURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; TRANSPORTING; WORKING METALLIC POWDER

A method of manufacture of a net form product, including directing a stream of liquid from a nozzle onto a collector of the shape of the desired product, applying an amplitude and time dependent modulated disturbance to the stream to produce a droplet stream, and with the nozzle and collector in a chamber, controlling the chamber environment. An apparatus for manufacturing a net form product having a source of molten material under pressure, a support for positioning a product collector in a chamber with the collector defining a desired product, a droplet stream generator positioned within the chamber and including a nozzle, a conduit for conducting molten material from the material source to the generator nozzle, a mechanism, typically a modulator, for amplitude and time dependent modulation disturbance of the droplet stream, and a drive mechanism for relative movement of the nozzle and support.