US 11,674,207 B2
Apparatus and process for producing additive manufactured metal matrix composites and article of manufacture thereof
Robert Swartz, Highland Park, IL (US); John Bayldon, Northbrook, IL (US); Buckley Crist, Wilmette, IL (US); and Eugene Gore, Des Plaines, IL (US)
Assigned to Impossible Objects, Inc., Northbrook, IL (US)
Filed by Impossible Objects, Inc., Northbrook, IL (US)
Filed on Nov. 16, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/455,118.
Application 17/455,118 is a division of application No. 16/195,362, filed on Nov. 19, 2018, granted, now 11,173,546, issued on Nov. 16, 2021.
Application 16/195,362 is a continuation of application No. 15/631,634, previously published as PCT/US2016/062356, filed on Nov. 16, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/256,436, filed on Nov. 17, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2022/0072611 A1, Mar. 10, 2022
Int. Cl. C22C 47/02 (2006.01); C22C 47/06 (2006.01); C22C 47/20 (2006.01); C22C 49/14 (2006.01); B33Y 30/00 (2015.01); B33Y 40/00 (2020.01); B29C 64/194 (2017.01); B29C 64/205 (2017.01); B29C 64/165 (2017.01); B22F 10/10 (2021.01); B22F 12/00 (2021.01); B22F 10/66 (2021.01); B22F 7/04 (2006.01); B29C 67/00 (2017.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); B33Y 80/00 (2015.01); B29C 64/112 (2017.01); B22F 10/73 (2021.01); B22F 12/53 (2021.01); B22F 10/62 (2021.01); B22F 3/02 (2006.01); B22F 3/10 (2006.01); B22F 7/06 (2006.01); B22F 7/08 (2006.01)
CPC C22C 47/025 (2013.01) [B22F 7/04 (2013.01); B22F 10/10 (2021.01); B22F 10/66 (2021.01); B22F 12/00 (2021.01); B29C 64/165 (2017.08); B29C 64/194 (2017.08); B29C 64/205 (2017.08); B29C 67/00 (2013.01); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 30/00 (2014.12); B33Y 40/00 (2014.12); B33Y 80/00 (2014.12); C22C 47/062 (2013.01); C22C 47/20 (2013.01); C22C 49/14 (2013.01); B22F 3/02 (2013.01); B22F 3/1035 (2013.01); B22F 3/1039 (2013.01); B22F 7/062 (2013.01); B22F 7/08 (2013.01); B22F 10/62 (2021.01); B22F 10/73 (2021.01); B22F 12/53 (2021.01); B22F 2007/045 (2013.01); B22F 2201/01 (2013.01); B22F 2998/10 (2013.01); B22F 2999/00 (2013.01); B29C 64/112 (2017.08); Y02P 10/25 (2015.11)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for producing a 3-D object, comprising:
reading a file of layers of the 3-D object, layer by layer, each layer having a shape;
for each layer, printing a fluid selectively onto a sheet of composite substrate material, the printing on each said sheet of composite substrate material representing the shape of that layer;
flooding through a trough onto each sheet of composite substrate material a powdered mixture of metal and flux that adheres to the selectively printed fluid on each sheet of the composite substrate material as a printed shape to create at least one composite powdered sheet;
removing excess powder from each composite powdered sheet as each powdered substrate sheet is first printed and subsequently flooded with said powdered mixture of metal and flux; and
stacking the powdered sheets in registered alignment, after excess powder removal, to form a stack of said composite powdered sheets, wherein each sheet in the stack of composite powdered sheets corresponds to a layer in the file of layers.