Method and device for manufacturing titanium objects

Abstract

A method and reactor of manufacturing an object by solid freeform fabrication, especially an object made of titanium or titanium alloys. An objective is to provide a method for rapid layered manufacture of objects in titanium or titanium alloys. A further objective is to provide a deposition chamber which allows prosecution of the method according to the invention.

1 . A method of production of an object in a weldable material by solid freeform fabrication, the method comprising:
 loading a support substrate into a closed reactor vessel;   substituting the atmosphere inside the closed reactor vessel with an inert atmosphere substantially without creating backflow or vortexes, wherein the inert atmosphere has a pressure of about 10 5  Pa and contains maximum 50 ppm oxygen;   welding a series of quasi one-dimensional pieces of a weldable material onto the supporting substrate using a high energy plasma transferred arc.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the weldable material is a weldable metal, a weldable alloyed metal, or a polymeric material.   
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein:
 the weldable material is titanium or alloyed titanium.   
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the inert atmosphere further comprises a gas selected from a group consisting of: argon, helium or a mixture of these.   
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the inert atmosphere inside the reactor chamber comprises argon, and wherein the pressure of the inert atmosphere is about 100 Pa above the ambient atmospheric pressure.   
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 creating a virtual three dimensional model of an object which is to be formed.   
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 6 , further comprising:
 dividing the virtual three dimensional model into a set of virtual parallel layers and then dividing each layer into a set of virtual quasi one-dimensional pieces, forming a virtual vectorized layered model of the object.   
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7 , further comprising:
 loading the virtual vectorized layered model of the object into a welding control system able to regulate (i) a position and activation of the support substrate placed in the closed reactor vessel, (ii) a high energy plasma transferred arc welding torch placed in the closed reactor vessel, and (iii) a wire feeding system placed in the closed reactor vessel.   
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the welding of the series of quasi one-dimensional pieces of a weldable material onto the supporting substrate using a high energy plasma transferred arc is carried out according to the vectorized layered model of the object. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 9 , further comprising:
 repeating the welding of quasi one-dimensional pieces in accordance with the vectorized layered model of the object until the entire object is formed.