System and method for forming material substrate printer

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a system for manufacturing a part via an additive manufacturing process. The system uses a reservoir for containing a heated solution forming a mixture of a volatile component and meltable powdered material particles, the heated solution being heated to a point where the heated solution is at least about to begin boiling. A nozzle associated with the reservoir channels a quantity of the heated solution onto at least one of a substrate or a previously formed material layer. A processor controls a flow of the heated solution through the nozzle onto at least one of the substrate or the previously formed material layer. A heat source responsive to the processor generates heat to melt the powdered material particles. The heat source is controlled to melt the powdered material particles after the volatile component has at least substantially evaporated from the mixture. The volatile component cools a previously formed material layer before heating of the powdered material particles takes place, and the heating of the particles fuses the particles into a single structural layer, thus forming the part exclusively from the particles.

1 . A system for manufacturing a part via an additive manufacturing process, the system comprising:
 a reservoir for containing a heated solution forming a mixture of a volatile component and meltable powdered material particles, the heated solution being heated to a point where the heated solution is at least about to begin boiling;   a nozzle operably associated with the reservoir for channeling a quantity of the heated solution onto at least one of a substrate or a previously formed material layer;   a processor configured to control flow of the heated solution through the nozzle to enable the heated solution to be flowed onto at least one of the substrate or the previously formed material layer;   a heat source responsive to the processor for generating heat sufficient to melt the meltable powdered material particles;   wherein the heat source is controlled to melt the meltable powdered material particles in the quantity of the heated solution flowed onto at least one of the substrate or a previously formed material layer after the volatile component has at least substantially evaporated from the mixture, the volatile component operating to cool a previously formed material layer before heating of the meltable powdered material particles takes place, and wherein the heating of the meltable powdered material particles fuses the meltable powdered material particles into a single structural layer; and   wherein the part is formed exclusively by the meltable powdered material particles.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to alternately apply a quantity of the heated solution and then to cause the heat source to heat the quantity of the heated solution, in repeated fashion, to form multiple layers of the part in a layer by layer fashion, wherein the multiple layers are fused to one another. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the volatile component comprises at least one of methanol, acetone or ethanol. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising an additional reservoir for holding an additional heated solution different from the heated solution, and wherein quantities of the additional heated solution are deposited by the processor and heated using the heat source to help. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising an additional reservoir including a different heated solution. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the different heated solution includes the meltable powdered material particles. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the different heated solution includes different meltable powdered material particles. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the processor is further configured to control the heat source to tailor an application of heat to the different meltable powdered material particles to achieve melting of the different meltable powdered material particles. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the heat source comprises a laser. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the laser comprises a diode laser. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , further including a memory for storing a look-up table, the look-up table including at least one of times or temperatures that need to be used to melt the meltable powdered material particles. 
     
     
         12 . A system for manufacturing a part via an additive manufacturing process, the system comprising:
 a reservoir for containing a heated solution forming a mixture of a volatile component and meltable powdered material particles, the heated solution being heated to a point where the heated solution is at least about to begin boiling;   a nozzle operably associated with the reservoir for channeling a quantity of the heated solution onto at least one of a substrate or a previously formed material layer;   a processor configured to control flow of the heated solution through the nozzle to enable the heated solution to be flowed onto at least one of the substrate or the previously formed material layer;   a heat source responsive to the processor for generating heat sufficient to melt the meltable powdered material particles; and
 wherein the heat source is controlled to melt the meltable powdered material particles in the quantity of the heated solution flowed onto at least one of the substrate or a previously formed material layer after an expiration of a predetermined time period sufficient to enable the volatile component to be at least substantially evaporated from the mixture, the volatile component providing a cooling effect on a previously deposited material layer of a part being formed in a layer by layer process, and such that the cooling takes place intermittently with every application of a new quantity of the meltable powdered material particles about to be fused to form a new structural layer of the part; and 
   wherein the heating of the meltable powdered material particles fuses the meltable powdered material particles, layer by layer, into a single structural layer; and   wherein the part is formed exclusively by the meltable powdered material particles.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the volatile component comprises at least one of methanol, acetone or ethanol. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the heat source is controlled to melt an entire layer of the meltable powdered material particles at once. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the heat source comprises a laser. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the laser comprises a diode laser. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 11 , further comprising an additional reservoir for containing an additional heated solution containing an additional quantity of meltable powdered material particles. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , further comprising a first nozzle associated with the reservoir, and a second nozzle associated with the additional reservoir; and
 wherein the processor is configured to control the first and second nozzles to control an application of the heated solution and the additional heated solution during manufacture of the part.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein at least one of:
 the heated solution differs from the additional heated solution; or   the quantity of meltable powdered material particles differs from the additional quantity of meltable powdered material particles.   
     
     
         20 . A system for manufacturing a part via an additive manufacturing process, the system comprising:
 a first reservoir for containing a first heated solution forming a mixture of a first volatile component and a quantity of first meltable powdered material particles;   a first nozzle operably associated with the first reservoir for channeling a quantity of the heated solution onto at least one of a substrate or a previously formed material layer;   a second reservoir for containing a second heated solution forming a second mixture of a second volatile component and a quantity of second meltable powdered material particles;   a second nozzle operably associated with the second reservoir to channeling a quantity of the second heated solution onto at least one of the substrate or the previously formed material layer;   a processor configured to control flow of the flows of the first heated solution through the first nozzle and the second heated solution through the second nozzle, to enable the first and second heated solutions to be flowed onto at least one of the substrate or the previously formed material layer;   a laser configured to produce an optical signal, the laser being responsive to the processor and using the optical signal to generate heat sufficient to melt the quantities of first and second meltable powdered material particles;   wherein the laser is controlled to melt the quantities of first and second meltable powdered material particles in the first and second heated solutions flowed onto at least one of the substrate or a previously formed material layer after an expiration of a predetermined time period sufficient to enable the volatile components in the quantities of first and second heated solutions to be at least substantially evaporated, the volatile component of each of the first and second heated solutions providing a cooling effect on a previously deposited material layer of a part being formed in a layer by layer process, and such that the cooling takes place intermittently with every application of a new quantity of the first meltable powdered materials and the second meltable powdered material particles about to be fused to form a new structural layer of the structural part; and   wherein the heating of the first and second meltable powdered material particles fuses the first and second meltable powdered material particles, layer by layer, into a single structural layer; and   wherein the part is formed exclusively by the first and second meltable powdered material particles.