To provide a sintered material having excellent oxidation resistance, as well as excellent abrasion resistance and chipping resistance. A sintered material containing a first compound formed of Ti, Al, Si, O, and N is provided.

A cutting element comprises a supporting substrate, and a cutting table attached to an end of the supporting substrate. The cutting table comprises inter-bonded diamond particles, and a thermally stable material within interstitial spaces between the inter-bonded diamond particles. The thermally stable material comprises a carbide precipitate having the general chemical formula, A.sub.3XZ.sub.n-1, where A comprises one or more of Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Cd, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Au, Hg, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Ac, Th, Pa, and U; X comprises one or more of Al, Ga, Sn, Be, Bi, Te, Sb, Se, As, Ge, Si, B, and P; Z comprises C; and n is greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 0.75. A method of forming a cutting element, an earth-boring tool, a supporting substrate, and a method of forming a supporting substrate are also described.

Composites having the composition of at least one principal strengthening phase compound and one cemented phase of principal refractory metal are disclosed. The components of the strengthening phase compound can be a boride or a mixture of a boride and one or more than one carbide. In addition, the composites are obtained by smelting the principal strengthening phase compound and the cemented phase principal refractory metal in a non-equal molar ratio.

In an embodiment, a system includes a three-dimensional (3D) printer, a feedstock, and a laser. The three-dimensional printer includes a platen including an inert metal, and an enclosure including an inert atmosphere. The feedstock is configured to be deposited onto the platen. The feedstock includes a halogenated solution and a nanoparticle having negative electron affinity. The laser is configured to induce the nanoparticle to emit solvated electrons into the halogenated solution to form, by reduction, a ceramic and a diatomic halogen.

This invention relates to three-dimensional printing. This invention in particularly relates to a system for drying a paste-based crafting medium during three-dimensional printing and a method thereof. The system can comprise a dual printhead comprising a first dispensing nozzle for depositing the filament material for a mold layer in a flowable fluid form and a second dispensing nozzle for depositing the crafting medium, which is in a paste form. The system also includes a drying means which can be a heating system or a drying apparatus, that in some embodiments can be attached to the printhead. The three-dimensional imaging process for making objects, preferably metal objects or ceramic objects, on a layer-by-layer basis under the control of a data processing system is disclosed. The drying of the object or mold is crucial in the three-dimensional imaging process because it can affect the overall quality of the object. A solution to this problem is achieved in the present invention by using a drying step after finishing each layer of the object (both mold and paste). This is achieved in some embodiments by using a drying apparatus comprising a radiating heater and air circulation fan mounted on to the moving print head. The print head can repeatedly scan the printed layer and apply heat and air circulation to improve drying in a controlled manner. This system and method provides improved evenness in the drying and reduces the risk of cracks developing in the deposited object, and also reduces the risk of further problems during the subsequent processing steps to provide the finished object.

This invention relates to three-dimensional printing. This invention in particularly relates to a method of fabricating a three-dimensional object using a support edifice and also using a mold material with structural additives. The support edifice is fabricated in the same crafting material as the final three-dimensional object in the same manner as the printing of the final three-dimensional object (mold and crafting in a layer by layer manner). This method enables the support edifice to also transform during post processing in the same manner as the final three-dimensional object, thus supporting the object until finished. The system for fabricating the object comprises a dual printhead comprising a first dispensing nozzle for depositing the filament material in a flowable fluid form and a second dispensing nozzle for depositing the crafting medium, which is in a paste form. The printhead can also include a heating system or a drying apparatus. The three-dimensional imaging process for making objects, preferably metal objects or ceramic objects, on a layer-by-layer basis under the control of a data processing system is disclosed. The printing of the three-dimensional object such as heavy objects or an object having different parts having a very thin gap or space. It is important to use different processing steps and/or material to print such three-dimensional objects. The present invention provides a solution by printing a support edifice comprising a special structural additive for the mold, and further the support edifice can be printed simultaneously while printing the mold and crafting-paste material on a layer-by-layer basis. The mold material is mixed with the structural additive. The structural additive is useful for prohibiting either fusing of the object with the support edifice, or in alternative embodiments, the fusing of one part of an object with another part of an object.

A binder for an injection moulding composition including: from 40 to 55 volume percent of a polymeric base, from 35 to 45 volume percent of a mixture of waxes or a mixture of wax and palm oil, and at least 5 volume percent of at least one surfactant, wherein the polymeric base is formed of copolymers of ethylene and methacrylic or acrylic acid, copolymers of ethylene and propylene and/or maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene, and polymers soluble in isopropyl alcohol, propyl alcohol and/or turpentine, and chosen from the group including a cellulose acetate butyrate, a polyvinyl butyral and a copolyamide, the respective quantities of the binder components being such that their sum is equal to 100 volume percent of the binder.

A method of producing the composite reinforcing material includes a step of kneading at least a graphite-based carbon material and a reinforcing material into a base material. The graphite-based carbon material is characterized by having a rhombohedral graphite layer (3R) and a hexagonal graphite layer (2H), wherein a Rate (3R) of the rhombohedral graphite layer (3R) and the hexagonal graphite layer (2H), based on an X-ray diffraction method, which is defined by following Equation 1 is 31% or more:
Rate(3R)=P3/(P3+P4)100(Equation 1)
wherein P3 is a peak intensity of a (101) plane of the rhombohedral graphite layer (3R) based on the X-ray diffraction method, and P4 is a peak intensity of a (101) plane of the hexagonal graphite layer (2H) based on the X-ray diffraction method.

A composite composed of two principal strengthening compounds and one principal cementing refractory metal that is prepared by combining a suitable binary to senary borides and/or carbides with a unitary to binary principal refractory metal is disclosed. As compared with the conventional sintered cemented carbides, the composite of the disclosure not only possess high hardness and high toughness but also has various ratios of principal components since it is not prepared with equal mole during the process.

Polycrystalline compacts include a polycrystalline superabrasive material comprising a first plurality of grains of superabrasive material having a first average grain size and a second plurality of grains of superabrasive material having a second average grain size smaller than the first average grain size. The first plurality of grains is dispersed within a substantially continuous matrix of the second plurality of grains. Earth-boring tools may include a body and at least one polycrystalline compact attached thereto. Methods of forming polycrystalline compacts may include coating relatively larger grains of superabrasive material with relatively smaller grains of superabrasive material, forming a green structure comprising the coated grains, and sintering the green structure. Other methods include mixing diamond grains with a catalyst and subjecting the mixture to a pressure greater than about five gigapascals (5.0 GPa) and a temperature greater than about 1,300 C. to form a polycrystalline diamond compact.