A method, product, apparatus, and article of manufacture for the application of the Composite Based Additive Manufacturing (CBAM) method to produce objects in metal, and in metal fiber hybrids or composites. The approach has many advantages, including the ability to produce more complex geometries than conventional methods such as milling and casting, improved material properties, higher production rates and the elimination of complex fixturing, complex tool paths and tool changes and, for casting, the need for patterns and tools. The approach works by slicing a 3D model, selectively printing a fluid onto a sheet of substrate material for each layer based on the model, flooding onto the substrate a powdered metal to which the fluid adheres in printed areas, clamping and aligning a stack of coated sheets, heating the stacked sheets to melt the powdered metal and fuse the layers of substrate, and removing excess powder and unfused substrate.

A method and a device are provided for removing surface oxides on nodules of a metal powder, before the nodules of the metal powder are used in an industrial process in which the nodules of the metal powder are assembled via a solid route or via a liquid route. In the method and the device, the surface oxides are stripped from the nodules of the metal powder by bringing the nodules of the metal powder into contact with vapour from at least one of: sublimation of a stripping solid material, and sublimation of the stripping solid material followed by a chemical transformation of a product of the sublimation.

In a three-dimensional printing method example, a metallic build material is applied. A positive masking agent is selectively applied on at least a portion of the metallic build material. The positive masking agent includes a radiation absorption amplifier that is compatible with the metallic build material. The metallic build material is exposed to radiation from a spatially broad, high energy light source to melt the portion of the metallic build material in contact with the positive masking agent to form a layer. The radiation absorption amplifier i) has an absorbance for the radiation that is higher than an absorbance for the radiation of the metallic build material, or ii) modifies a surface topography of the at least the portion of the metallic build material to reduce specular reflection of the radiation off of the at least the portion of the metallic build material, or both i) and ii).

In a three-dimensional printing method example, a metallic build material is applied. A positive masking agent is selectively applied on at least a portion of the metallic build material. The positive masking agent includes a radiation absorption amplifier that is compatible with the metallic build material. The metallic build material is exposed to radiation from a spatially broad, high energy light source to melt the portion of the metallic build material in contact with the positive masking agent to form a layer. The radiation absorption amplifier i) has an absorbance for the radiation that is higher than an absorbance for the radiation of the metallic build material, or ii) modifies a surface topography of the at least the portion of the metallic build material to reduce specular reflection of the radiation off of the at least the portion of the metallic build material, or both i) and ii).

A thermoelectric conversion material having a high dimensionless figure of merit ZT includes: a large number of polycrystalline grains which include a skutterudite-type crystal structure containing Yb, Co, and Sb; and an intergranular layer which is between the neighboring polycrystalline grains and includes crystals in which an atomic ratio of O to Yb is more than 0.4 and less than 1.5. A method for manufacturing a thermoelectric conversion material includes: a weighing step; a mixing step; a ribbon preparation step by rapidly cooling and solidifying a melt of the raw materials by using a rapid liquid cooling solidifying method; a first heat treatment step including heat treating in an inert atmosphere with an adjusted oxygen concentration; a second heat treatment step including heat treating in a reducing atmosphere; and manufacturing the thermoelectric conversion material by a pressure sintering step in an inert atmosphere.

A thermoelectric conversion material having a high dimensionless figure of merit ZT includes: a large number of polycrystalline grains which include a skutterudite-type crystal structure containing Yb, Co, and Sb; and an intergranular layer which is between the neighboring polycrystalline grains and includes crystals in which an atomic ratio of O to Yb is more than 0.4 and less than 1.5. A method for manufacturing a thermoelectric conversion material includes: a weighing step; a mixing step; a ribbon preparation step by rapidly cooling and solidifying a melt of the raw materials by using a rapid liquid cooling solidifying method; a first heat treatment step including heat treating in an inert atmosphere with an adjusted oxygen concentration; a second heat treatment step including heat treating in a reducing atmosphere; and manufacturing the thermoelectric conversion material by a pressure sintering step in an inert atmosphere.

A method, product, apparatus, and article of manufacture for the application of the Composite Based Additive Manufacturing (CBAM) method to produce objects in metal, and in metal fiber hybrids or composites. The approach has many advantages, including the ability to produce more complex geometries than conventional methods such as milling and casting, improved material properties, higher production rates and the elimination of complex fixturing, complex tool paths and tool changes and, for casting, the need for patterns and tools. The approach works by slicing a 3D model, selectively printing a fluid onto a sheet of substrate material for each layer based on the model, flooding onto the substrate a powdered metal to which the fluid adheres in printed areas, clamping and aligning a stack of coated sheets, heating the stacked sheets to melt the powdered metal and fuse the layers of substrate, and removing excess powder and unfused substrate.

A method, product, apparatus, and article of manufacture for the application of the Composite Based Additive Manufacturing (CBAM) method to produce objects in metal, and in metal fiber hybrids or composites. The approach has many advantages, including the ability to produce more complex geometries than conventional methods such as milling and casting, improved material properties, higher production rates and the elimination of complex fixturing, complex tool paths and tool changes and, for casting, the need for patterns and tools. The approach works by slicing a 3D model, selectively printing a fluid onto a sheet of substrate material for each layer based on the model, flooding onto the substrate a powdered metal to which the fluid adheres in printed areas, clamping and aligning a stack of coated sheets, heating the stacked sheets to melt the powdered metal and fuse the layers of substrate, and removing excess powder and unfused substrate.

An example of a method for making a build material composition for three-dimensional (3D) printing includes freezing a dispersion of flow additive nanoparticles in a liquid to form a frozen liquid containing the flow additive nanoparticles. The frozen liquid containing the flow additive nanoparticles is lyophilized to form flow additive agglomerates having a porous, fractal structure. The flow additive agglomerates are mixed with a host metal. The flow additive nanoparticles have an average flow additive particle size ranging from about 1 to about 3 orders of magnitude smaller than an average host metal particle size of the host metal.

An example of a method for making a build material composition for three-dimensional (3D) printing includes freezing a dispersion of flow additive nanoparticles in a liquid to form a frozen liquid containing the flow additive nanoparticles. The frozen liquid containing the flow additive nanoparticles is lyophilized to form flow additive agglomerates having a porous, fractal structure. The flow additive agglomerates are mixed with a host metal. The flow additive nanoparticles have an average flow additive particle size ranging from about 1 to about 3 orders of magnitude smaller than an average host metal particle size of the host metal.