A device for viewing and/or illuminating a target surface in an evacuated chamber having condensable vapor therein, the device comprising: a first section with a through hole having a first end with a first opening and a second end with a second opening; and a second section having a chamber comprising a first portion with a first opening, a second portion with a second opening and a gas inlet, where the second opening is covered with a first window, said first section is attached with the first end to the first portion of the chamber allowing free passage between the chamber and the first section, said gas inlet is connectable to a gas reservoir for feeding a gas into the chamber for prohibiting the first window in the chamber for being contaminated of the condensable vapor.

Process for producing a titanium alloy material, such as a titanium aluminum alloy, are provided. The process includes reduction of TiCl.sub.4, which includes a titanium ion (Ti.sup.4+), through intermediate ionic states of an AlCl.sub.3-based salt solution that includes Ti.sup.3+ and an AlCl.sub.3-based salt solution that includes Ti.sup.2+, which may then undergo a disproportionation reaction to form the titanium aluminum alloy.

A method of titanium wire additive manufacturing is disclosed. The method may comprise mixing a plurality of powdered metals comprising titanium, iron, vanadium, and aluminum to produce a powder blend, sintering the powder blend to form a billet, performing a wire forming operation to produce a worked wire, heat treating the worked wire to produce a heat treaded wire, loading the heat treated wire into a wirefeed additive manufacturing machine, and producing a metallic component from the heat treated wire. The titanium may be a titanium hydride powder.

A method of titanium wire additive manufacturing is disclosed. The method may comprise mixing a plurality of powdered metals comprising titanium, iron, vanadium, and aluminum to produce a powder blend, sintering the powder blend to form a billet, performing a wire forming operation to produce a worked wire, heat treating the worked wire to produce a heat treaded wire, loading the heat treated wire into a wirefeed additive manufacturing machine, and producing a metallic component from the heat treated wire. The titanium may be a titanium hydride powder.

The present disclosure is directed to methods of preparing substantially spherical metallic alloyed particles, having micron and sub-micron (i.e., nanometer)-scaled dimensions, and the powders so prepared, as well as articles derived from these powders. In particular embodiments, these metallic alloyed particles, complising rare earth metals, can be prepared in sizes as small 80 nm in diameter with size variances as low as 2-5%.

The present disclosure is directed to methods of preparing substantially spherical metallic alloyed particles, having micron and sub-micron (i.e., nanometer)-scaled dimensions, and the powders so prepared, as well as articles derived from these powders. In particular embodiments, these metallic alloyed particles, complising rare earth metals, can be prepared in sizes as small 80 nm in diameter with size variances as low as 2-5%.

A magnet and a method of forming the magnet are provided. The method includes forming a slurry comprising magnetic powder material and binder material and creating raw layers from the slurry. A magnetic field is applied to the raw layers to orient the magnetic powder material in a desired direction, and each layer is cured to form another layer on the most recent cured layer. The layers are attached together.

Disclosed is a system for depowdering a workpiece formed from a reactive powder by an additive manufacturing process. The system includes a powder removal enclosure, an inert gas source, a sealed ultrasonic transducer, an oxygen sensor, and a controller coupled to the sealed ultrasonic transducer and the oxygen sensor. The controller is configured to perform a plurality of operations including monitoring the oxygen sensor to observe an oxygen level within the powder removal enclosure as an inert gas from the inert gas source displaces a gas environment within the powder removal enclosure, and applying electrical power to the sealed ultrasonic transducer within the powder removal enclosure to ultrasonically remove a residual amount of the reactive powder from the workpiece based on determining that the oxygen level within the powder removal enclosure is below a minimum oxygen level threshold.

Disclosed is a system for depowdering a workpiece formed from a reactive powder by an additive manufacturing process. The system includes a powder removal enclosure, an inert gas source, a sealed ultrasonic transducer, an oxygen sensor, and a controller coupled to the sealed ultrasonic transducer and the oxygen sensor. The controller is configured to perform a plurality of operations including monitoring the oxygen sensor to observe an oxygen level within the powder removal enclosure as an inert gas from the inert gas source displaces a gas environment within the powder removal enclosure, and applying electrical power to the sealed ultrasonic transducer within the powder removal enclosure to ultrasonically remove a residual amount of the reactive powder from the workpiece based on determining that the oxygen level within the powder removal enclosure is below a minimum oxygen level threshold.

A three-dimensional (3D) printer includes an ejector and a coil wrapped at least partially around the ejector. The 3D printer also includes a power source configured to transmit voltage pulses to the coil. The 3D printer also includes a computing system configured to cause the power source to transmit the voltage pulses to the coil in intermittent bursts. The voltage pulses in each burst occur at a burst frequency from about 60 Hz to about 2000 Hz. The coil causes a drop of printing material to be jetted through a nozzle of the ejector in response to each voltage pulse. The drops generated in response to the voltage pulses in each burst land at substantially a same location in a horizontal plane.