Embodiments disclosed herein represent powder based additive manufacturing processes which provide a microstructure having improved mechanical properties. The methods may include the use of ultrasonic excitation in combination with the active control of a substrate's temperature to provide some level of control over the microstructure and hence the properties.

A method of producing a SmFeN-based anisotropic magnetic powder is provided, the method including preparing a SmFeN-based anisotropic magnetic powder before dispersing comprising Sm, Fe, W, and N, and dispersing the SmFeN-based anisotropic magnetic powder before dispersing using a resin-coated metal media or a resin-coated ceramic media to obtain a SmFeN-based anisotropic magnetic powder. Also provided is a SmFeN-based anisotropic magnetic powder comprising Sm, Fe, W, and N and having an average particle size of less than 2.5 μm, a residual magnetization σr of not less than 130 emu/g, and an oxygen content of not higher than 0.75% by mass.

A method of producing a SmFeN-based anisotropic magnetic powder is provided, the method including preparing a SmFeN-based anisotropic magnetic powder before dispersing comprising Sm, Fe, W, and N, and dispersing the SmFeN-based anisotropic magnetic powder before dispersing using a resin-coated metal media or a resin-coated ceramic media to obtain a SmFeN-based anisotropic magnetic powder. Also provided is a SmFeN-based anisotropic magnetic powder comprising Sm, Fe, W, and N and having an average particle size of less than 2.5 μm, a residual magnetization σr of not less than 130 emu/g, and an oxygen content of not higher than 0.75% by mass.

Examples of a laser additive manufacturing system are described. The system comprises a laser configured to generate a laser beam, a fiber optic coupled to the laser to transmit the laser beam to a laser optic head that is coupled to the fiber optic and comprises a focus lens to focus the light beam. The laser optic head is configured to slide along a sliding mechanism in X-direction. A powder feeder is used to continuously move in Y-direction and dispense an uniform layer of powdered material onto a powder bad that is positioned on a build plate of the building chamber. The build plate is configured to move in Z-direction. The light beam generated by the laser is focused using the laser optic head onto a small region of the powder bed where the powdered material is positioned producing small volumes of melt pools that are then cooled and a new layer of powdered material is dispensed over it.

Examples of a laser additive manufacturing system are described. The system comprises a laser configured to generate a laser beam, a fiber optic coupled to the laser to transmit the laser beam to a laser optic head that is coupled to the fiber optic and comprises a focus lens to focus the light beam. The laser optic head is configured to slide along a sliding mechanism in X-direction. A powder feeder is used to continuously move in Y-direction and dispense an uniform layer of powdered material onto a powder bad that is positioned on a build plate of the building chamber. The build plate is configured to move in Z-direction. The light beam generated by the laser is focused using the laser optic head onto a small region of the powder bed where the powdered material is positioned producing small volumes of melt pools that are then cooled and a new layer of powdered material is dispensed over it.

A 3D printing cleaning module comprises an extraction gate at a lateral wall of a housing; and a platform within the housing to support a build bed including 3D printed parts and un-solidified build material. The platform is tilted or tiltable with respect to a horizontal plane towards the extraction gate to enable 3D printed parts on the platform to be removable through the extraction gate. The module comprises a cleaning engine to remove at least part of the un-solidified build material from the housing, a vibrating mechanism to vibrate the platform; and a controller. The controller is to control the cleaning engine to execute a cleaning operation by removing un-solidified build material from the housing, to cause the part ejection gate to open upon completion of the cleaning operation, and to cause the vibrating mechanism to vibrate the platform when the part extraction gate is in the open position.

A 3D printing cleaning module comprises an extraction gate at a lateral wall of a housing; and a platform within the housing to support a build bed including 3D printed parts and un-solidified build material. The platform is tilted or tiltable with respect to a horizontal plane towards the extraction gate to enable 3D printed parts on the platform to be removable through the extraction gate. The module comprises a cleaning engine to remove at least part of the un-solidified build material from the housing, a vibrating mechanism to vibrate the platform; and a controller. The controller is to control the cleaning engine to execute a cleaning operation by removing un-solidified build material from the housing, to cause the part ejection gate to open upon completion of the cleaning operation, and to cause the vibrating mechanism to vibrate the platform when the part extraction gate is in the open position.

A unidirectional or bidirectional sand dispensing device, including a discharge port (10), the discharge port includes a lower plate (11) and an upper plate (12), the upper plate is provided above the lower plate, an included angle between a horizontal plane and a straight line where an endpoint of a free end of the upper plate and an endpoint of a free end of the lower plate are located is a leakage angle (13), that is to say, a particulate material forms an inclined plane between the upper plate and the lower plate, and an included angle between the inclined plane and the horizontal plane is the leakage angle, which can be adjusted by changing relative positions of the upper plate and the lower plate. The direction of an opening of the sand passing passage is opposite to a moving direction during the sand dispensing operation. When the sand dispensing operation is stopped, the leakage angle is less than or equal to the static repose angle of the particulate material, and is greater than or equal to zero, which ensures that the particulate material will not slide down, and the phenomenon of sand leakage is eliminated. When the sand dispensing operation is being carried out, the leakage angle is greater than or equal to the dynamic repose angle of the particulate material, which ensures that the particulate material will slide down along the inclined plane and that the sand is dispensed relatively uniformly.

A unidirectional or bidirectional sand dispensing device, including a discharge port (10), the discharge port includes a lower plate (11) and an upper plate (12), the upper plate is provided above the lower plate, an included angle between a horizontal plane and a straight line where an endpoint of a free end of the upper plate and an endpoint of a free end of the lower plate are located is a leakage angle (13), that is to say, a particulate material forms an inclined plane between the upper plate and the lower plate, and an included angle between the inclined plane and the horizontal plane is the leakage angle, which can be adjusted by changing relative positions of the upper plate and the lower plate. The direction of an opening of the sand passing passage is opposite to a moving direction during the sand dispensing operation. When the sand dispensing operation is stopped, the leakage angle is less than or equal to the static repose angle of the particulate material, and is greater than or equal to zero, which ensures that the particulate material will not slide down, and the phenomenon of sand leakage is eliminated. When the sand dispensing operation is being carried out, the leakage angle is greater than or equal to the dynamic repose angle of the particulate material, which ensures that the particulate material will slide down along the inclined plane and that the sand is dispensed relatively uniformly.

Polycrystalline cubic boron nitride, PCBN, material and methods of making PCBN. A method includes providing a matrix precursor powder comprising particles having an average particle size no greater than 250 nm, providing a cubic boron nitride, cBN, powder comprising particles of cBN having an average particle size of at least 0.2 intimately mixing the matrix precursor powder and the cBN powder, and sintering the intimately mixed powders at a temperature of at least 1100° C. and a pressure of at least 3.5 GPa to form the PCBN material comprising particles of cubic boron nitride, cBN dispersed in a matrix material.