A method of 3D printing a metal or alloy product includes providing a layer of a powder bed which comprises a compound of a first metal, and optionally also said first metal in elemental form and/or optionally other elemental metal(s) which are suitable for alloying with said first metal; jetting a functional binder onto selected parts of said layer, wherein said functional binder infiltrates into pores in the powder bed, reacts with said compound of a first metal to form said first metal in elemental form, and locally fuses elemental metal particles of the powder bed in situ, sequentially repeating said steps of applying a layer of powder on top and selectively jetting functional binder, multiple times, to provide a powder bed bonded at selected locations by printed functional binder and; taking the resultant bound 3D structure out of the powder bed.

A method of 3D printing a metal or alloy product includes providing a layer of a powder bed which comprises a compound of a first metal, and optionally also said first metal in elemental form and/or optionally other elemental metal(s) which are suitable for alloying with said first metal; jetting a functional binder onto selected parts of said layer, wherein said functional binder infiltrates into pores in the powder bed, reacts with said compound of a first metal to form said first metal in elemental form, and locally fuses elemental metal particles of the powder bed in situ, sequentially repeating said steps of applying a layer of powder on top and selectively jetting functional binder, multiple times, to provide a powder bed bonded at selected locations by printed functional binder and; taking the resultant bound 3D structure out of the powder bed.

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.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing a carbon-based particle/copper composite material in which carbon-based particles such as graphite and copper are mixed, the method including mixing a solution of a polymer organic compound having a main chain of carbon and a copper precursor in a solvent, with a dispersion solution of carbon-based particles in a first dispersion medium to produce a mixture, adding a first reducing agent to the mixture to form composite particles in which copper (I) oxide particles are attached to the surface of the carbon-based particles, and sintering the composite particles under a non-oxidizing atmosphere. According to the preparing method, a composition material is obtained, in which carbon-based particles and copper are well mixed.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing a carbon-based particle/copper composite material in which carbon-based particles such as graphite and copper are mixed, the method including mixing a solution of a polymer organic compound having a main chain of carbon and a copper precursor in a solvent, with a dispersion solution of carbon-based particles in a first dispersion medium to produce a mixture, adding a first reducing agent to the mixture to form composite particles in which copper (I) oxide particles are attached to the surface of the carbon-based particles, and sintering the composite particles under a non-oxidizing atmosphere. According to the preparing method, a composition material is obtained, in which carbon-based particles and copper are well mixed.

Embodiments may provide improved techniques for creating custom lingual or labial ceramic orthodontic brackets, and which provides the capability for in-office fabrication of such brackets. For example, a method of manufacturing customized ceramic labial/lingual orthodontic brackets by ceramic slurry-based AM may comprise measuring dentition data of a profile of teeth of a patient, based on the dentition data, creating a three dimensional computer-assisted design (3D CAD) model of the patient's teeth using reverse engineering, and saving the 3D CAD model on a computer, designing a 3D CAD bracket structure model for a single labial or lingual bracket structure, importing data related to the 3D CAD bracket structure model into a ceramic slurry-based AM machine, directly producing the bracket (green part) in the ceramic slurry-based AM machine by layer manufacturing, and processing the brackets in a sintering and debinding oven prior to direct use.

Embodiments may provide improved techniques for creating custom lingual or labial ceramic orthodontic brackets, and which provides the capability for in-office fabrication of such brackets. For example, a method of manufacturing customized ceramic labial/lingual orthodontic brackets by ceramic slurry-based AM may comprise measuring dentition data of a profile of teeth of a patient, based on the dentition data, creating a three dimensional computer-assisted design (3D CAD) model of the patient's teeth using reverse engineering, and saving the 3D CAD model on a computer, designing a 3D CAD bracket structure model for a single labial or lingual bracket structure, importing data related to the 3D CAD bracket structure model into a ceramic slurry-based AM machine, directly producing the bracket (green part) in the ceramic slurry-based AM machine by layer manufacturing, and processing the brackets in a sintering and debinding oven prior to direct use.

A Cu—Ga sputtering target made of a composition containing: as metal components excluding fluorine, 5 atomic % or more and 60 atomic % or less of Ga and 0.01 atomic % or more and 5 atomic % or less of K; and the Cu balance containing inevitable impurities is provided. In the Cu—Ga sputtering target, the Cu—Ga sputtering target has a region containing Cu, Ga, K, and F, in an atomic mapping image by a wavelength separation X-ray detector.

A Cu—Ga sputtering target made of a composition containing: as metal components excluding fluorine, 5 atomic % or more and 60 atomic % or less of Ga and 0.01 atomic % or more and 5 atomic % or less of K; and the Cu balance containing inevitable impurities is provided. In the Cu—Ga sputtering target, the Cu—Ga sputtering target has a region containing Cu, Ga, K, and F, in an atomic mapping image by a wavelength separation X-ray detector.