An apparatus and method for removing support material from and/or smoothing surfaces of an additively manufactured part (the “AM part”) is disclosed. The apparatus may include a chamber, a support surface within the chamber, and one or more nozzles within the chamber. The nozzles may be the same size or different sizes. The support surface may be configured to support the AM part. The support surface may have one or more openings sized and configured to allow the fluid to pass through the opening(s). The nozzles may be configured to spray a fluid at the AM part, and the spray may be an atomized or semi-atomized spray of the fluid. For removing support material from parts with internal spaces, such as cavities or passages, the apparatus can include a nozzle at the end of an adjustable flexible hose member that can be adjusted to spray into an internal space of the part. Alternatively, for removing unwanted support material from multiple parts with internal spaces, the apparatus may include a submersion tank.

A preparation method of a high-strength and high-toughness A356.2 metal matrix composites for a hub is provided, including the following preparation process steps: preparation of a (graphene+HfB.sub.2)-aluminum master alloy wire; A356.2 alloy melting, master alloy addition, refining, and pressure casting; solution and aging treatment; shot blasting, finishing, alkaline/acid cleaning, anodic oxidation, and finished product packaging. In this way, two systems of two-dimensional nano-structure graphene nucleation and in-situ self-nucleation are introduced to complement each other, a second phase of silicon in A356.2 is refined by multi-dimensional scaling, and multi-dimensional nano-phases strengthen the aluminum-based composite material simultaneously. The preparation method solves the problems of limiting the strength, hardness, plasticity and toughness during the application of common A356.2 alloys for a hub, and a graphene/HfB.sub.2/aluminum composite material produced by a low-pressure casting process has an excellent comprehensive performance, so as to achieve a further weight reduction requirement for light weight.

A preparation method of a high-strength and high-toughness A356.2 metal matrix composites for a hub is provided, including the following preparation process steps: preparation of a (graphene+HfB.sub.2)-aluminum master alloy wire; A356.2 alloy melting, master alloy addition, refining, and pressure casting; solution and aging treatment; shot blasting, finishing, alkaline/acid cleaning, anodic oxidation, and finished product packaging. In this way, two systems of two-dimensional nano-structure graphene nucleation and in-situ self-nucleation are introduced to complement each other, a second phase of silicon in A356.2 is refined by multi-dimensional scaling, and multi-dimensional nano-phases strengthen the aluminum-based composite material simultaneously. The preparation method solves the problems of limiting the strength, hardness, plasticity and toughness during the application of common A356.2 alloys for a hub, and a graphene/HfB.sub.2/aluminum composite material produced by a low-pressure casting process has an excellent comprehensive performance, so as to achieve a further weight reduction requirement for light weight.

A metal foam ball, several millimeters in diameter, is manufactured to have an open-pore structure to absorb fluid (e.g., gas and liquid) such as water or lubricant. As an example, a copper foam ball is manufactured via a freeze casting method using prepared oxide powder slurry where a spherical silica gel mold is used to freeze the slurry, which is subsequently dried at low temperature in vacuum and then sintered at high temperature. For improved oxidation, copper alloy foam ball or copper foam ball coated with tin can also be manufactured through the same method. For improved strength, steel, copper-nickel alloy, or titanium foam ball can also be manufactured through the same method.

A metal foam ball, several millimeters in diameter, is manufactured to have an open-pore structure to absorb fluid (e.g., gas and liquid) such as water or lubricant. As an example, a copper foam ball is manufactured via a freeze casting method using prepared oxide powder slurry where a spherical silica gel mold is used to freeze the slurry, which is subsequently dried at low temperature in vacuum and then sintered at high temperature. For improved oxidation, copper alloy foam ball or copper foam ball coated with tin can also be manufactured through the same method. For improved strength, steel, copper-nickel alloy, or titanium foam ball can also be manufactured through the same method.

A method for producing a sintered component, in particular an annular sintered component, with a toothing, having teeth with tooth roots, tooth tips and tooth flanks, includes the steps of pressing a powder to form a green compact, sintering the green compact, and hardening the sintered component, wherein after sintering, the tooth flanks and possibly the tooth tips are post-compacted and subsequently undergo post-processing by machining, and wherein a transition region between the tooth flanks and the tooth roots has an undercut design, and post-compaction of the tooth flanks is carried out only up to this transition region.

A method for producing a sintered component, in particular an annular sintered component, with a toothing, having teeth with tooth roots, tooth tips and tooth flanks, includes the steps of pressing a powder to form a green compact, sintering the green compact, and hardening the sintered component, wherein after sintering, the tooth flanks and possibly the tooth tips are post-compacted and subsequently undergo post-processing by machining, and wherein a transition region between the tooth flanks and the tooth roots has an undercut design, and post-compaction of the tooth flanks is carried out only up to this transition region.

A method for making small diameter NiTi metal alloy components, including balls, comprising providing a metal powder comprising nickel, titanium, and a transition metal, consolidating the metal powder into cylindrical rods, and cutting the cylindrical rods into segments. The segments are then machined into spheres slightly larger than the finished ball size diameter. The spheres are heat treated to solutionize and dissolve all phases and subsequently cooled without the need for rapid quenching due to the influence of the transition metal to suppresses the formation of soft phases in the spheres, wherein such soft phases prevent hardening, to achieve a Rockwell hardness of HRC 58-62. Finally, the hardened spheres are polished until the desired finished ball size diameter and surface finish is achieved.

A method for making small diameter NiTi metal alloy components, including balls, comprising providing a metal powder comprising nickel, titanium, and a transition metal, consolidating the metal powder into cylindrical rods, and cutting the cylindrical rods into segments. The segments are then machined into spheres slightly larger than the finished ball size diameter. The spheres are heat treated to solutionize and dissolve all phases and subsequently cooled without the need for rapid quenching due to the influence of the transition metal to suppresses the formation of soft phases in the spheres, wherein such soft phases prevent hardening, to achieve a Rockwell hardness of HRC 58-62. Finally, the hardened spheres are polished until the desired finished ball size diameter and surface finish is achieved.

The invention relates to an apparatus and to a method for producing a three-dimensional shaped object by means of material application in layers S.sub.n (n=1 to N), which has at least a material dispensing device, a drive device, a print substrate, a control device having a data memory, and a material removal device. In order to be able to recognize and eliminate defects in a layer S.sub.n, which can still occur later, i.e., after completion of this layer S.sub.n, it is proposed, according to the invention, to provide a monitoring device. Furthermore, a downstream evaluation device determines a layer S.sub.x in which the at least one defect was detected. Thereupon an error signal is generated and passed on to the control device. The material removal device completely removes the material of a partial region of the shaped object, from the layer S.sub.N that was last printed, down to the first of the defective layers S.sub.x. Building up the three-dimensional shaped object begins anew at the layer S.sub.x−1.