A system for additive metal manufacturing, including a deposition mechanism, a translation mechanism mounting the deposition mechanism to the working volume, and a stage. A method for additive metal manufacturing including: selectively depositing a material carrier within the working volume; removing an additive from the material carrier; and treating the resultant material.

According to some aspects, techniques are provided for fabricating sinterable metallic parts through the application of directed energy to a build material. In particular, applying energy to a build material comprising a polymer mixed with a metal powder may cause the polymer to form a cohesive structure with the metal powder. As a result, the polymer acts as a “glue” to produce a metallic green part without local melting of the metal. The green part may subsequently be sintered to remove the polymer and produce a fully dense metal part. Optionally, a step of debinding may also be performed prior to, or simultaneously with, sintering.

According to some aspects, techniques are provided for fabricating sinterable metallic parts through the application of directed energy to a build material. In particular, applying energy to a build material comprising a polymer mixed with a metal powder may cause the polymer to form a cohesive structure with the metal powder. As a result, the polymer acts as a “glue” to produce a metallic green part without local melting of the metal. The green part may subsequently be sintered to remove the polymer and produce a fully dense metal part. Optionally, a step of debinding may also be performed prior to, or simultaneously with, sintering.

A three-dimensional shaped article producing composition is provided and contains a plurality of particles, a solvent for dispersing the particles, and a binder having a function to temporarily bind the particles to one another in a state where the solvent is removed, wherein a volume-based average particle diameter of the particles is 0.1 μm or more and less than 50 μm, and a content ratio of the binder is 1.5 vol % or more and 10 vol % or less.

A method for treating additive manufacturing powder particles is provided. The method includes exposing the additive manufacturing powder particles to plasma radiation, where the plasma radiation forms functional groups, on surfaces of the additive manufacturing powder particles, having molecular bonds that vibrate in response to irradiation by laser energy of an additive manufacturing process, and moving the additive manufacturing powder particles to expose the additive manufacturing powder particles to the plasma radiation.

According to one example, there is provided an apparatus to process volume of particulate build material. The apparatus comprises a sealable chamber to house a volume of particulate build material, a gas supply to supply the chamber with a predetermined gas, a gas circulator to circulate the gas within the volume of build material, a temperature controller to heat the circulated gas to a predetermined heating temperature to heat the volume of build material to the heating temperature and then to cool the circulated gas to a predetermined cooling temperature to cool the volume of build material to the cooling temperature.

According to one example, there is provided an apparatus to process volume of particulate build material. The apparatus comprises a sealable chamber to house a volume of particulate build material, a gas supply to supply the chamber with a predetermined gas, a gas circulator to circulate the gas within the volume of build material, a temperature controller to heat the circulated gas to a predetermined heating temperature to heat the volume of build material to the heating temperature and then to cool the circulated gas to a predetermined cooling temperature to cool the volume of build material to the cooling temperature.

A method of manufacturing a component for use in a high pressure press includes successively depositing a volume of one or more materials using a deposition device to build a three dimensional body of the component having a selected material property varied along at least one direction of the component for use in the high pressure press.

A method of manufacturing a component for use in a high pressure press includes successively depositing a volume of one or more materials using a deposition device to build a three dimensional body of the component having a selected material property varied along at least one direction of the component for use in the high pressure press.

An additive manufacturing powder particle including a surface and at least one functional group formed on the surface, wherein the at least one functional group increases laser energy absorption of the additive manufacturing powder particle. The additive manufacturing particle is treated with plasma radiation to form hydroxyl functional groups on a surface of the additive manufacturing powder particle, where the hydroxyl functional groups have a molecular vibrational frequency corresponding to a laser wavenumber range of laser energy of an additive manufacturing process, and where the plasma radiation treating the additive manufacturing powder particles depends on the laser energy of the additive manufacturing process. Treating the additive manufacturing powder particle with the plasma radiation increases laser energy absorption of the additive manufacturing powder particle when the additive manufacturing particle is exposed to the laser energy, produced by a carbon dioxide laser, of the additive manufacturing process.