The present invention relates to granular composite density enhancement, and related methods and compositions. The application where these properties are valuable include but are not limited to: 1) additive manufacturing (3D printing) involving metallic, ceramic, cermet, polymer, plastic, or other dry or solvent-suspended powders or gels, 2) concrete materials, 3) solid propellant materials, 4) cermet materials, 5) granular armors, 6) glass-metal and glass-plastic mixtures, and 7) ceramics comprising (or manufactured using) granular composites.

An apparatus is for forming powder, and includes an energy source for emitting at least one energy beam onto a workpiece, the energy beam being configured to melt the workpiece, at least in part, to form at least one pool of molten material on the workpiece. The apparatus is configured to exert a force on the workpiece causing at least a bead of molten material to be ejected from the pool and solidify to form a particle of powder.

A joint prosthesis system is suitable for cementless fixation. The system has two metal implant components and a bearing. One of the metal implant components has an articulation surface for articulation with the bearing. The other metal implant component has a mounting surface for supporting the bearing. One of the metal implant components includes a solid metal portion and a porous metal portion. The porous metal portion has surfaces with different characteristics, such as roughness, to improve bone fixation, ease removal of the implant component in a revision surgery, reduce soft tissue irritation, improve the strength of a sintered bond between the solid and porous metal portions, or reduce or eliminate the possibility of blood traveling through the porous metal portion into the joint space. A method of making the joint prosthesis is also disclosed. The invention may also be applied to discrete porous metal implant components, such as augment.

A method for producing a component from a TiAl alloy and a correspondingly produced component includes defining at least one first component region with a first property profile, and at least one second component region with a second property profile, which is different from the first property profile; providing a powder made of the TiAl alloy; additively manufacturing the component from the powder composed of the TiAl alloy, wherein the powder made of the TiAl alloy is melted for the cohesive binding of the powder particles to one another and to the substrate or to an already produced part of the component, and wherein the powder particles are melted for the formation of the first component region, and the powder particles for the formation of the second component region are melted under different conditions, so different chemical compositions of the deposited material are produced in both component regions.

A method for metal powder injection molding includes injecting a first metal powder of a TiAl-based intermetallic compound into a mold, and molding the first metal powder through use of an injection molding machine; injecting a second metal powder of a TiAl-based intermetallic compound having a same constituent as the first metal powder and having a different average particle diameter from the first metal powder into a mold, and molding the second metal powder through use of the injection molding machine; and sintering molded articles obtained by molding the first metal powder and the second metal powder, and producing a mixed sintered compact in which a first sintered compact of the molded article obtained by molding the first metal powder and a second sintered compact of the molded article obtained by molding the second metal powder are integrated.

Titanium-containing alloys are generally described. The titanium-containing alloys are, according to certain embodiments, nanocrystalline. According to certain embodiments, the titanium-containing alloys have high relative densities. The titanium-containing alloys can be relatively stable, according to certain embodiments. Inventive methods for making titanium-containing alloys are also described herein. The inventive methods for making titanium-containing alloys can involve, according to certain embodiments, sintering nanocrystalline particulates comprising titanium and at least one other metal to form a titanium-containing nanocrystalline alloy.

A powdered material preform includes a pressed powdered metal or other powdered material, where the preform is processed and sealed so that a skin or shell is formed at the outer surface of the preform (such as via melting an outer layer or surface of the preform or via adding an outer layer around the preform or via a combination thereof), with an inner portion of the preform comprising pressed powdered material. The skinned preform may comprise a shape that is generally similar to that of a final product or part to be formed, or may simply comprise a puck or shape of approximately the same mass of the shape being formed, and the skinned preform is suitable for use in subsequent densification and/or consolidation processes or combinations thereof to form the final, fully processed part.

A method for treating a raw-material powder includes forming a layer of the raw-material powder and removing oxide film formed on a surface of the raw-material powder from which the layer has been formed.

A method of forming titanium boron alloys includes forming a mixture of elemental titanium with elemental boron and heating the mixture with a laser, wherein a power level of the laser is set such that reaction of the elemental titanium with the elemental boron to form a titanium-boron alloy is initiated and self-sustaining.

Provided is a method for preparing a reduced titanium powder by a multistage deep reduction, including the following steps of: uniformly mixing a dried titanium dioxide powder with a magnesium powder to obtain a mixture, adding the mixture in a self-propagating reaction furnace, triggering a self-propagating reaction, obtaining an intermediate product of which low-valence titanium oxides Ti.sub.xO are dispersed in an MgO matrix, leaching the intermediate product with a hydrochloric acid as a leaching solution, performing filtering, washing and vacuum drying to obtain a low-valence titanium oxide Ti.sub.xO precursor, uniformly mixing the low-valence titanium oxide Ti.sub.xO precursor with a calcium powder, performing a pressing to obtain semi-finished products, placing the semi-finished products in a vacuum reduction furnace for a second-time deep reduction, and leaching a deep reduction product with a hydrochloric acid as a leaching solution so as to obtain the reduced titanium powder.