Embodiments relate to an apparatus for forming nano-structures with tailored properties on objects while fabricating the objects. The apparatus includes a reservoir that holds compositions therein. Each of the compositions includes a nano-structural material, a plurality of grain growth inhibitor nano-particles, and at least one of a tailoring solute and a plurality of tailoring nano-particles. A nozzle is operatively coupled to the reservoir and a translatable stage is positioned proximate to the nozzle. The stage includes a substrate holder adapted to hold a substrate. A surface profile determination device is positioned proximate to the stage to obtain profile data of the substrate. A control unit is operatively coupled to the device and the stage and regulates manufacture of a pinned nano-structure. The control unit forms deposition layers positioned proximal to the substrate with the compositions through electrospray techniques.

A method and apparatus for fabrication of objects retaining nano-scale characteristics. A composition is provided comprising grain growth inhibitor particles in solution with a binding agent in a molten phase. An electric field and a magnetic field are generated with a combined extraction electrode. The composition is electrosprayed from a nozzle with the electric field to form a stream of droplets. The electric field drives the droplets toward a moving stage holding an object comprising successive deposition layers. The magnetic field limits dispersion of the stream of droplets. The stage is moved laterally as the stream of droplets impacts the object to form a current deposition layer of the object. The stage is moved vertically as necessary to maintain a target stand-off distance between the nozzle and a previous deposition layer of the object, based on profile data of the previous deposition layer.

[Object] Provided is a method for manufacturing atomized metal powder having a high amorphous material fraction by using a water atomizing method.

[Solution] A method for manufacturing atomized metal powder in which atomized metal powder having an amorphous material fraction of 90% or more is obtained, the method including ejecting high-pressure water so as to collide with a molten metal stream flowing vertically downward, separating the molten metal stream into metal powder, and cooling the metal powder, in which the high-pressure water collides with the molten metal with a collision pressure of 20 MPa or higher, and in which a temperature of the molten metal and/or a temperature of the high-pressure water are controlled so that the high-pressure water is in a subcritical state or a supercritical state on a collision surface with the molten metal.

A plasticizing apparatus for plasticizing a material to form a molten material includes a screw in a columnar shape having a groove formed face, in which a material flow channel including a groove portion to be supplied with the material is formed, and a barrel having a screw opposed face, which is a face opposed to the groove formed face, and in which a sending-out hole for sending out the molten material is formed at a center, and a heating portion heating the material. The material flow channel has a recess provided at a center of the groove formed face, and the groove portion extending in a spiral shape toward an outer circumference of the groove formed face from the recess, and a heat insulating portion having a lower thermal conductivity than an outer circumferential portion in the screw is provided in at least a part of an inner circumferential portion including the recess in the screw.

A metal-powder producing apparatus includes a spray chamber, and a plurality of spray nozzles that liquid-spray a melted metal into the spray chamber. Each of the plurality of spray nozzles includes: a liquid nozzle that allows the melted metal to flow down into the spray chamber; and a gas-jet nozzle that has a plurality of gas-jet holes arranged around the liquid nozzle and causing a gas fluid to collide with the melted metal having flowed down from the liquid nozzle.

A method of producing metal powder, in which molten metal which is stored in a molten metal holding furnace is atomized using, a molten metal nozzle upward to generate fine liquid droplets from the molten metal and the droplets are rapidly solidified by cooling, including: preparing at least one metal melting furnace which is configured to melt metal to form molten metal, and a molten metal holding furnace which has a trough which receives the molten metal and sends the received molten metal into the molten metal holding furnace, atomizing molten metal which is stored in the molten metal holding furnace upward by a molten metal nozzle to generate fine liquid droplets of the molten metal and rapidly solidifying the droplets by cooling to produce metal powder, and controlling a molten metal level of the molten metal in the molten metal holding furnace by melting metal in the metal melting furnace to form molten metal and supplying the molten metal to the trough from the metal melting furnace.

A metal powder production apparatus capable of easily preventing an oxide in a molten metal from entering a liquid nozzle is provided. The metal powder apparatus includes a first crucible heating and melting a melting material to generate molten metal, a first heating device heating and melting the metal in the first crucible, a stopper opening and closing a first opening provided on the bottom surface of the first crucible, an introduction pipe having one end connected to the first opening of the first crucible and leading a molten metal in the first crucible to the outside of the first crucible, a second crucible receiving the molten metal flowing out of the introduction pipe, a second heating device heating the second crucible, and a liquid nozzle provided on the bottom surface of the second crucible.

A three-dimensional shaping apparatus includes a plasticizing portion plasticizing a material to generate a shaping material, a nozzle having a discharge port discharging the shaping material toward a table, a movement mechanism changing a relative position between the nozzle and the table, a discharge control mechanism provided in a flow path which connects the plasticizing portion to the nozzle and controlling a discharge amount of the shaping material from the nozzle, and a control portion controlling the plasticizing portion, the movement mechanism, and the discharge control mechanism to shape the three-dimensional shaping object. The control portion controls the discharge control mechanism so that when a relative movement speed between the nozzle and the table is a first speed, the discharge amount of the shaping material is set to a first discharge amount, and when the relative movement speed between the nozzle and the table is a second speed which is slower than the first speed, the discharge amount of the shaping material is set to a second discharge amount which is smaller than the first discharge amount.

A plasticizing device that plasticizes a material to produce a molten material includes a driving motor, a screw that has a grooved surface on which a groove is formed and rotates by the driving motor; and a barrel having a facing surface that faces the grooved surface and has a communication hole formed in the center and a heater, wherein the screw has a cooling medium flow path provided inside the screw, an inlet portion that communicates with the cooling medium flow path and introduces a cooling medium from the outside of the screw, and an outlet portion that communicates with the cooling medium flow path and discharges the cooling medium to the outside of the screw.

Raw material feed into an electric arc furnace (EAF) is melted into heated liquid metal at a controlled temperature with impurities and inclusions removed as a separate liquid slag layer. The heated liquid metal is removed from the EAF into a passively heatable ladle wherein it is moved into a refining station where they are placed into a inductively heated refining holding vessel and wherein vacuum oxygen decarburization is applied to remove carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and other undesirable impurities from the liquid metal. The ladle and liquid metal is then transferred to a refining station/gas atomizer having a controlled vacuum and inert atmosphere wherein the liquid metal is poured from an inductively heated atomizing holder vessel into a heated tundish at a controlled rate wherein high pressure inert gas is applied through a nozzle to create a spray of metal droplets forming spherical shapes as the droplets that cool and fall into a bottom formed in the chamber. Spherical powder comprising the droplets are removed from the chamber through screen and blenders and then classified by size.