Optical method for additive manufacturing of complex metallic shapes using a gaseous medium

Abstract

The present invention is a method for additive manufacturing in which a metal feedstock is converted to a carbonyl compound (or other gaseous media) and then optical heat patterns are used to direct the deposition of the contained metal into an arbitrary 3-D structure. The optical methods used to guide the metal deposit may include one or more laser beams acting independently or in concert, and/or other optical technologies to apply a pattern of thermal energy, including LCD, LED, LCoS, DLP, or even CRT projection technologies. The metals which may be deposited are limited to those which have compounds which are gaseous at moderate temperatures and which decompose (to a gas and the metal) upon the application of heat or specific chemical binding energies via optical means. Such compounds include (but are not limited to) nickel tetracarbonyl, iron pentacarbonyl, cobalt carbonyl, titanium iodide, and platinum chloro-carbonyl.

1 . A system of directing the deposit of metal into a 3D structure from a gaseous chemical compound containing a bound metal using optically directed energy. 
     
     
         2 . A method of ( 1 ) wherein a laser is used via a beam control mechanism to apply energy in a direct pattern. 
     
     
         3 . A method of ( 2 ) where the laser is used to apply thermal energy to decompose the gas medium and deposit metal. 
     
     
         4 . A method of ( 2 ) where the laser is used to apply chemical energy of a specific level to excite or decompose the gas medium to deposit metal. 
     
     
         5 . A method of ( 2 ) where the laser energy is deposited via a raster scanning method. 
     
     
         6 . A method of ( 1 ) where multiple lasers are simultaneously used to deposit metal at multiple locations. 
     
     
         7 . A method of ( 1 ) where multiple lasers beams intersect to apply incremental energy such that metal is only deposited where the laser beams intersect. 
     
     
         8 . A method of ( 1 ) where an optical imaging system (such as a CRT, LCD, DLP, or LCoS projector) is used to direct the pattern of heating and thus metal deposition. 
     
     
         9 . A method of ( 1 ) where the gaseous chemical compound is a metal carbonyl. 
     
     
         10 . A method of ( 1 ) where the gaseous chemical compound is nickel tetracarbonyl. 
     
     
         11 . A method of ( 1 ) where the gaseous chemical compound is iron pentacarbonyl. 
     
     
         12 . A method of ( 1 ) where the gaseous chemical compound is dicobalt octacarbonyl. 
     
     
         13 . A method of ( 1 ) where the gaseous chemical compound is titanium iodide. 
     
     
         14 . A method of ( 1 ) where the gaseous chemical compound is a metal halide. 
     
     
         15 . A method of ( 1 ) where the metal deposit rate is limited by the cooling of the substrate to below the decomposition temperature via conduction through the substrate. 
     
     
         16 . A method of ( 1 ) where the metal deposit rate is limited by the cooling of the substrate to below the decomposition temperature via convective cooling using a fan, blower, or other method to cause the gaseous medium to flow past the metal deposit points. 
     
     
         17 . A method of ( 1 ) where the byproducts of metal deposition are continuously recycled into replacement metal gas compound(s). 
     
     
         18 . A method of ( 9 ) where the carbon monoxide produced by the decomposition of the metal carbonyl is continuously recycled into fresh metal carbonyl. 
     
     
         19 . A system of directing the deposit of metal from a gaseous chemical compound containing a bound metal using optically directed energy around non-metallic or dissimilar metal parts, incorporating these into the metal product. 
     
     
         20 . A system of directing the deposit of metal (a weld) into a gap between two parts to be joined or into a fracture or crack of a part to be repaired from a gaseous chemical compound containing a bound metal using optically directed energy.