System and method for forming part from rapidly manufactured article

Abstract

A manufacturing method includes providing a material that includes a plurality of particles and a binder that is uncured. The method also includes forming a first article from the material including curing the binder to bind a collection of the particles together into the first article. Furthermore, the method includes encasing at least a portion of the first article with an outer member. The outer member defines an internal cavity that corresponds to the first article. Additionally, the method includes heating the outer member and the first article to melt the collection of particles into a molten mass within the internal cavity of the outer member. Moreover, the method includes solidifying the molten mass within the outer member to form a second article. The second article corresponds to at least a portion of the internal cavity of the outer member.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of manufacturing a part comprising:
 providing a particulated material;   forming a first article from the particulated material, the first article defining an exterior and defining a first internal aperture;   providing a flowing core material within the first internal aperture;   converting the flowing core material to a solid core within the first internal aperture;   encasing the first article and the solid core with an outer member, the outer member defining an internal cavity surface that corresponds to at least part of the exterior of the first article;   heating the outer member, the first article, and the solid core to melt the first article into a molten mass within the internal cavity of the outer member; and   re-solidifying the molten mass within the outer member and about the solid core to form a second article, an outer surface of the second article corresponding to the internal cavity surface of the outer member, the second article including a second internal aperture corresponding to the solid core.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second internal aperture is a flow passage with an inlet and an outlet; and
 wherein the second internal aperture is configured to receive a fluid flow from the inlet to the outlet.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein providing the flowing core material includes providing the flowing core material within the flow passage by applying pressure to the flowing core material and flowing the core material away from one of the inlet and the outlet and toward the other of the inlet and the outlet. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein encasing the at least a portion of the first article with the outer member occurs after converting the flowing core material into the solid core; and
 further comprising attaching the outer member to the solid core.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein attaching the outer member to the solid core includes integrally attaching the solid core and the outer member to be unitary and monolithic. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein forming the first article includes:
 providing a material that includes a plurality of particles and a binder that is uncured; and   forming the first article from the material including curing the binder to bind a collection of the particles together into the first article.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein forming the first article includes at least one of binder jet printing, metal injection molding, compression bonding, and metal stereographic lithography. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising forming a second article from the particulated material;
 further comprising attaching the second article to the first article; and   wherein encasing the first article and the solid core with the outer member includes encasing, with the outer member, the first article and the second article as attached as well as the solid core.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein re-solidifying the molten mass includes forming a substantially single grain structure within the second article.