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Homogeneous steel infiltration

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Abstract

The direct manufacture of metal parts by rapid prototyping (RP) often involves using a metal powder. Densification of the powder can be done either by sintering or infiltration. Infiltration avoids the shrinkage and distortion that typically accompanies sintering. However, in steels, the use of copper or bronze infiltrants limits the usefulness of parts because of the nonhomogeneous structure and properties. In this work, a conventional tool steel alloy has been made via homogeneous steel infiltration (HSI), a gated infiltration process that uses as the infiltrant a steel alloy with a lower melting point than the base powder. The infiltrant liquid uses carbon or silicon as a melting point depressant (MPD). Freeze-off of the steel infiltrant is avoided by infiltrating at a temperature at which some liquid is stable at chemical equilibrium. Examples of successful infiltrations using D2 tool steel as a target composition are shown. Mechanical properties (hardness and impact strength) following various heat treatments of the infiltrated D2 are compared with conventional wrought D2 tool steel and found to be very similar. The HSI is believed to be suitable to a wide variety of tool steels and stainless steels. Further, the process is applicable to the postprocessing of any suitable steel skeleton made by RP, as well as other powder metallurgy processes, such as metal injection molding.

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Author notes

  1. Adam Lorenz (Postdoctoral Researcher)

    Present address: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 02139, Cambridge, MA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The ExOne Co., 15642, Irwin, PA

    Brian D. Kernan (Senior Metallurgist)

  2. the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 02139, Cambridge, MA

    Emanuel M. Sachs (Professor) & Samuel M. Allen (Professor)

  3. Evergreen Solar, 01752, Marlboro, MA

    Adam Lorenz (Postdoctoral Researcher)

  4. the Max Planck Institute for Iron Research, Dusseldorf, Germany

    Christoph Sachs (Researcher)

  5. Volkswagen, Germany

    Lukas Raffenbeul (Researcher)

  6. Giugraro Design, Moncalieri, Italy

    Alberto Pettavino (Mechanical Engineer)

Authors
  1. Brian D. Kernan
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  2. Emanuel M. Sachs
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  3. Samuel M. Allen
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  4. Adam Lorenz
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  5. Christoph Sachs
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  6. Lukas Raffenbeul
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  7. Alberto Pettavino
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Kernan, B.D., Sachs, E.M., Allen, S.M. et al. Homogeneous steel infiltration. Metall Mater Trans A 36, 2815–2827 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-005-0278-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-005-0278-x

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