| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2021 Annual International Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium (SFF Symp 2021)
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| Symposium
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Materials
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| Presentation Title |
Pressure Control During Bronze Infiltration of Binder-Jet Printed Stainless-Steel to Create Metal Microchannels |
| Author(s) |
Henry D. Davis, James G Harkness, Isa M Kohls, Nathan B Crane, Brian D Jensen, Richard Vanfleet, Robert C Davis |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Henry D. Davis |
| Abstract Scope |
Additive manufacturing (AM) of metal microfluidic channels could enable applications requiring higher temperature and higher thermal conductivity materials. Combining these thermal properties with AM’s ability to form small-scale complex flow paths could create functional structures like microscale gas chromatography columns or heat exchangers. We are developing processes to fabricate sealed metal microchannels using bronze infiltration of binder-jet printed stainless-steel parts. These processes will require the bronze infiltrant to fill the porous printed material and to seal small gaps between separately printed structures without filling the printed microchannels. We demonstrate that using a sacrificial powder to control infiltrant pressure can selectively fill small pores between printed particles while leaving microchannels free of infiltrant. This approach relies on the infiltrant approaching pressure equilibrium in the part. We observed deviations from pressure equilibrium and discuss necessary design tolerances based on these observations. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Definite: Post-meeting proceedings |