Patent ID: 6423255
Filing Date: 2002-07-23
Classification: B22C,B22F,B29C,B33Y,Y02P

Abstract:
A method for manufacturing a structural part by a multi-layer deposition technique, by depositing bulk particulate material in several stacked adjacent layers which are bonded to each other at predetermined sub-areas of the respective adjacent layers, said method comprisinga) depositing a porous first layer of bulk particulate material consisting of particles of a predetermined particle size to form a layer of a predetermined layer thickness; b) applying a predetermined dose of liquid binder material onto at least the sub-area of the first layer, so that the liquid binder material penetrates the sub-area and becomes distributed in the sub-area and wets the particles of the sub-area and a predetermined residual porosity of the sub-area remains after distribution of the liquid binder material; c) applying selectively a predetermined dose of liquid curing agent, which causes the binder material to cure within a predetermined period of time, to the sub-area of the first layer containing the binder material, so that the curing agent becomes distributed in the sub-area of the first layer; and d) depositing a second layer in accordance with step a) onto the first layer containing the binder material and the curing agent treating the second layer with a binder material in accordance with step b), and treating the second layer, in the sub-area of the second layer overlapping at least part of the sub-area of the first layer, with a liquid curing agent in accordance with step c), wherein the curing agent is applied to the sub-area of the second layer within the predetermined period of time, during which the binder material of the first layer cures selectively in the sub-area of the first layer, so that the binder material in the sub-area of the second layer is bonded to the curing binder material in the sub-area of the first layer before the curing binder material in the sub-area of the first layer has finally cured.