Patent ID: 7540996

Claim:
A method for selective sintering a powder, the method comprising: spreading a layer of a powder blend on a platform, said powder blend comprising: a base metal of titanium or alloy thereof, the base metal having a first melting temperature, and an alloying metal having a second melting temperature lower than said first melting temperature, wherein the base metal and alloying metal are selected, and quantitatively included in the powder blend, based on a characteristic of the base metal to dissolve in but not react with the alloying metal when the alloying metal is liquefied at an annealing temperature between the first and second melting temperatures, and wherein said powder blend does not include a carbon-based polymer; directing an energy beam onto a localized portion of the layer of the powder blend and thereby melting said alloying metal in the localized portion; and re-solidifying said alloying metal by withdrawing said energy beam from said powder blend layer, and thereby binding said base metal or alloy thereof with said alloying metal in a metallic mixture in the localized portion, wherein a green part is formed; thereafter brushing off excess powder from the green part; heating the green part at a temperature sufficient to melt said alloying metal and dissolve the base metal therein to form a hyper-eutectic liquid composition; and after the hyper-eutectic liquid composition is formed, cooling the hyper-eutectic liquid composition to form a sintered part.