Additive manufacturing of articles comprising beryllium
A method of making an article includes depositing a plurality of layers to form a three-dimensional preform, sintering the preform to form a sintered preform, and infiltrating the preform with at least one metal to form the article. At least one layer of the plurality of layers is formed from a beryllium-containing composition including beryllium powder. The infiltrating metal can be selected from aluminum and magnesium.
1. A method of making an article, comprising:
forming a three-dimensional preform by repeatedly depositing a layer from a beryllium-containing composition and partially curing the deposited layer to form the three-dimensional preform;
sintering the three-dimensional preform to form a sintered preform; and
infiltrating the sintered preform with at least one metal to form the article;
wherein the beryllium-containing composition comprises beryllium powder.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one metal is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, and lithium.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the beryllium-containing composition further comprises a binder.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the binder is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl alcohol, and silicates.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the beryllium-containing composition comprises from 0.1 wt % to 99.9 wt % of the binder and from 0.1 wt % to 99.9 wt % of the beryllium powder.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the beryllium powder comprises beryllium particles coated with nickel.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the beryllium powder comprises from about 92 wt % to less than 100 wt % beryllium and from greater than zero wt% to about 8 wt % nickel.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the article comprises from 0 to about 5 wt % nickel, from about 58 to about 65 wt % beryllium, and from about 30 to about 42 wt % aluminum.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the depositing is performed at about room temperature.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising curing the three-dimensional preform prior to sintering the three-dimensional preform.
11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising removing undesired material prior to sintering and after curing.
12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising annealing the article.
13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising finishing the annealed article.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the finishing comprises at least one action selected from the group consisting of polishing and plating.
15. A method of making an article, comprising:
depositing a plurality of layers to form a three-dimensional preform;
sintering the preform to form a sintered preform; and
infiltrating the sintered preform with an infiltration metal to form the article;
wherein at least one layer of the plurality of layers is formed from a beryllium-containing composition comprising beryllium powder; and
wherein the infiltration metal is lithium or magnesium.