ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING USING PRESSURIZED SLURRY FEED
An additive manufacturing process includes pressurizing and heating a slurry, flowing the pressurized heated slurry through a nozzle, and depositing the slurry in a predetermined pattern.
1 . An additive manufacturing process comprising:
pressurizing and heating a slurry;
flowing the pressurized heated slurry through a nozzle; and
depositing the slurry in a predetermined pattern.
2 . The process as recited in claim 1 , wherein the heating is performed in a heating block adjacent to and upstream of the nozzle.
3 . The process as recited in claim 1 , wherein the heating is performed in the nozzle.
4 . The process as recited in claim 1 , wherein the heating is to a temperature that is equal to or greater than a cure temperature of the slurry.
5 . The process as recited in claim 1 , further comprising commencing a solvation of a polyvinyl chloride component of the slurry during the heating.
6 . The process as recited in claim 1 , further comprising commencing hardening of the slurry during the depositing of the slurry.
7 . The process as recited in claim 1 , further comprising feeding the slurry from a pressurized vessel to the nozzle, the pressurized vessel having a pressure of approximately 20 to 500 pounds per square inch.
8 . The process as recited in claim 1 , wherein the heating is at approximately 170 to 220° F.
9 . The process as recited in claim 1 , wherein the slurry includes a plastisol and a solid energetic material.
10 . The process as recited in claim 9 , wherein the plastisol includes at least one of polyvinyl chloride or nitrocellulose.
11 . The process as recited in claim 10 , wherein the plastisol includes at least one of a phthalate plasticizer or an adipate plasticizer.
12 . The process as recited in claim 11 , wherein the plastisol includes a ratio, by weight, of polyvinyl chloride to the plasticizer that is in a range of 80:20 to 20:80.
13 . The process as recited in claim 1 , wherein the slurry includes, by weight, approximately a 1:1 ratio of a plasticizer and at least one of polyvinyl chloride or nitrocellulose, and up to approximately 85% of a solid energetic material.
14 . An additive manufacturing process comprising:
heating a nozzle to a temperature that is equal to or greater than a cure temperature of a slurry;
passing the slurry through the nozzle to initiate curing of the slurry; and
dispensing the curing slurry from the nozzle with respect to a computerized pattern.
15 . The process as recited in claim 14 , further comprising feeding the slurry from a pressurized vessel to the nozzle, the pressurized vessel having a pressure of approximately 20 to 500 pounds per square inch.
16 . The process as recited in claim 14 , wherein the slurry includes a solid energetic material.
17 . The process as recited in claim 14 , wherein the slurry includes a plastisol and a solid energetic material.
18 . The process as recited in claim 17 , wherein the plastisol includes at least one of polyvinyl chloride or nitrocellulose and at least one of a phthalate plasticizer or an adipate plasticizer.
19 . The process as recited in claim 18 , wherein the plastisol includes a ratio, by weight, of polyvinyl chloride to the plasticizer that is in a range of 80:20 to 20:80.
20 . The process as recited in claim 1 , wherein the dispensing includes depositing multiple layers of the slurry on top of one another with respect to the computerized pattern.