General Electric Company
Method for Manufacturing Objects Using Powder Products

Abstract:

A method of manufacturing a three-dimensional target object may include forming a shell from loose machining powder using an additive manufacturing process and subjecting the shell to a densification process to form a target object. The shell may define an enclosure that contains additional machining powder. The densification process may include causing metallurgical bonding between the shell and additional machining powder contained in the enclosure defined by the shell and shrinking and/or distorting the shape of the shell to conform the target object to a three-dimensional model for the target object. The shell may include a plurality of layers and/or parts that differ at least in respect of density. The plurality of layers and/or parts may be configured based at least in part on the shrinking and/or distorting to the shape of the shell needed to conform the target object to the three-dimensional model for the target object.