Multi-Metal Bedding Technology (Senior Design Project)
“3D-Printing” metals have always been a challenge in the additive manufacturing industry; traditional techniques used such as Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) inhibits the use of more than one metal powder during every powder bed recoating process without cross-contamination. Asides from that, jetting means have been implemented such as material jetting/binder jetting where metal particles are mixed with a for of photocurable polymer fluid/ binder that helps a multi-material model to be 3D printed in its desired shape; the drawback using this method is that lengthy post-processing is required such as inserting the final part into a furnace to fuse the metal particles and incinerate the polymer particles that make up the composite. This causes dramatic shrinkage and a final part that has a low metal density (80%). The proposed solution and alternatives to these methods is to create a metal powderdispensing mechanism/nozzle that would accurately and selectively deposit two different metal