CAT International Limited - Development of 3D printing machine for carbon and carbon composite articles

生产高纯度单晶（SX）材料的问题是，铸造混合物中存在的污染物和缺陷、氧化和坩埚污染，或者根本不使用过滤器导致低产量生产。引入了结构缺陷或晶界，失去了高端应用所必需的有利的机械、氧化和耐热性能。为了解决SX低产量生产，铸造厂每年的废料损失高达40%（1.1亿美元），我们的目标是提供一种低成本，高产量的生产技术，用于制造助剂，碳复合材料过滤装置，其可以在SME可行的商业3D打印机中生产。最终，拟议中的3D打印机将打印用于生产目的的过滤器。新的过滤器将允许更小规模的过滤器，更好地控制孔隙率，表面积和提取效率，允许更高产量的SX首次生产。主要项目打印创新是陶瓷和碳前体的创建和前体通过一个新的打印头的交付。这将使新的第四类3D打印成为可能，这是自20世纪70年代初3D打印机诞生以来所不可能实现的。原型高纯度金属过滤装置将是一个改进的标准文章，在所有金属铸造行业的过程中必不可少的。我们将进一步利用SX材料制造增强型脱气转子，这对所有铝浇注都至关重要，可提高产量。尽管SX合金仅占高性能钢市场的0.02%，但与粗钢相比，高性能合金的每吨价值高出46倍（0014 cf0.06，Roskill）。3D打印过程可以适用于生成快速原型和进一步的制造辅助，这将导致新颖的新技术

The problem with producing high purity single crystal (SX) materials is that contaminants anddefects present in the casting mix, oxidation, and contamination from the crucible, or bysimply not using filters at all results in low yield production. Structural defects or grainboundaries are introduced, and the advantageous mechanical, oxidative and heat resistantproperties essential for high end applications are lost.To solve SX low yield production, which costs foundries scrap losses as high as 40% ($110m) a year, we aim to provide a low cost, high yield production technology of manufacturingaids, carbon composite filtration devices, which can be produced in a SME viable commercial3D printer. Ultimately, the proposed 3D printer will be printing filters for productionpurposes. The new filters will allow smaller scale filters, with greater control over porosity,surface area and extraction efficacy, allowing higher yield SXs to be produced for the firsttime.The main project printing innovation is the creation of the ceramic and carbon precursors andthe delivery of the precursor through a novel print head. This will enable a new 4th class of3D printing, not previously possible since the birth of 3D printers in the early 1970’s. Theprototype high purity metal filtration device will be an improvement over the standard article,essential across all metal casting industries processes. We will further create enhanceddegassing rotors from the SX materials, essential to all aluminium pours for enhanced yield.Although SX alloys account for only 0.02% of the total high performance steel market, their $value per tonne is 46 x greater for high performance alloys compared to crude steel (0014 cf0.06, Roskill).The 3D printing process can be adapted to generate rapid prototyping and furthermanufacturing aids that will lead to novel, new technology