TECHNOLOGY/BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY Piezo-driven jetting of powders for controlled packing density

Opportunity: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), operated by the Lawrence Livermore National Security (LLNS), LLC under contract no. DE-AC52-07NA27344 (Contract 44) with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is offering the opportunity to enter into a collaboration to further develop its additive manufacturing method of piezo-driven jetting of powders for controlled packing density.

Background: An area of improvement in the additive manufacturing (AM) of metal and ceramic materials space is the ability to produce geometrically complex parts quickly and with high precision. Presently, finished parts often have significant porosity since there is limited means to control the packing of powder during printing. Moreover, current methods are designed for spreading a single material. One way of packing powder is through the use of vibration. The challenge in this approach is to apply vibrations to powder deposited on the substate without disturbing the geometry of the printed structure. The LLNL invention was able to overcome this challenge.

Description: LLNL researchers have developed a piezo-driven jetting powder AM method that provides better control of the packing of printed powder. Powder is fed via a stainless-steel hopper to a nozzle; at the narrowest necking point the powder jams, and flow ceases. A vibrating piezoelectric element (with through-thickness vibration mode) is driven by a 150V AC signal to disturb the jammed powder, allowing it to flow through the narrow nozzle.

This flow can thus be turned on and off via the piezo, and flow rates can be controlled via signal frequency, nozzle size, and powder properties. The coupling of the piezo to the nozzle is engineered for maximum vibration at the powder jamming point and at the nozzle tip to compact particles after deposition. The powder is confined between the nozzle and substrate, and as the nozzle is moved, it scrapes and vibrates against the powder, rearranging particles and compacting them.

Advantages/Benefits:

Value Proposition: Controlled packing density for powder deposition Increased packing density directly increases the performance of deposited walls in complex geometries Reduced porosity or spatially modulated porosity, slumping and defects Applicable to both metal and ceramic powders Lower material waste Potential Applications: Powder spreading for metal/ceramic additive manufacturing Multi-material powder beds for SLM or binder jet printing Printing pre-forms for hot pressing parts with non-uniform thickness Multi-material hot-pressing pre-forms Agricultural, geotechnical, pharmaceutical powder dispensing onto substrates or cavities with controlled density Development Status: Current stage of technology development: TRL 3 LLNL has filed for patent protection on this invention.

LLNL is seeking industry partners with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Moving critical technology beyond the Laboratory to the commercial world helps our licensees gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. All licensing activities are conducted under policies relating to the strict nondisclosure of company proprietary information. Please visit the IPO website at https://ipo.llnl.gov/resources for more information on working with LLNL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process.

Note: THIS IS NOT A PROCUREMENT. Companies interested in commercializing LLNL's piezo-driven jetting of powders should provide an electronic OR written statement of interest, which includes the following:

Company Name and address. The name, address, and telephone number of a point of contact. A description of corporate expertise and/or facilities relevant to commercializing this technology. Please provide a complete electronic OR written statement to ensure consideration of your interest in LLNL's piezo-driven jetting of powders. The subject heading in an email response should include the Notice ID and/or the title of LLNL’s Technology/Business Opportunity and directed to the Primary and Secondary Point of Contacts listed below. Written responses should be directed to:

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Innovation and Partnerships Office P.O.

Box 808, L-779 Livermore, CA 94551-0808 Attention: IL-13847