Transparent, bubble-free glass structures can be printed using a filament-fed, laser-heated additive manufacturing process. In this process, a stationary CO2 laser beam is focused at the intersection of the filament and workpiece to locally heat the glass above its working temperature. Glass enters the molten region and is deposited on the workpiece as the workpiece is translated/rotated using a 4-axis stage. This paper studies creating free-form, free-standing objects which is facilitated by the glass rapidly achieving structural rigidity as it cools upon exiting the molten region. The effects of the process parameters and printing techniques are examined and optimized to print simple wall and truss structures.
Glass-to-metal seals are important in hermetic electrical feedthroughs for high-temperature and high-pressure applications. Traditionally, glass-to-metal seals are created using a high temperature furnace with controlled pressure and atmosphere. Current manufacturing techniques for glass-to-metal seals require precise fixturing (limiting unitization) and face restrictions in terms of the coefficient of thermal expansion for the glass/metal system. This paper explores the potential to use a laser to locally heat the glass as the first step toward the additive manufacturing of glass to metal seals. Studies are conducted fusing both frit and preforms under ambient conditions. The effects of process parameters on the process are quantified. The paper shows the potential of the process using Selective Laser Melting equipment, which can lead to greater flexibility for glass-to-metal seals with respect to geometry, materials, and spatially varying properties.
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