A METHOD OF REMOVING CONSOLIDATED POWDER FROM AN ADDITIVE LAYER MANUFACTURED COMPONENT

摘要

An additive layer manufactured component has a first wall portion and a second wall portion with a volume defined between the first and second wall portions. The volume contains unconsolidated powder material.;A technique for removing the unconsolidated powder involves saturating the unconsolidated powder material with a dipole fluid, reducing the temperature of the saturated unconsolidated powder material to a temperature below the freezing temperature of the dipole fluid, and then allowing the dipole fluid to freeze.;The temperature of the saturated unconsolidated powder material is then raised to a temperature above the melting temperature of the dipole fluid, whereupon the unconsolidated powder material may be removed from the volume.