Ford Motor Company Limited

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

John Michael Nicholson

Richard L Allor

Andre Ezis

David Robert Collins

Gary Mark Crosbie

Allen Roche

Ronald L Predmesky

Joseph A Szuba

Grigoriy Grinberg

Samir Samir

Howard D Blair

Tsung-Yu Pan

Kevin Patrick Regan

David Warren Worthey

One method of the present invention relates to a method for enhancing adhesion of spraying metal to a ceramic model. The method is comprised of providing the ceramic model having a spray surface, and modifying at least a portion of the spray surface if the ceramic model to enhance adhesion of spray metal to the spray surface.

Method for enhancing adhesion of metal particles to ceramic models

One method of the present invention includes introducing a slurry into a mold unit comprised of a mold contained within a casting receptacle and lowering the temperature of the slurry to freeze the slurry and form a freeze-cast substrate while controlling temperature gradients within the mold unit to minimize distortion in the freeze-cast substrate. Another method includes introducing a slurry into a mold unit comprised of a mold contained within a casting receptacle, placing insulation material around at least a portion of the casting receptacle to minimize distortion in the freeze-cast substrate by controlling temperature gradients within the mold unit, and lowering the temperature of the slurry to freeze the slurry to form a freeze-cast substrate.

Method for producing a freeze-cast substrate

Spray form cell including a two-wavelength imaging pyrometer adapted to provide real-time measurement of the surface temperature distribution of a metal billet thereby formed. The steel billets may be advantageously used as tools in metal forming processes, injection molding, die casting tooling and other processes that require hard tooling, such as in the automotive industry. The steel billet is formed based on a goal of uniform surface temperature distribution thereby minimizing thermal stresses induced within the steel article thereby produced.

Automated spray form cell

A method of making a spray formed rapid tool includes the steps of making a model of a desired tool and constructing a ceramic pattern as the inverse of the model. The method also includes the steps of heating the ceramic pattern and thermally spraying a metal material against the ceramic pattern to form a desired tool.

Method of making a spray formed rapid tool

A method of enhancing a joint in a metal assembly. At least two metal members are joined together. Each member has a joining surface that mates with the other joining surface. The metal members are contacted against one another such that the joining surfaces mate. The mated joining surfaces are welded together at multiple locations. The welding process leaves a small gap between the metal members between these welding locations. Heat is applied to the joining surfaces adjacent to the gap. A solder is applied to the heated joining surfaces. The joining surfaces cause the solder to melt and to be wicked into the gap by the capillary force. The solder fills the length, width and thickness of the gap and joins the metal members together with a metallurgical bond. The entire joint including areas between the welding locations becomes joined.

Method of enhancing a joined metal assembly

Method and apparatus are provided for collecting reaction product solids entrained in a gaseous outflow from a reaction situs, wherein the gaseous outflow includes a condensable vapor. A condensate is formed of the condensable vapor on static mixer surfaces within a static mixer heat exchanger. The entrained reaction product solids are captured in the condensate which can be collected for further processing, such as return to the reaction situs. In production of silicon imide, optionally integrated into a production process for making silicon nitride caramic, wherein reactant feed gas comprising silicon halide and substantially inert carrier gas is reacted with liquid ammonia in a reaction vessel, silicon imide reaction product solids entrained in a gaseous outflow comprising residual carrier gas and vaporized ammonia can be captured by forming a condensate of the ammonia vapor on static mixer surfaces of a static mixer heat exchanger.

Apparatus for silicon nitride precursor solids recovery

Method for silicon nitride precursor solids recovery

A method of forming a slip cast article is disclosed. The slip cast article is formed in a casting volume of a forming mold, which mold has a portion thereof formed of a meltable organic material. The vehicle of the casting slip used to form the article is drawn off to a level which provides a consolidated casting in the casting volume which contains sufficient vehicle that the casting is resistant to shrinkage. The consolidated casting and the organic mold portion are then surrounded with a porous, liquid drawing media. A high humidity of the vehicle of the casting slip is maintained about the consolidated casting surrounded by the porous, liquid drawing media. The consolidated casting and surrounding liquid drawing media are heated while the high humidity of the vehicle is maintained to a temperature which causes the meltable organic material to melt. The porous, liquid drawing media then draws the melted material away from the consolidated casting. After the meltable mold portion has been withdrawn from association with the consolidated casting, the high humidity vehicle is removed from association with the consolidated casting and the casting is permitted to dry.

Slip cast article manufacturing method

A method of forming a slip cast article is disclosed. The slip cast article is formed in a casting volume of a forming mold which has a portion thereof formed of a dissolvable organic material which has binder properties. A casting slip is cast into the casting volume. The vehicle of the casting slip is drawn off to a level which provides a consolidated casting in the casting volume containing sufficient vehicle that the casting is resistant to shrinkage. The consolidated casting and the organic mold portion are placed in a solvent for the mold portion so that it may be dissolved. The solvent for the mold portion is one which is miscible with the vehicle of the casting slip. The consolidated casting is maintained in the solvent after the organic mold portion has been dissolved so that the dissolved organic material previously forming the mold portion may penetrate into the consolidated casting. The consolidated casting is removed from the solvent and dried so that the organic material which penetrated into the casting will remain behind in the porous structure of the casting to lend strength thereto as a binder material.

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Wayne, MI, United States of America

John Michael Nicholson