Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Nissin Kogyo Co., Ltd.

Takaharu Echigo

Hiroto Shoji

Kunitoshi Sugaya

Yasuhiro Nakao

Takashi Kato

Satoshi Matsuura

Keisuke Takahashi

Akio Shimoda

Kazunori Kawai

Katsuhiro Shibata

Yusuke Toyoda

Takahiro Mizukami

Masashi Hara

Hiroki Takano

Tadashi Yoshida

Takashi Koizumi

Naoaki Yamamoto

Kenichi Kawasaki

Tsuyoshi Haruhara

Yahuhiro Nakao

Hirohide Shibata

A 3-dimensional object-forming apparatus is provided which may avoid lowering of irradiation efficiency of laser light due to fumes and so forth while avoiding lowering of quality of the formed object. A shroudincludes an inside partition wall portionthat demarcates an inside space Swhich extends from one end openingto another end opening, and an outside partition wall portionthat opens in the other end openingof a shroudon an outside of the inside space Sand demarcates, together with the inside partition wall portion, an outside space Swhich closes in a position closer to the one end openingthan the other end openingof the shroud. A ventilation area of the inside space Sin the other end openingof the shroudis larger than the ventilation area of the inside space Sin an upstream portion closer to the one end openingthan the other end opening

3-dimensional object-forming apparatus

The three-dimensional object building apparatus includes a powder delivering unit that delivers a powder on an object building area, a powder flattening device that flattens the powder delivered from the powder delivering unit to form a powder layer, and a light beam radiating unit that is disposed above the object building area and radiates a light beam on the powder layer to sinter or melt solidify the powder for building an object. The three-dimensional object building apparatus also includes a transferring mechanism that moves the light beam radiating unit in three-dimensional directions, and a shroud that moves integrally with the light beam radiating unit and surrounds a space above an area of the powder layer that is smaller than the object building area around a radiation of the light beam. The powder delivering unit and the powder flattening device move integrally with the light beam radiating unit.

Three-dimensional object building apparatus and method for building three-dimensional object

A forming method wherein a billet (B,C) comprising a metal-based composite material () prepared by mixing an aluminum alloy () and a ceramic () is subjected to pressure forming to manufacture a formed article, which comprises carrying out the pressure forming by the use of different compression ratios for different portions of the formed article, wherein a compression ratio means the ratio of the height of a billet before the pressure forming to height of the billet after the pressure forming. The above forming method allows the manufacture of a formed article having different volume contents 8Vf) of the ceramic for different portions thereof.

Method of forming a product of metal-based composite material

A brake drum includes a ring-shaped drum body, and a friction member secured to the inner circumferential surface of the drum body. Because the drum body is formed of a lightweight Al alloy and the friction member is formed of an Al-base composite material, the brake drum can be reduced in weight as a whole. Further, because the friction member, having projection portions formed on its outer periphery, is cast enveloped by molten metal of the Al alloy, the friction member and the drum body can be firmly fastened together. Thus, even when a great braking force is applied to the drum brake, the friction member can be prevented from being undesirably detached from the drum body.

Brake drum and method for producing the same

A brake drum has its strength elevated in its disk portion. The brake drum is formed from a composition having ceramics dispersed in a matrix. The disk portion has a high ceramic content and thereby a high strength. The brake drum has a disk portion and a cylindrical portion. The disk portion has a first ceramic content by volume and the cylindrical portion has a second ceramic content by volume that is less than the first ceramic content by volume as a result of the application of a higher compression ratio to the disk portion.

Brake drum and process for manufacturing the same

An aluminum casting process using a casting mold in which after the cavity () is filled with an inert gas, magnesium is introduced into the cavity to have a magnesium layer () deposited on the cavity wall. Then, nitrogen gas is introduced into the cavity to form magnesium nitride () on the surface of the magnesium layer after the cavity wall is heated to a specific temperature. Then, molten aluminum is supplied to have an aluminum casting molded, while the surface of the molten aluminum () is reduced with magnesium nitride. This makes it possible to form magnesium nitride within a short time and decrease the amount of nitrogen gas as required.

Method and apparatus for casting aluminum by casting mold

A cast-bonding process includes a magnesium coating step and a magnesium nitride-forming step. The magnesium-coating step is carried out by supplying gasified magnesium into a mold in which a cast-in insert formed from an aluminum alloy, or an aluminum-based composite material is set, so that magnesium may coat the insert. The magnesium nitride-forming step is carried out by supplying nitrogen gas into the mold so that the coating magnesium and nitrogen gas may react to form magnesium nitride. Then, a molten aluminum alloy is poured into the mold for cast-bonding the insert.

Method for envelopment casting

An aluminum casting process using a casting mold in which after the cavity () is filled with an inert gas, magnesium is introduced in to the cavity to have a magnesium layer () deposited on the cavity wall. Then, nitrogen gas is introduced into the cavity to form magnesium nitride () on the surface of the magnesium layer after the cavity wall is heated to a specific temperature. Then, molten aluminum is supplied to have an aluminum casting molded, while the surface of the molten aluminum () is reduced with magnesium nitride. This makes it possible to form magnesium nitride within a short time and decrease the amount of nitrogen gas as required.

A method of feeding a blank () by cutting a billet () for plastic working includes the steps of superimposing a plurality of annular members (to) having a coefficient of linear expansion smaller than that of the billet and an inside diameter slightly greater than the outside diameter of the billet on one another to assemble a tubular jig (), inserting the billet into the assembled jig, heating the billet and the jig to a temperature at which the billet is half-molten, and cutting the billet into at least one blank by moving the annular members adjacent to one another in opposite directions. The cutting of the billet does not need a cutting tool, thus causing no wear of blades, and thereby allowing reduction in production cost. The billet can be cut into a plurality of pieces at a time, increasing productivity. Since the blanks can be fed together with the annular members, there is no need to reheat the blanks, providing increased productivity.

Blank feeding method

An aluminum casting method includes the step of applying in advance a mold release agent including magnesium to a mold surface. Thereafter, a nitrogen gas is injected into a cavity to cause reaction between the magnesium in the surface of the mold release agent and the nitrogen gas, thereby forming magnesium nitride. Since the nitrogen gas reacts only with the magnesium exposed in the surface of the mold release agent, the forming time of the magnesium nitride is reduced and also the amount of nitrogen gas used is reduced.

Aluminum casting method

A brake drum includes a ring-shaped drum body (), and a friction member () secured to the inner circumferential surface () of the drum body. Because the drum body is formed of a lightweight Al alloy and the friction member is formed of an Al-base composite material, the brake drum can be reduced in weight as a whole. Further, because the friction member, having projecting portions () formed on its outer periphery (), is cast-enveloped by molten metal of the Al alloy, the friction member and the drum body can be firmly fastened together. Thus, even when a great braking force is applied to the drum brake, the friction member can be prevented from being undesirably detached from the drum body.

A method for injection molding a metallic material is disclosed in which an injecting material comprised of a half-solidified metallic material and a molten metallic material is injected into a cavity of a die from an injection cylinder through a gate thereof. A non-product portion remaining at the gate of the die is separated from a product portion while it is still hot. The separated high-temperature non-product portion is press-formed into a billet in the injection cylinder. Utilization of heat from the injecting material in melting the high-temperature billet enables reuse of the non-product portion remained at the gate and reduction of heat energy required in melting the billet.

Apparatus for injection molding metallic materials

A part is manufactured from a composite material containing an aluminum alloy as a metal matrix. Blanks are prepared from a billet of the composite material, and worked on in a press, while they are held at a temperature ranging from the solidus temperature, Ta, of the aluminum alloy minus 50 (Ta&minus;50) deg. C. to Ta deg. C. At a temperature below (Ta&minus;50), the blanks have too high a resistance to plastic deformation to be easily worked on. At a temperature over Ta, a liquid phase is produced and makes the blanks likely to crack easily during plastic deformation.

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Sayama, Japan

Takaharu Echigo