The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 18, 1990
Filed:
Feb. 08, 1989
Wilbur D Scheidt, Cincinnati, OH (US);
Eric J Whitney, Cincinnati, OH (US);
Vanon D Pratt, Hamilton, OH (US);
General Electric Company, Cincinnati, OH (US);
Abstract
A feed material is melted by a focussed laser beam in a partially confined interaction volume, and ejected from the interaction volume in a direction different from the axis of the laser beam. The feed material, preferably in the form of a finely divided powder fluidized by a gas stream, is fed to the interaction volume in a direction transverse to the axis of the laser beam. Confinement of the molten feed material is preferably attained using balanced gas pressures that do not permit the molten feed material to flow in the direction parallel to the laser beam. The energy density of the laser beam is preferably sufficiently high to form a plasma within the interaction volume from gas and vaporized feed material atoms, so that the feed material is introduced into the plasma.