Liquid-phase Infiltration of Thermal Sintered Skeletons by Low-temperature Gold Eutectic Alloys

The flexibility of powder-based Rapid Prototyping (or Solid Free Form Fabrication) techniques and the densification method described in this paper would open a whole new range of applications where thermal constraints exist. This work examines the infiltration of sintered skeletons made of pure gold spherical powder ranging between 5 and 40 μm in size, by binary gold eutectics based on silicon, germanium and tin, with a melting point as low as 278° C. Experiments have shown that high densification rate, good surface finish and improved mechanical properties can be achieved with this process. The material properties influencing the process performance are pointed out.