Liquid-phase Infiltration of 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 micron in size, by binary gold eutectics based on silicon, germanium and tin, with a melting point as low as 278o 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.