US Patent 10089416 Self-supporting internal passageways for powder metal additive manufacturing

An additive manufacturing process for building a three-dimensional part, which includes applying a layer of one or more powder-based metals onto or over a substrate, selectively melting and/or sintering the powder-based metals to produce a layer of the three-dimensional part, and repeating these steps such that the built three-dimensional part includes one or more self-supporting internal passageways, and which preferably precludes the need for internal support structures for the internal passageways.