US Patent 10323887 Heat exchanger and fabrication

A heat exchanger and method for making a heat exchanger assembly is described, involving generating a digital model of a heat exchanger assembly that comprises a heat exchanger core within a housing. The digital model is inputted into an additive manufacturing apparatus or system comprising an energy source. The additive manufacturing apparatus applies energy from the energy source to successively applied incremental quantities of a metal powder, which fuses the powder to form incremental portions of the heat exchanger core and housing according to the digital model. Unfused or partially fused metal powder is enclosed in a first region of the heat exchanger assembly between the heat exchanger core and the housing.