Cavity plug for removing additive component from build plate

Abstract

The present application provides a cavity plug (370) for a cavity (360) extending through a first wall (320) of a component (110) manufactured in an additive manufacturing system (100). The cavity plug (370) may include a housing (380), a first seal (410) sized to seal around a cavity (360) extending through a first wall (320) of the component (110), and a locking mechanism (450) located within the housing (380). The locking mechanism (450) includes a locking arm (460) for engaging the first wall (320) and sealing the cavity plug (370) in place.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application and the resultant patent relate generally to additive manufacturing systems and, more particularly, to sealing devices, such as cavity plugs, for eliminating contamination of internal cavities in additive parts when the additive parts are removed from a build plate. Background Art

[0002] Complex parts can be built using additive manufacturing systems. Additive manufacturing systems can build such parts by successively layering powdered materials in predetermined areas and performing a material transformation process such as sintering or melting on the powdered materials. The material transformation process can change the physical state of the powdered materials from a granular composition to a solid material to build the part. Parts built using additive manufacturing systems can have nearly the same physical properties as conventional parts that are typically made by performing a machining process on raw materials, etc.

[0003] Conventional additive manufacturing systems typically build parts on large solid build plates. Many parts manufactured on conventional build plates may include cavities or voids formed therein. When parts are removed from the build plate by, for example, a saw or wire EDM, a considerable amount of dust (i.e., metal shavings, particles, abrasive fragments, and other types of debris) may enter the cavity. This internal contamination may block or impede fluid flow through the cavity and result in adverse effects on performance. Therefore, time-consuming and expensive post-processing and inspection may be required to remove such contamination. Summary of the invention

[0004] Thus, the present application and the resulting patent provide a cavity plug for a cavity extending through a first wall of a component manufactured in an additive manufacturing system. The cavity plug may include a housing, a first seal sized to seal around the cavity extending through the first wall of the component, and a locking mechanism located within the housing. The locking mechanism includes a locking arm for engaging the first wall and sealing the cavity plug in place.

[0005] The present application and the resulting patent also provide a method for manufacturing a part having a cavity in an additive manufacturing system. The method may include the following steps: generating a part on a building plate of the additive manufacturing system; inserting a cavity plug into the cavity to seal the cavity; locking the cavity plug in place in the cavity via a pair of locking arms; and removing the part from the building plate.

[0006] The present application and the resulting patent also provide an additive manufacturing system for manufacturing a part having a cavity. The additive manufacturing system may include a build plate for manufacturing a part on the build plate and a cavity plug for sealing the cavity. The cavity plug may include a pair of seals and a locking mechanism having a pair of locking arms to seal the cavity plug in the cavity.

[0007] These and other features and improvements of the present application and the resultant patent will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the several drawings and the appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a gas turbine engine including a compressor, a combustor, a turbine, and an external load.

[0009] Figure 2 It is available with Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a combustor used with a gas turbine engine.

[0010] Figure 3 is a block diagram of an additive manufacturing system including a control system.

[0011] Figure 4 is a perspective view of a cavity plug partially installed in the central cavity of a micro-mixing ejector.

[0012] Figure 5 is a perspective view of a cavity plug installed in a micro-mixing injector.

[0013] Figure 6 is a front perspective view of the cavity plug described herein.

[0014] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 Side perspective view of the cavity plug.

[0015] Figure 8 yes Figure 6 Cross-sectional view of the cavity plug. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] Referring now to the drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like elements throughout the several views, Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a gas turbine engine 10 as may be described herein is shown. The gas turbine engine 10 may contain a compressor 15. The compressor 15 compresses an incoming air flow 20. The compressor 15 delivers the compressed air flow 20 to a plurality of combustor cans 25. The combustor cans 25 mix the compressed air flow 20 with a pressurized fuel flow 30 and ignite the mixture, thereby producing a hot combustion gas flow 35. Although only a single combustor can 25 is shown, the gas turbine engine 10 may include any number of combustor cans 25 positioned in a circumferential array or the like. Alternatively, the combustor 25 may be an annular combustor. The combustion gas flow 35 is then delivered to a turbine 40. The combustion gas flow 35 drives the turbine 40 to produce mechanical work. The mechanical work produced in the turbine 40 drives the compressor 15 via a rotor shaft 45. The turbine 40 and the rotor shaft 45 may also drive an external load 50 such as a generator or the like.

[0017] The gas turbine engine 10 can use natural gas, various types of synthetic gas, hydrogen fuel, liquid fuel and / or other types of fuel and blends thereof. The gas turbine engine 10 can be any of a variety of different gas turbine engines provided by General Electric Company of Schenectady, New York, including but not limited to those of heavy-duty gas turbine engines such as the 7 series or 9 series and LM6000 and LM9000 aeroderivative gas turbine engines. The gas turbine engine 10 can be part of a single cycle or combined cycle power generation system or other types of power generation systems. The gas turbine engine 10 can have different configurations and can use other types of components. Other types of gas turbine engines can also be used herein. A plurality of gas turbine engines, other types of turbines, and other types of power generation equipment can also be used together herein.

[0018] Figure 2 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of a combustor 25. A plurality of fuel injectors 52 may be incorporated into the combustor 25. The fuel injectors 52 may be combined in a fuel nozzle assembly 53. In this example, the fuel injectors 52 may be tube-bundle fuel injectors or the like. The combustor 25 is at least partially surrounded by an outer casing 54. The outer casing 54 forms a high pressure plenum 56 surrounding the combustor 25. The high pressure plenum 56 may be in fluid communication with the compressor 15 or other source for supplying the air flow 20 to the combustor 25. An end cover 58 is coupled to the outer casing 54. The end cover 58 may be in fluid communication with the fuel flow 30.

[0019] The fuel injector 52 extends downstream of the end cover 58. The fuel injector 52 may be fluidly connected to the end cover 58 to receive the fuel flow 30. For example, a fluid conduit 60 may provide fluid communication between the end cover 58 and the fuel injector 52. An annular liner 62, such as a combustion liner and / or a transition duct, surrounds one end of a downstream end 64 of the fuel injector 52 to at least partially define a combustion chamber 66. The liner 62 defines a hot gas path 68 for directing the combustion gases 35 from the combustion chamber 66.

[0020] In operation, the air flow 20 is directed toward the end cover 58 where it reverses direction and flows through one or more of the fuel injectors 52. The fuel flow 30 is provided to the fuel injectors 52, and the fuel flow 30 and the air flow 20 are premixed or combined within the fuel injectors 52 before being injected into the combustion chamber 66 for combustion.

[0021] Figure 31 is a schematic diagram / block diagram of an exemplary computerized additive manufacturing system 100 for manufacturing a part 110 on a build plate 120 located on a build platform 130. The additive manufacturing system 100 can be used to generate parts 110, such as fuel injectors 52 and other types of hot gas path components. In this example, the additive manufacturing system 100 is arranged for direct metal laser melting (DMLM), metal powder additive manufacturing processes. It should be understood that the general teachings of the present disclosure are equally applicable to other forms of additive manufacturing, such as binder jetting, electron beam, etc. The additive manufacturing system 100 generally includes a computerized additive manufacturing control system 140 and an additive manufacturing printer 150. The additive manufacturing system 100 executes a code 160 including a set of computer executable instructions to physically produce a part 110 on a build plate 120 using the additive manufacturing printer 150. Each additive manufacturing process can use a different raw material in the form of, for example, a fine-grained metal powder 175, which can be maintained in a chamber 170 of the additive manufacturing printer 150. For example, part 110 may be made of a metal or metal alloy. Coater 180 may generate a thin layer of raw material 190 that is spread out as a blank canvas from which each successive slice of final part 110 may be generated. In the example shown, a laser or electron beam 200 located above build plate 120 fuses particles for each slice, as defined by code 160. Although one laser or electron beam 200 is shown, it should be understood that additive manufacturing system 100 may include any number. Various components of additive manufacturing printer 150 may move to accommodate the addition of each new layer.

[0022] The additive manufacturing control system 140 is shown as being implemented as computer program code on a computer 210. To this extent, the computer 210 is shown to include a memory 220, a processor 230, an input / output (I / O) interface 240, and a bus 250. In addition, the computer 210 is shown to be in communication with external I / O devices / resources 260 and an external storage system 270. In general, the processor 230 executes computer program code that may be stored in the memory 220 and / or storage system 270 under instructions from the code 160 representing the component 110, such as the additive manufacturing control system 140. The computer 210 is merely representative of the various possible combinations of hardware and software that may be used herein.

[0023] The additive manufacturing process begins with a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., memory 220, storage system 270, etc.) storing code 160 representing the component 110. As noted, the code 160 includes a set of computer-executable instructions that define the component 110, which can be used to physically generate the component 110. For example, the code 160 may include a precisely defined 3D model of the component 110 and may be generated by any of a variety of well-known computer-aided design (CAD) software systems. The additive manufacturing system 100 executes the code 160 to divide the component 110 into a series of thin slices that are assembled in successive powder layers using the additive manufacturing printer 150. In the DMLM example, each layer may be melted or sintered into a precise geometry defined by the code 160 and fused to the previous layer. Subsequently, the component 110 may be subjected to any kind of finishing process, such as, micromachining, sealing, polishing, assembly to another component, and the like.

[0024] Figure 4 and Figure 5 1 and 10. A part 110 is shown manufactured by the additive manufacturing system 100. In this example, the part may be a fuel injector 300 similar to the fuel injector 52 described above. Specifically, the fuel injector 300 may be a premixing or micromixing injector 310. In general, the micromixing injector 310 may have a first plate or wall 320, a second plate or wall 330, and a side wall 340 therebetween. A plurality of premixing or micromixing tubes 350 may extend from the first wall 320 to the second wall 330. A central cavity 360 extends between the first wall 320 and the second wall 330. The micromixing tubes 350 surround the central cavity 360. As described above, when the fuel injector 300 is removed from the build plate 120 ( Figure 5 When removing the component 110 (as shown in FIG. 1 ), dust and other debris may enter the central cavity 360. This debris may be difficult to remove and may cause operational problems. (In contrast, the micro-mixing tubes 350 are easy to clean because they extend directly from the first wall 320 to the second wall 330.)

[0025] Figures 5 to 8A cavity plug 370 as may be described herein is shown. The cavity plug 370 may be sized to fill and seal the central cavity 360 of the micro-mixing injector 310. The cavity plug 370 may include a housing 380. The housing 380 is shown as cylindrical, but may take any convenient shape. The housing 380 may be made of any substantially rigid material, such as stainless steel, etc. The housing 380 may be closed on the top or first end 390 by a top cover 400 and a top cover seal 410. The top cover 400 and the top cover seal 410 may have a diameter larger than the diameter of the housing 380, but seal within or on the top of the diameter of the central cavity 360 through the first wall 320 of the micro-mixing injector 310. The housing 380 may be closed on the second or bottom end 420 by a bottom flange 430 and a bottom flange seal 440. The bottom flange 430 and bottom flange seal 440 may have a diameter smaller than the diameter of the housing 380, but seal within the diameter of the central cavity 360 through the second wall 330 of the micro-mixing ejector 310. The seals 410, 440 may be made of any substantially flexible and / or geometrically conformable material. Other components and other configurations may also be used herein.

[0026] The cavity plug 370 may include a locking mechanism 450. The locking mechanism 450 may include a pair of pivoting locking arms 460. The locking arms 460 may be recessed or contoured to accommodate the shape of the walls 320, 330 or other elements of the component 110. Each locking arm 460 may pivot about a pivot rod 470. The pivot rod 470 may be attached to the housing 380. Each locking arm 460 may pivot along a pivot slot 480 in the housing 380. The locking arms 460 may be manipulated by a pivot spring 490. The pivot spring 490 may be compressed and released by a locking bolt 500. The locking bolt 500 may have a handle 510 to facilitate rotation. Other types of linear motion devices may also be used, such as pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders, servo systems, etc. Other components and other configurations may also be used herein.

[0027] In use, the micro-mixing injector 310 or other type of component 110 is manufactured in the additive manufacturing system 100 as described above. Before the micro-mixing injector 310 is removed from the build plate 120. The cavity plug 370 can be located in the central cavity 360. Turning the locking bolt 500 causes the locking arm 460 to engage below the first wall 320 of the micro-mixing injector 310. This movement causes the top cover 400 and the top cover seal 410 to engage on the top and inside of the central cavity 360 through the first wall 320, and causes the bottom flange 430 and the bottom flange seal 440 to engage on the top and inside of the central cavity 360 through the second wall 330. This pulling action compresses the seals 410, 440 and generates a tight seal. The micro-mixing injector 310 can now be removed from the build plate 120 without worrying about contaminating the central cavity 360. The cavity plug 370 can therefore be removed. The micro-mixing injector 310 can then be further processed appropriately. Other components and other configurations may also be used herein.

[0028] It should be apparent that the foregoing relates only to certain embodiments of the present application and the resulting patent. Numerous changes and modifications may be made herein by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the general spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0029] Further aspects of the invention are provided by the subject matter of the following clauses:

[0030] 1. A cavity plug for a cavity extending through a first wall of a part manufactured in an additive manufacturing system, the cavity plug comprising: a housing; a first seal sized to seal around the cavity extending through the first wall of the part; and a locking mechanism within the housing; the locking mechanism comprising a locking arm for engaging the first wall and sealing the cavity plug in place.

[0031] 2. A cavity plug according to any preceding clause, wherein the housing comprises a top cover, the first seal surrounding the top cover.

[0032] 3. A cavity plug according to any preceding clause, wherein the housing has a first diameter, wherein the cap has a second diameter, and wherein the second diameter is greater than the first diameter.

[0033] 4. A cavity plug according to any preceding clause, wherein the component includes a second wall through which the cavity extends, and wherein the housing includes a second seal sized to seal around the cavity extending through the second wall of the component.

[0034] 5. A cavity plug according to any preceding clause, wherein the housing comprises a bottom flange, the second seal surrounding the bottom flange.

[0035] 6. The cavity plug according to any preceding clause, wherein the housing has a first diameter, wherein the bottom flange has a second diameter, and wherein the second diameter is smaller than the first diameter.

[0036] 7. A cavity plug according to any preceding clause, wherein the locking arm comprises a pair of locking arms.

[0037] 8. A cavity plug according to any preceding clause, wherein the housing comprises a pair of pivot slots, and wherein the pair of locking arms pivot within the pivot slots.

[0038] 9. A cavity plug according to any preceding clause, wherein each of the pair of locking arms pivots about a pivot rod.

[0039] 10. A cavity plug according to any preceding clause, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a pivot spring in communication with the pair of locking arms.

[0040] 11. A cavity plug according to any preceding clause, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a locking bolt in communication with the pivot spring.

[0041] 12. A cavity plug according to any preceding clause, wherein the locking bolt comprises a handle.

[0042] 13. A cavity plug according to any preceding clause, wherein the component comprises a fuel injector.

[0043] 14. A cavity plug according to any preceding clause, wherein the component comprises a micro-mixing injector.

[0044] 15. A method for manufacturing a part having a cavity in an additive manufacturing system, the method comprising: generating the part on a build plate of the additive manufacturing system; inserting a cavity plug into the cavity to seal the cavity; locking the cavity plug in place in the cavity via a pair of locking arms; and removing the part from the build plate.

[0045] 16. An additive manufacturing system for manufacturing a part having a cavity, the additive manufacturing system comprising: a build plate, the build plate is used to manufacture the part on the build plate; and a cavity plug, the cavity plug is used to seal the cavity; the cavity plug includes a pair of seals and a locking mechanism with a pair of locking arms to seal the cavity plug in the cavity.

[0046] 17. An additive manufacturing system according to any preceding clause, wherein the cavity plug comprises a housing having a top cover and a first seal of the pair of seals surrounding the top cover.

[0047] 18. An additive manufacturing system according to any preceding clause, wherein the housing comprises a bottom flange and a second seal of the pair of seals surrounding the bottom flange.

[0048] 19. An additive manufacturing system according to any preceding clause, wherein the housing comprises a pair of pivot slots, and wherein the pair of locking arms pivot within the pivot slots.

[0049] 20. An additive manufacturing system according to any preceding clause, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a locking bolt and a pivot spring in communication with the pair of locking arms.

Claims

1. A cavity plug (370) for a cavity (360) extending through a first wall (320) of a part (110) manufactured in an additive manufacturing system (100), the cavity plug (370) comprising: Housing (380); a first seal (410) sized to seal around the cavity (360) extending through the first wall (320) of the component (110); and a locking mechanism (450) located within the housing (380); The locking mechanism (450) includes a locking arm (460) for engaging the first wall (320) and sealing the cavity plug (370) in place.

2. The cavity plug (370) of claim 1, wherein the housing (380) comprises a top cover (400), the first seal (410) surrounding the top cover.

3. The cavity plug (370) of claim 2, wherein the housing (380) has a first diameter, wherein the top cover (400) has a second diameter, and wherein the second diameter is greater than the first diameter.

4. The cavity plug (370) of claim 1, wherein the component (110) includes a second wall (330) through which the cavity (360) extends, and wherein the housing (380) includes a second seal (440) sized to seal around the cavity (360) extending through the second wall (330) of the component (110).

5. The cavity plug (370) of claim 4, wherein the housing (380) includes a bottom flange (430), the second seal (440) surrounding the bottom flange.

6. The cavity plug (370) of claim 5, wherein the housing (380) has a first diameter, wherein the bottom flange (430) has a second diameter, and wherein the second diameter is smaller than the first diameter.

7. The cavity plug (370) of claim 1, wherein the locking arm (460) comprises a pair of locking arms (460).

8. The cavity plug (370) of claim 7, wherein the housing (380) includes a pair of pivot slots (480), and wherein the pair of locking arms (460) pivot within the pivot slots (480).

9. The cavity plug (370) of claim 8, wherein each of the pair of locking arms (460) pivots about a pivot rod (470).

10. The cavity plug (370) of claim 7, wherein the locking mechanism (450) includes a pivot spring (490) in communication with the pair of locking arms (460).

11. The cavity plug (370) of claim 10, wherein the locking mechanism (450) includes a locking bolt (500) in communication with the pivot spring (490).

12. The cavity plug (370) of claim 11, wherein the locking bolt (500) comprises a shank (510).

13. The cavity plug (370) of claim 1, wherein the component (110) comprises a fuel injector (300).

14. The cavity plug (370) of claim 1, wherein the component (110) comprises a micro-mixing injector (310).

15. A method of manufacturing a component (110) having a cavity (360) in an additive manufacturing system (100), the method comprising: Generating the part (110) on a build plate (120) of the additive manufacturing system (100); Inserting a cavity plug (370) into the cavity (360) to seal the cavity (360); locking the cavity plug (370) in a proper position in the cavity (360) via a pair of locking arms (460); as well as The component (110) is removed from the build plate (120).

Images