Alignment Tooling for Multi-Component Powder Bed Repair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing repair processes for damaged machine components, such as compressor blades, are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and inefficient, particularly in aligning multiple components for additive manufacturing, leading to issues like recoater failures and excessive powder usage.
Innovation Solution
A tooling assembly and method for aligning multiple components using an additive manufacturing machine, which secures components in a desired position, aligns repair surfaces within a single build plane, and uses a fill material to fix their relative positions, reducing the need for excessive additive powder and ensuring proper recoating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional welding/cladding technique is used to repair compressor blades, then repair materials can be bonded to blade tips, but the process requires tedious post-processing including heavy machining and secondary polishing to achieve target geometry and surface finish
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical welding/cladding processes with additive manufacturing technology. The additive manufacturing process deposits repair materials layer-by-layer directly onto blade tips according to digital models, eliminating the need for bulky repair joints that require heavy machining and polishing. This substitution of mechanical bonding with precise material deposition achieves target geometry and surface finish without tedious post-processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameters of the repair process by transitioning from high-temperature welding/cladding to controlled additive manufacturing parameters. The additive process uses precise material deposition rates, layer thickness control, and controlled cooling rates to achieve sound metal bonding with minimal excess material, thereby eliminating the need for extensive post-processing operations.
2Ease of repair
If compressor blades are repaired one at a time using traditional methods, then each blade can be individually repaired, but the process is very labor intensive and results in very large overall labor costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual blade repair operations into a single additive manufacturing process. Multiple compressor blades can be positioned on the same build platform and repaired simultaneously through one additive manufacturing run. This consolidation of previously sequential operations into a parallel process dramatically increases productivity while maintaining the quality and precision of individual blade repairs.
Solution Approach 2:
The additive manufacturing system is designed with universal capabilities to handle multiple different blade types and repair scenarios within a single process. The build platform can accommodate various blade configurations, and the digital modeling approach allows for customized repair paths for each blade while operating under a unified manufacturing process, thereby increasing both productivity and flexibility.
3Reliability
If additive powder is used to fill the entire powder bed volume not filled by components, then the powder bed is adequately filled for printing, but a large volume of powder must be added prior to printing, removed after printing, and filtered or screened prior to reuse
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the unnecessary step of filling the entire powder bed volume with additive powder. Instead of adding powder to fill all empty space, the process only adds the minimum necessary powder for the repair operation. This extraction of excess powder usage eliminates the subsequent steps of removing and filtering large volumes of powder, reducing both waste and process complexity while maintaining adequate powder bed stability for reliable printing.
4Quantity of substance
If manual loading of additive powder is performed, then the powder bed can be filled, but the process is time-consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual powder loading operations with automated powder delivery systems integrated into the additive manufacturing machine. The automated system uses controlled powder flow mechanisms to deposit the exact amount of powder needed directly onto the build platform, eliminating time-consuming manual loading while ensuring proper powder bed fill volume and distribution for reliable printing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Facilitates efficient and precise repair of multiple components by minimizing powder usage, reducing labor costs, and ensuring consistent layer fusion, thereby enhancing the reliability and accuracy of the additive manufacturing process.
Implementation Method 1
positioning the plurality of components such that a repair surface of each of the plurality of components contacts an alignment plate
Implementation Method 2
dispensing a fill material into the reservoir, the fill material being configured for fixing a relative position of the plurality of components when the fill material is solidified
Implementation Method 3
selectively irradiating the layer of additive powder to fuse the layer of additive powder onto the repair surface of each component
Data Source
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AI summary
A tooling assembly (200) and method (300) of aligning a plurality of components (70) for a repair process in an additive manufacturing machine (100) includes positioning the plurality of components (70) such that a repair surface (72) of each of the plurality of components (70) contacts an alignment plate (202), e.g., under the force of gravity or using biasing members (262). The method (300) further includes surrounding the alignment plate (202) with containment walls (220) to define a reservoir (222) around the plurality of components (70) and dispensing a fill material (212), such as wax or a potting material, into the reservoir (222) which is configured for fixing a relative position of the plurality of components (70) when the fill material (212) is solidified.