Cylindrical Part Additive Build-Up to Reduce Machining Waste
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aerospace manufacturing generates significant waste due to the need to machine away large portions of stock parts to create cylindrical components, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
The method involves using additive manufacturing by mounting a hollow cylinder on a turntable, positioning an additive-manufacturing deposition tool, and rotating it while depositing material to form features like flanges and ribs, followed by machining, which reduces the amount of material that needs to be removed, and includes forging and rolling the workpiece into the cylinder.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional machining processes are used to manufacture cylindrical parts from stock material, then the finished part can be produced with required precision, but large amounts of material are wasted as chips and shavings
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of starting with a solid stock part and removing material through machining, the invention inverts the approach by starting with a hollow cylinder and adding material through deposition processes. This reverse manufacturing strategy transforms a subtractive process into an additive one, thereby reducing material waste while achieving the required finished part precision
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the fundamental manufacturing parameter from material removal to material addition. By transitioning from machining (subtractive) to deposition (additive), the process fundamentally alters how the part is created, enabling the hollow cylinder to be built up to the final dimensions with minimal waste
2Manufacturing precision
If traditional machining processes are used to create cylindrical parts, then the required features can be achieved, but significant labor time is consumed for material removal
Solution Approach 1:
The invention inverts the manufacturing sequence by adding material to a hollow cylinder rather than removing material from a solid block. This reversal eliminates time-consuming machining operations while directly building the required cylindrical features through deposition, thereby reducing labor time while maintaining manufacturing precision
Solution Approach 2:
The hollow cylinder is prepared in advance as a base structure before the deposition process begins. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for extensive material removal later, allowing the deposition process to directly create the final features and reducing overall manufacturing time
3Manufacturing precision
If solid stock parts are used as starting material, then the envelope of the finished part is covered, but large portions of the stock part remain unused and are discarded
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using solid stock that encompasses the finished part envelope and then removing excess material, the invention uses a hollow cylinder as the starting point and builds up material only where needed. This inverts the traditional approach from subtractive to additive manufacturing, ensuring that virtually all material used ends up in the final product with minimal waste
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the initial stock material parameter from solid to hollow, fundamentally altering the material utilization efficiency. By starting with a hollow cylinder rather than a solid block, the process ensures that material is added only to the extent necessary to create the finished part features
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
This approach significantly reduces material waste and labor time, resulting in lower costs by minimizing the material and labor required for each finished part, while allowing for the reuse of metal materials.
Implementation Method 1
additive-manufacturing deposition tool... depositing material on the hollow cylinder
Implementation Method 2
deposition tool... depositing material
Implementation Method 3
rotating the hollow cylinder on the turntable while depositing material
Implementation Method 4
welding the part to the hollow cylinder
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes mounting a hollow cylinder on a turntable, positioning an additive-manufacturing deposition tool at a surface of the hollow cylinder, and rotating the hollow cylinder on the turntable while depositing material on the hollow cylinder with the deposition tool. Further, a method includes making an opening in a wall of the hollow cylinder, forming a part to fit in the opening, and welding the part to the hollow cylinder such that the part fills the opening. The hollow cylinder has an inner radius and an outer radius, and the part is formed with an inner radius of curvature and an outer radius of curvature substantially similar to the inner radius and outer radius, respectively, of the hollow cylinder when the part is positioned in the opening.