The Boeing Company

Carey E Wilkinson

Marc Rollo Matsen

Lee Charles Firth

David S Nansen

William Chet Dykstra

Gregory J Hickman

Randall Dow Wilkerson

James Rodney Fox

Jeffery Lee Marcoe

Alexander Rubin

Charles Richard Prebil

Gregory Alan Foltz

Gregory James Schoepen Hickman

Michael R Zolnowski

Matthew Douglas Carter

William A Lamey, Iii

Provided are induction heating cells including pressure bladders used for supporting dies and methods of using these induction heating cells. A pressure bladder may be disposed between a die and a bolster of the cell. Even when the bolster is deformed during operation of the cell, the pressure bladder continues to provide uniform support to the die thereby preserving integrity of the die and prevents its cracking or braking. As such, the cell may be operated at a higher processing pressure inside the cavity formed by the die without further strengthening the bolster. The bolster is allowed to deform without compromising the integrity of the die. The deformation of the bolster is compensated by the shape change of the pressure bladder. The number and/or position of the bladders in the cell may depend on the shape of processed parts.

Induction heating cells including pressure bladders

A panel comprises a first face sheet and a second face sheet spaced apart from the first face sheet. The panel further comprises a core sheet intercoupled between the first face sheet and the second face sheet. Each of the first and second face sheets is made of a material having a thermal expansion that is different from the thermal expansion of the other face sheet.

Panel and method of forming a three-sheet panel

Induction heating cells including pressure bladders and methods of using thereof

A metal injection molding apparatus includes a metal injection mold die having first and second die halves, a first set of features provided in the first die half, a second set of features provided in the second die half and complementary to the first set of features provided in the first are half and an ultrasonic transducer disposed in contact with the metal injection mold die. A binderless metal injection molding method is also disclosed.

Binderless metal injection molding apparatus and method

One aspect of the disclosure relates to a method of making a part from at least one elemental metal powder. The part has a near-net shape, a part volume, and a part density. The method includes providing a sintered preform having a sintered density and separating a portion from the sintered preform. The portion has a portion volume exceeding the part volume and a portion shape different from the near-net shape of the part. The method also includes thermally cycling the portion for a thermal-cycling time period at a thermal-cycling pressure while superplastically deforming the portion to form the part having the near net shape and the part density.

Methods of making parts from at least one elemental metal powder

Systems and methods for forming near net-shape metal parts from binderless metal powder are disclosed. Systems include a mold die that defines a die cavity and may include one or more ultrasonic transducers operatively coupled to the mold die. Systems may be configured to introduce binderless metal powder into a die cavity and/or to compact the binderless metal powder within the die cavity. Methods include introducing binderless metal powder into a die cavity of a mold die and compacting the binderless metal powder within the die cavity to form a green part within the die cavity. The binderless metal powder may include spheroidal metal particles and angular metal particles. The methods may further include separating the green part from the mold die and sintering the green part, after separating, to form a sintered near net-shape metal part.

Methods for forming near net-shape metal parts from binderless metal powder

A method and apparatus is presented. A method may comprise positioning a metallic bladder within a tool, the tool having a number of die liners that generate heat when exposed to a magnetic field; applying the magnetic field to the number of die liners to heat the metallic bladder; and pressurizing the metallic bladder.

Metallic bladders

An induction heating system for manufacturing a part including an induction coil and a smart susceptor positioned within an oscillating electromagnetic field from the induction coil. The smart susceptor includes a ferromagnetic material cold sprayed onto a tool. The tool may be a sheet metal component formed to a desired shape by incremental sheet forming. The smart susceptor may be heated up by eddy currents generated in the ferromagnetic material by the oscillating electromagnetic field. The smart susceptor may be designed to have a desired Curie temperature based on the composition of the ferromagnetic material. The smart susceptor is formed into a desired shape by cold spraying ferromagnetic material onto a tool already formed into the desired shape. The smart susceptor may be removed from the tool by thermally shocking the smart susceptor and the tool and may be used to heat a part to be formed.

Incremental sheet forming for fabrication of cold sprayed smart susceptor

A tensile specimen measuring apparatus includes a generally elongated base, a generally elongated pin channel provided in the base, a measuring pin carrier slidably mounted in the pin channel of the base, at least one contact pin carried by the measuring pin carrier, at least one contact pin disposed at an end of the pin channel of the base in generally spaced-apart relationship with respect to the at least one contact pin carried by the measuring pin carrier and an electronic measuring device engaging the at least one contact pin carried by the measuring pin carrier. A tensile specimen measuring method is also disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

Summerville, SC, United States of America

Carey E Wilkinson