Isis Innovation Limited

Stephen Richard Duncan

Patrick Grant

Paul Jones

Ronald William Daniel

Timothy Rayment

Material is incrementally deposited using material directed toward a deposition zone. The scan path of the directed material is controlled according to a path plan derived to reduce derivation from an ideal uniform temperature profile for the deposition during the deposition process. A path plan having angled scan passes that intersect (or overcross one another), for example in a mirrorbox path plan, is preferred.

Control of deposition and other processes

Apparatus for determining the temperature profile of the surface being sprayed or otherwise treated, the apparatus comprising four electric arc spray guns () spraying molten steel. The guns () are connected to a six-axis industrial robot () which is adapted to move them over the surface of the ceramic substrate (). The metal deposited by the spray builds up a metal shell referred to as the sprayform. The temperature profile of the sprayform surface () is recorded periodically by a thermal imaging camera () positioned directly above the surface (). The apparatus includes a pruning filter for receiving each pixel of an image captured by the camera () and for applying at least a lower temperature limit to it so as to reject or disregard any pixels determined to have a temperature less than the lower temperature limit.

Temperature profile determination

A system for incrementally depositing material includes a delivery system for directing a material toward a deposition zone (), a monitoring system for monitoring a parameter of the deposited (a) material and a processing system () arranged to obtain a monitored value for the parameter, derive a predicted future parameter value for the monitored parameter, compare the predicted value with a reference parameter value for the monitored parameter, and produce a control output based on the comparison of the predicted value with the reference value, the control output being capable of modifying operation of the system. The parameter monitored has the tendency to vary over time (and space), and the processing means ensure that control output is not based upon the difference between an originally monitored parameter value and a reference value but rather between a prediction generated value (accounting for passage of time or spacital difference) and the reference value. This provides for more accurate process control.

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Ashendon, United Kingdom

Stephen Richard Duncan