General Electric Company

Steven Charles Woods

Mark Carmine Bellino

James Christopher Monaghan

Gregory Scott Means

Johnie Franklin McConnaughhay

Mark Lawrence Hunt

Tiffany Muller Craft

Ronald Lee Souther

Jonathan Dwight Berry

Kassy Moy Hart

Charles Van Buchan

Daniel James Dorriety

Yusuf Eren Ozturk

James Carroll Baummer

Patrick Shane Riley

Mustafa Yuvalaklioglu

Michael Evans Graham

David William Cihlar

Donnell Eugene Crear

Archie Lee Swanner, Jr

James William Sears

Liangde Xie

Pinghai Yang

Matthew Paul Berkebile

Brian Leslie Henderson

Clay Thomas Griffis

Lawrence James Whims

Paul Albert Cook

Blake Allen Fulton

Jonathan Glenn Reed

Robert Wade Clifford

Evan John Dozier

Bradford David Borchert

Steven John Barnell

Eric Eicher McConnell

Birol Turan

Eunice Delia Reyes

Onur Onder

Ray Joshua Bohon

Benjamin Lamar Daniel

Javier Garza

Baris Kavas

Efe Bulut

Johnie F Mcconnaughhay

Eunice D Reyes

A powder removal assembly for removing powder from a part produced by additive manufacturing, including a process chamber including an outlet, a powder removal device coupled to the process chamber and configured to remove particles from the process chamber, a particle sensor coupled to the outlet, the particle sensor being configured to monitor an amount of particles passing through the outlet as a function of time, and a control system communicatively coupled to the particle sensor and the powder removal device. The control system is configured to automatically activate and deactivate the powder removal device in response to a change in a rate of the amount of particles passing through the outlet as a function of time, passing a threshold value.

Powder removal assemblies and methods of removing unbound particles using powder removal assemblies

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a test article for additive manufacture and related methods. A test article formed may include a body having a forward face and a rearward face horizontally opposite the forward face. A first surface extending between the forward face and the rearward face of the body may include a plurality of protrusions for removable coupling of the body to a build plate. A second surface on the body may extend between the forward face and the rearward face of the body, and may include a plurality of angled flat surface portions. Each of the plurality of angled flat surface portions may have a distinct angle with respect to a horizontal plane of the body. An angular difference between each adjacent angled flat surface portion in the plurality of angled flat surface portions is substantially uniform.

Test article for additive manufacture and related methods

According to some embodiments, system and methods are provided comprising generating a nominal computer-aided design (CAD) image of a component; producing a physical representation of the component from the nominal CAD image using an additive manufacturing (AM) process; measuring the physical component to obtain measurement data; determining a deviation between geometry associated with the nominal CAD image and the obtained measurement data; determining a compensation field for the deviation, if the deviation is outside of a tolerance threshold; modifying the nominal CAD image by the compensation field; and producing a physical representation of the component from the modified nominal CAD image. Numerous other aspects are provided.

System and method for distortion mitigation and compensation in additive manufacturing processes through B-spline hyperpatch field

A process includes manufacturing a gas turbine fuel injector body having a stub flange extending radially outward about a circumference of the gas turbine fuel injector body. The stub flange is sized to engage a stepped ledge along a central opening of a mounting flange. The central opening is sized to receive the gas turbine fuel injector body. A gas turbine fuel injector includes a gas turbine fuel injector body and a mounting flange. A method of mounting a gas turbine fuel injector includes placing a stub flange of a gas turbine fuel injector body between a surface of an injector boss and a stepped ledge of a mounting flange. The method also includes securing the gas turbine fuel injector to the injector boss with a plurality of bolts, each bolt extending through a mounting hole in the mounting flange and into a threaded hole in the injector boss.

Gas turbine fuel injectors and processes

Various aspects include systems and methods for analyzing materials in additive manufacturing processes. In some cases, a system includes: an additive manufacturing (AM) printer for printing an AM object, the AM printer including a raw material chamber and a build chamber; a control system coupled with the AM printer configured to control the printing of the AM object; and a material analysis system coupled with the control system and the AM printer, the material analysis system configured to analyze a raw material obtained directly from at least one of the raw material chamber or the build chamber for a defect prior to, or contemporaneously with, additively manufacturing the AM component.

Additive manufacturing material analysis system and related method

A system includes a mounting plate having a plurality of reference members, an inspection system having a profiler device, and an additive manufacturing machine operatively coupled with the inspection system. A computer device scans the mounting plate with the profiler device to obtain position and orientation of the reference members and position and top surface profile data of any parts located on the mounting plate. A transmitting step transmits reference member position and orientation and part position and top surface profile data to the additive manufacturing machine. A detecting step detects mounting plate orientation and position inside the additive manufacturing machine. A combining step combines mounting plate orientation/position inside of the additive manufacturing machine and part position and top surface profile data to calculate a build path program for the additive manufacturing machine. A performing step performs a build process using the build path program to repair the parts.

Turbomachine repair using additive manufacturing

A method to repair an opening in a metallic device including:

System and method to locate and repair insert holes on a gas turbine component

A method for repairing a bundled tube fuel injector includes removing a portion of a pre-mix tube, aligning a tube tip with the remaining portion pre-mix tube and fixedly connecting the tube tip to the pre-mix tube. The method may further include removing an aft plate and an outer shroud from the bundled tube fuel injector so as to expose the pre-mix tube.

Method for repairing a bundled tube fuel injector

Apparatuses and systems for rotatably engaging an additive manufacturing build plate are disclosed. An apparatus may include: a height adjustable platform; a rotatable member coupled to the height adjustable platform; an alignment member coupled to a first end of the rotatable member; and first and second coupling members each extending from the first radial end of the alignment member wherein the first and second coupling members are oriented substantially parallel to the rotatable member.

Rotatable engagement of additive manufacturing build plate

A hybrid diffusion-brazing process and hybrid diffusion-brazed article are disclosed. The hybrid diffusion-brazing process includes providing a component having a temperature-tolerant region and a temperature-sensitive region, brazing a braze material to the temperature-tolerant region during a localized brazing cycle, then heating the component in a furnace during a diffusion cycle. The brazing and the heating diffusion-braze the braze material to the component, and the localized brazing cycle is performed independent of the diffusion cycle in the hybrid diffusion-brazing process. The hybrid diffusion-brazed article includes a component, and a braze material diffusion-brazed to the component with a filler material. The filler material has a melting temperature that is above a tolerance temperature of the component.

Hybrid diffusion-brazing process and hybrid diffusion-brazed article

A method for correction of thermal defects using tomographic scanning for additive manufacturing is provided. The method may include forming a portion of an object using an additive manufacturing system based on an intended three-dimensional (3D) model of the object that is in an additive manufacturing system format. The portion of the object is scanned using a tomographic scanner to obtain a model of the portion of the object in a tomographic scanner format. The model is converted from the tomographic scanner format into the additive manufacturing system format to obtain a converted tomographic model; and the converted tomographic model is compared to the intended 3D model to identify a defect in the portion of the object. A modified 3D model may be generated of the object correcting the intended 3D model to address the defect of the portion of the object.

Defect correction using tomographic scanner for additive manufacturing

A bundled tube fuel injector includes an outer band that circumferentially surrounds a fuel plenum defined within the bundled tube fuel injector. The outer band includes a forward end portion that is axially separated from an aft end portion. A plurality of pre-mix tubes extends through the fuel plenum substantially parallel to one another. A first segment of the plurality of pre-mix tubes is circumferentially surrounded by the outer band. An outer shroud extends circumferentially around a second segment of the pre-mix tubes. The outer shroud includes a forward portion and an aft portion. The aft end portion of the outer band is coupled to the forward portion of the outer shroud via a plurality of fasteners for enhanced assembly and reparability.

Bundled tube fuel injector with outer shroud and outer band connection

A plurality of substantially identical, thermally and/or atmospherically isolated modules can be employed to effect a treatment process. Each module can include a thermal system and/or atmospheric control system to effect a step of a treatment process, such as a heat treatment process for metal articles, particularly heat treatment and/or welding of parts made from so-called 'super allows.' The module control systems can communicate and/or cooperate to carry out a process.

Modular heat treatment system

A bundled tube fuel injector includes a fuel distribution module, a tube bundle having a plurality of pre-mix tubes that extend in parallel downstream from the fuel distribution module and a support plate disposed substantially adjacent to the fuel distribution manifold. The plurality of pre-mix tubes extends through the support plate. A retention sleeve is coupled to the support plate at a first end. A second end of the retention sleeve includes a plurality of radially extending retention features that are circumferentially arranged around the second end. The bundled tube fuel injector also includes an aft plate having a retention collar. The retention collar is configured to engage with the retention features. The retention sleeve and the retention collar partially define a cartridge passage that extends through the bundled tube fuel injector.

Bundled tube fuel injector aft plate retention

A bundled tube fuel injector includes a fuel plenum that is defined within the bundled tube fuel injector and a plurality of pre-mix tubes that extend downstream from the fuel plenum substantially parallel to one another. Each pre-mix tube includes an end portion and a radially extending end surface. The bundled tube fuel injector further includes a tube tip that is fixedly connected to the end portion of a corresponding pre-mix tube.

Bundled tube fuel injector with a multi-configuration tube tip

Growing community of inventors

Easley, SC, United States of America

Steven Charles Woods