General Electric Company

Todd Jay Rockstroh

William Thomas Carter

Seetha Ramaiah Mannava

Seetharamaiah Mannava

James G Kelley

Wilbur Douglas Scheidt

Douglas Gerard Konitzer

Michael Francis Xavier Gigliotti

Zachary David Fieldman

Ui Won Suh

Mark Samuel Bailey

P Kennard Wright, Iii

Michael Paul Hausfeld

David Henry Abbott

Roger Owen Barbe

Theodore Anderson

Paul J Monson

Gregory Muster Morris

John M Crow

Donald Eugene Williams, Jr

Guenter Helmut Wilfert

Robert E Baeumel

Ching-Pang Lee

Bangalore Aswatha Nagaraj

Victor Petrovich Ostroverkhov

Brett Allen Boutwell

Ian Francis Prentice

John Broddus Deaton, Jr

Pingfan Peter Wu

Michael Francis Gigliotti

Subhrajit Roychowdhury

Mark Allen Cheverton

Prabhjot Singh

David Charles Bogdan, Jr

Nobuaki Iehisa

Farzin Homayoun Azad

Younkoo Jeong

Thomas Froats Broderick

John L August, Jr

Magdi Naim Azer

Brian Scott McCarthy

James Douglas Risbeck

Mark J Kukla

Daniel Curtis Gray

Ralph M Somers

Pamela King Benicewicz

Rajendra Madhukar Kelkar

Mark Douglas Gledhill

Donald Brett Desander

Huan Qi

Sudhir Kumar Tewari

Clarence Albert Ash

James Joseph Hoffman

William Woodrow Shepherd

Rajendra Machukar Kelkar

John N Minnich

Joseph Giancarlo Sabato

Jr John Broddus Deaton

Jr Donald Eugene Williams

The present disclosure generally relates to additive manufacturing systems and methods involving a mechanism for feeding in a desired amount of fresh recoater blade. This can be accomplished by, for example, spooling the fresh blade material from a spool. This helps prevent work stoppage when a portion of a recoater blade becomes damaged. As such, the present disclosure also relates to a system and method for detecting whether a recoater blade is damaged, and if there is damage, then causing a fresh blade portion to be fed in.

Apparatuses for continuously refreshing a recoater blade for additive manufacturing including a blade feed unit and arm portion

Methods for direct writing of single crystal super alloys and metals are provided. The method can include: heating a substrate positioned on a base plate to a predetermined temperature using a first heater; using a laser to form a melt pool on a surface of the substrate; introducing a superalloy powder to the melt pool; measuring the temperature of the melt pool; receiving the temperature measured at a controller; and using an auxiliary heat source in communication with the controller to adjust the temperature of the melt pool. The predetermined temperature is below the substrate's melting point. The laser and the base plate are movable relative to each other, with the laser being used for direct metal deposition. An apparatus is also generally provided for direct writing of single crystal super alloys and metals.

Apparatus and method for direct writing of single crystal super alloys and metals

An additive manufacturing apparatus includes: first and second spaced apart side walls extending along a pre-defined path and defining a build chamber therebetween; one or more build units mounted for movement along the pre-defined path, the one or more build units including at least one of: a powder dispenser positioned above the build chamber; an applicator configured to scrape powder dispensed into the build chamber; and a directed energy source configured to fuse the scraped powder.

Additive manufacturing apparatus and method for large components

A method of making a component includes: depositing a metallic powder on a workplane; directing a beam from a directed energy source to fuse the powder in a pattern corresponding to a cross-sectional layer of the component; repeating in a cycle the steps of depositing and fusing to build up the component in a layer-by layer fashion; and during the cycle of depositing and melting, using an external heat control apparatus separate from the directed energy source to maintain a predetermined temperature profile of the component, such that the resulting component has a directionally-solidified or single-crystal microstructure.

Layered manufacturing of single crystal alloy components

Method and apparatus for continuously refreshing a recoater blade for additive manufacturing

A direct metal laser melting (DMLM) system includes a rotatable base, and a build plate mounted on and supported by the rotatable base, where the build plate includes a build surface. The DMLM system also includes a first actuator assembly, a first powder dispenser disposed proximate the build plate and configured to deposit a weldable powder on the build surface of the build plate. In addition, the DMLM system includes a first powder spreader disposed proximate the build plate and configured to spread the weldable powder deposited on the build surface of the build plate, and a first laser scanner supported by the first actuator assembly in a position relative to the build plate, such that at least a portion of the build surface is within a field of view of the first laser scanner. The first laser scanner is configured to selectively weld the weldable powder. The first laser scanner is further configured to translate axially relative to the build surface on the first actuator assembly.

Rotating direct metal laser melting systems and methods of operation

A method for additive manufacturing utilizing a build plate with a release layer is provided. The method includes irradiating a first layer of powder in a powder bed to form a first fused region over a support. The first release layer is provided between the first fused region and the support. The method also includes providing a given layer of powder over the powder bed and irradiating the given layer of powder in the powder bed to form a given fused region. Providing the given layer of powder over the powder bed and irradiating the given layer of powder in the powder bed to form a given fused region are repeated until the object is formed in the powder bed. The object may be formed fusing individual layers with irradiation by laser or ebeam, or by binder jetting. The method further includes separating the object from the support by melting or dissolving the first release layer.

DMLM build release layer and method of use thereof

A method of manufacturing an object by additive manufacturing is provided. The method includes lowering a build platform having a given layer of build material to powder provided on a window. The powder is irradiated to form a subsequent layer that corresponds to the given layer. The method then includes solidifying the subsequent layer, and raising the build platform and the subsequent layer away from the window. The steps are repeated until the desired object is formed.

Continuous additive manufacture of high pressure turbine

A method of making an annular component includes forming sheet feedstock into an annular shape disposed about a central axis; and bonding one portion of the feedstock to another portion of the feedstock using ultrasonic welding, so as to fix the annular shape.

Ultrasonic welding of annular components

A method of making a component includes depositing a metallic powder on a workplane; directing a beam from a directed energy source to fuse the powder in a pattern corresponding to a cross-sectional layer of the component; repeating in a cycle the steps of depositing and fusing to build up the component in a layer-by layer fashion; and during the cycle of depositing and melting, using an external heat control apparatus separate from the directed energy source to maintain a predetermined temperature profile of the component, such that the resulting component has a directionally-solidified or single-crystal microstructure.

A method of creating an article of manufacture is provided, which includes directing multiple laser beams to a single galvanometer; and dynamically repositioning the multiple laser beams in counterpart paths using the single galvanometer to shine the multiple laser beams on and melt a first powder material and, upon solidification of the melted first powder material, forming a first series of duplicate three dimensional structures, where each of the multiple laser beams is used to form at least one of the first series of duplicate three dimensional structures.

Parallel direct metal laser melting

A method for simultaneously laser shock peening opposite laser shock peening surfaces on opposite sides of an article, such as a gas turbine engine airfoil, with varying thickness using oppositely aimed laser beams and varying surface fluence of the laser beams over the laser shock peening surfaces as a function of the thickness of the article beneath each one of a plurality of laser shock peened spots formed by the beams on the surfaces. The fluence may be equal to the thickness multiplied by a volumetric fluence factor, the volumetric fluence factor being held constant over the laser shock peening surface. The volumetric fluence factor may be in a range of about 1200 J/cmto 1800 J/cmand more particularly about 1500 J/cm. Laser beam energy may be varied with a computer program controlling firing of the laser beam.

Varying fluence as a function of thickness during laser shock peening

A system and method for monitoring a laser shock peening process includes a sensor connected to a controller. The controller includes an input and a processor. The input is connected to the sensor to receive a signal indicative of a laser shock event at a workpiece. The processor is connected to the input and is configured to determine a time-of-flight of residual energy associated with the laser shock event from the workpiece to the sensor and determine peen quality from the time-of-flight of the residual energy.

Laser shock peening system with time-of-flight monitoring

Growing community of inventors

Maineville, OH, United States of America

Todd Jay Rockstroh