Systems, devices, and/or methods for manufacturing castings

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10207315-B2
Application number	US-201514935484-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2015
Priority date	Sep 26, 2008
Publication date	Feb 19, 2019
Grant date	Feb 19, 2019

Abstract

Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a composition, system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, and/or user interface adapted for, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise, after removing a cast device from a stack-lamination-derived mold, said cast device formed from a molding composition, applying a desired shape to said cast device to form a shaped cast device, said molding composition comprising: a ceramic composition comprising silica; an cycloaliphatic epoxy binder composition, said cycloaliphatic epoxy binder composition present in said molding composition in an amount up to 30% by weight of said molding composition; a silicone composition comprising a siloxane resin, said silicone composition present in said molding composition in an amount up to 30% by weight of said molding composition; and a solvent composition adapted to dissolve said cycloaliphatic epoxy binder composition and said silicone composition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
a device composition comprising:
a ceramic composition comprising a plurality of crystalline forms of silica, a first crystalline form of silica from the plurality of crystalline forms of silica being cristobalite in an amount greater than 2.5% and less than 10% by weight of the device composition;
an cycloaliphatic epoxy binder composition, the cycloaliphatic epoxy binder composition present in the device composition in an amount up to 30% by weight of the device composition; and
a silicone composition comprising a siloxane resin, the silicone composition present in the device composition in an amount up to 30% by weight of the device composition;

the device defining a plurality of wall surfaces, a wall surface from the plurality of wall surfaces comprising a plurality of 3-dimensional micro-features, the plurality of 3-dimensional micro-features comprising at least one protruding undercut, the plurality of wall surfaces defining a periphery of a layer-less volume;
the device configured to be substantially carbon-free after sintering;
the device having a post-sintering measured apparent porosity of 15 to 35 percent and a predetermined surface characteristic.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the ceramic composition comprises approximately 6 percent to approximately 10 percent cristobalite by weight of the device composition.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device composition comprises zircon.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device composition comprises alumina.

5. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a photolithographically-derived foil structure substantially surrounded by the ceramic composition.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device is configured to serve as an investment casting core.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device is configured to serve as a core for an investment cast product.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device is configured to serve as a core for an investment cast turbomachine component.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device is configured to serve as a core for an investment cast air foil.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device is configured to serve as a core for an investment cast blade.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device is configured to serve as a core for an investment cast vane.

12. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device is configured to serve as a core for an investment cast nozzle.

13. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device defines a plurality of cooling passages for an investment cast product.

14. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device comprises a first planar surface configured to be transformed into a non-planar surface via thermoforming the ceramic composition.

15. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device is removable, from an ancestor mold having a surface that comprises a plurality of substantially spatially inverted replicas of the plurality of 3-dimensional microfeatures, the mold having an opening defined by an opening cross-sectional area that is smaller than a largest cross-sectional area of the device, without damage to the device and without damage to the ancestor mold.

Assignees

• Mikro Systems Inc
• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Appleby Michael P
• Fraser Iain
• Paulus John

Classifications

• C08L63/00

  Compositions of epoxy resins; Compositions of derivatives of epoxy resins · CPC title

• B29C33/3835

  Designing moulds, e.g. using CAD-CAM · CPC title

• B23P15/246

  Laminated dies · CPC title

• B22C9/04 Primary

  Use of lost patterns · CPC title

• B29C33/38

  characterised by the material or the manufacturing process (B29C33/44 takes precedence) · CPC title