Plasma assisted surface finishing apparatus and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10850366-B2
Application number	US-201715843403-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2017
Priority date	Dec 15, 2017
Publication date	Dec 1, 2020
Grant date	Dec 1, 2020

Abstract

An apparatus for finishing a component includes at least one articulating arm, at least one plasma gun disposed at an end of a first articulating arm of the at least one articulating arm, at least one shot peen nozzle maintained in a fixed positioned relative to the plasma gun, and a controller controllably coupled to the articulating arm such that output signals from the controller control motions of the articulating arm.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. An apparatus for finishing a component comprising:
at least one articulating arm;
at least one plasma gun disposed at an end of a first articulating arm of the at least one articulating arm;
at least one shot peen nozzle maintained in a fixed positioned relative to the plasma gun; and
a controller controllably coupled to the articulating arm such that output signals from the controller control motions of the articulating arm.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one plasma gun comprises a plurality of series configured plasma guns.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein each plasma gun is fixedly mounted relative to each other plasma gun.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the shot peen nozzle is mechanically fixed to the end of the first articulating arm.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the shot peen nozzle is mechanically connected to the at least one plasma gun via an offset arm.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the offset arm that includes at least one more angle such that the shot peen nozzle is angled relative to an output of the plasma gun.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising a shot guard disposed at least partially between an output of the plasma gun and an output of the shot peen nozzle.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the shot guard is configured to prevent at least a portion of shot output from the shot peen nozzle from intersecting the output of the plasma gun.

9. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the nozzle is oblique relative to the plasma gun, such that shot from the nozzle is directed away from the output of the plasma gun.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp
• Raytheon Tech Corp

Inventors

• Thayer Henry H
• Twelves Wendell V
• Ventura Anthony Patrick
• Bennett Michael Walter

Classifications

• B24C3/06

  movable; portable · CPC title

• B23P25/003

  immediately preceding a cutting tool · CPC title

• B23K26/0093

  combined with mechanical machining or metal-working covered by other subclasses than B23K · CPC title

• B24C1/04

  for treating only selected parts of a surface, e.g. for carving stone or glass · CPC title

• B23K10/00

  Welding or cutting by means of a plasma · CPC title