Automated repair method and system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8996156-B2
Application number	US-201013390765-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 16, 2010
Priority date	Aug 20, 2009
Publication date	Mar 31, 2015
Grant date	Mar 31, 2015

Abstract

A method and system for automated repair of a machine component is provided. According to the proposed method, a first geometry of the component, including a damaged portion of the component, is digitalized. A trough is then machined over the damaged portion of the component. The machining is numerically controlled using digitalized geometrical data of the first geometry of the component. A second geometry of the component is then digitalized subsequent to the machining, the second geometry including the trough. Subsequently, a material is deposited over the trough. The deposition of the material is numerically controlled digitalized geometrical data of the second geometry of the component.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for automated repair of a component, comprising:
digitalizing a first geometry of the component including a damaged portion of the component;
machining a trough over the damaged portion of the component, the machining being numerically controlled using digitalized geometrical data of the first geometry of the component;
digitalizing a second geometry of the component subsequent to the machining, the second geometry including the trough;
depositing a material to fill the trough, the deposition of the material being numerically controlled using digitalized geometrical data of the second geometry of the component;
digitalizing a third geometry of the component after the deposition;
measuring an excess of the deposited material on the component using digitalized geometrical data of the third geometry of the component; and
further machining of the component to remove the measured excess of the deposited material, the further machining being numerically controlled using the digitalized geometrical data of the third geometry,
wherein numerically controlling the deposition includes determining a material deposition path in response to identifying a position of the trough on the component, based on a comparison of the digitalized geometrical data of the second geometry to stored reference geometry data of the component.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein numerically controlling the machining includes generating a machining path in response to identifying a position of the damaged portion on the first geometry of the component, based on a received user input.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the deposition comprises a process of laser powder cladding.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising a process of coating the component subsequent to the further machining.

5. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the component comprises an opening provided by design, and
wherein the method further comprises:
identifying a position of the design opening on the component, based on a comparison of the digitalized geometrical data of the second geometry of the component to stored reference geometry data of the component,
forming an opening on the component after the process of coating, at the identified position of the design opening.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the reference geometry data includes data selected from the group consisting of, a digitalized geometrical data of the component after newly manufacturing the component, digitalized geometrical data of the component after a previous repair of the component, a digitalized three-dimensional design drawing of the component, and combinations thereof.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising storing an updated digitalized geometrical data of a geometry of the component after a completed operation of the repair method and using the updated digitalized geometrical data for numerically controlling a subsequent operation of the repair method.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising storing digitalized geometrical data of the component subsequent to a completion of a current repair of the component and using the stored digitalized geometrical data as reference geometry of the component for a subsequent repair of the component.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the component is a blade or a vane of a turbomachine.

10. A system for automated repair a component, comprising:
a control means;
a machining means for machining a trough over a damaged portion of the component using a first numeric control program, wherein the first numeric control program is generated by the control means using digitalized geometrical data of a first geometry of the component that includes the damaged portion; and
welding means for depositing a material to fill the trough using a second numeric control program,
wherein the second numeric control program is generated by the control means using digitalized geometrical data of a second geometry of the component after the machining, the second geometry including the trough formed on the component,
wherein a third geometry including the deposited material is digitized, and
wherein the digitized third geometry is used as an input for the machining means to machine the component removing an excess of the deposited material.

11. The system according to claim 10 , wherein the welding means comprises a computerized numeric control operated laser powder cladding unit.

12. The system according to claim 10 , wherein the machining means comprises a computerized numeric control operated milling machine.

13. The system according to claim 10 , further comprising imaging means for capturing digitalized geometrical data of the geometries of the component.

14. The system according to claim 13 , wherein the control means is adapted to store an updated digitalized geometrical data of a geometry of the component after a completed operation, and to use the updated digitalized geometrical data as an input condition for generating a numeric control program for controlling a subsequent operation.

Assignees

• Melzer-Jokisch Torsten
• Thomaidis Dimitrios
• Wilkenhöner Rolf
• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Melzer-Jokisch Torsten
• Thomaidis Dimitrios
• Wilkenhöner Rolf

Classifications

• G05B2219/32228

  Repair, rework of manufactured article · CPC title

• F05D2230/10

  by removing material · CPC title

• B23K26/345

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• G05B19/4099

  Surface or curve machining, making three-dimensional [3D] objects, e.g. desktop manufacturing · CPC title

• B23P6/007 Primary

  using only additive methods, e.g. build-up welding · CPC title