Method for forming components using additive manufacturing and re-melt

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9718127-B2
Application number	US-201615228585-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 4, 2016
Priority date	May 9, 2014
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a component includes additively manufacturing a crucible; directionally solidifying a metal material within the crucible; and removing the crucible to reveal the component. A component for a gas turbine engine includes a directionally solidified metal material component, the directionally solidified metal material component having been additively manufactured of a metal material concurrently with a core, the metal material having been remelted and directionally solidified.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a component, comprising:
additively manufacturing the component with a material;
melting the additively manufactured component; and
solidifying the material of the additively manufactured component to form a directionally solidified microstructure within the component.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
additively manufacturing a core at least partially within the component.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
at least partially encasing the component and the core within a shell.

4. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein the core at least partially defines at least one internal passageway within the component.

5. The method as recited in claim 4 , further comprising concurrently additively manufacturing the component and the core within the component.

6. The method as recited in claim 4 , wherein the core at least partially defines microchannels within the component.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 , wherein the microchannels are additively manufactured of a refractory material and the internal passageways are manufactured of a ceramic material.

8. The method as recited in claim 7 , wherein the additive manufacturing is performed by a multi-powder bed system.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
removing a shell and a core to reveal the component.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solidifying of the material includes directionally solidifying the material to have a single crystal microstructure.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solidifying of the material includes directionally solidifying the material to have a columnar grain microstructure.

12. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the material is a powder.

13. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising applying a wax material at least partially onto the component.

14. The method as recited in claim 13 , further comprising melting the wax material prior to melting the additively manufactured component.

15. The method as recited in claim 13 , further comprising applying the wax material to an airfoil portion of the component.

16. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the material is a metal material.

17. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the material is silicon.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Xu Jinquan

Classifications

• B22F10/12

  by photopolymerisation, e.g. stereolithography [SLA] or digital light processing [DLP] · CPC title

• B22F10/25

  Direct deposition of metal particles, e.g. direct metal deposition [DMD] or laser engineered net shaping [LENS] · CPC title

• B22F10/28

  Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] · CPC title

• B33Y70/00

  Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B33Y40/20

  Post-treatment, e.g. curing, coating or polishing · CPC title