In an embodiment, a system is provided that includes an electron gun, a focusing system, and a housing. The electron gun can include a cold cathode electron source and an extraction electrode. The focusing system can be configured to focus a beam of electrons extracted from the electron gun to a focal region. The housing can include the electron gun and extend along a housing axis in the direction of the electron beam. The cold cathode source is configured to emit electrons at a first operating pressure that is higher than a second operating pressure at the focal region of the electron beam.

A steam turbine rotor blade achieving both abrasion resistance and reliability, and a method for manufacturing a steam turbine rotor blade capable of obtaining such a steam turbine rotor blade are provided. A steam turbine rotor blade according to the invention is characterized by including a blade base material and an erosion shield formed on a surface of the blade base material, wherein the blade base material is composed of a titanium alloy, and the erosion shield is composed of a weld overlay layer including a parent phase composed of pure titanium in which a metal element is solid-dissolved or a titanium alloy in which a metal element is solid-dissolved, and a hard phase dispersed in the parent phase.

A steam turbine rotor blade achieving both abrasion resistance and reliability, and a method for manufacturing a steam turbine rotor blade capable of obtaining such a steam turbine rotor blade are provided. A steam turbine rotor blade according to the invention is characterized by including a blade base material and an erosion shield formed on a surface of the blade base material, wherein the blade base material is composed of a titanium alloy, and the erosion shield is composed of a weld overlay layer including a parent phase composed of pure titanium in which a metal element is solid-dissolved or a titanium alloy in which a metal element is solid-dissolved, and a hard phase dispersed in the parent phase.

Methods of cleaning internal portions of additively manufactured components are provided, together with an apparatus for carrying out the cleaning. The methods use an impacting element which is contained within the internal portion and the component is vibrated to clean material from the component and leave one or more hollow portions. Various embodiments for retaining the impacting element are set out, which preferably use a grid which allows loosened powder to fall out of the component and, optionally, be recycled for use in further manufacturing processes. The methods are described in relation to components for gas turbine engines but have wider application in relation to any additively manufactured component in which it is desired to have a hollow internal portion.

The present invention is to provide a laser irradiation technique for irradiating the irradiation surface with the laser beam having homogeneous intensity distribution using a cylindrical lens array without being affected by the intensity distribution of the original beam. A laser beam emitted from a laser oscillator is divided by two kinds of cylindrical lens arrays into a plurality of beams, which are two kinds of linear laser beams with their energy intensity distribution inverted each other, and the two kinds of linear laser beams are superposed in a minor-axis direction. This can form the linear laser beam having homogeneous intensity distribution on the irradiation surface.

The invention concerns a method for producing three-dimensional objects (6) layer by layer using a powdery material (7) which can be solidified by irradiating it with a high-energy beam (4), said method comprising the steps of: applying a first layer of powdery material onto a working area (5); solidifying a part of said first layer by irradiating it with a high-energy beam; and applying a second layer (8) of powdery material onto the first, partly solidified layer. The invention is characterized in that the method comprises the step of: determining a rate at which the temperature of the second layer (8) increases after application onto the first layer. The invention also concerns an apparatus configured to operate according to the above method.

The invention relates to a method for producing a central housing part (1) of a high-pressure slide gate valve from high-temperature steel, in the case of which two die-forged central-housing-part half-shells (1a, 1b) with forged-on connectors (4a, 4b) are welded to one another, using electron-beam welding without any welding filler material, by a butt weld seam (2), which runs in a plane (3) which runs transversely to the connectors (4a, 4b) and subdivides the central housing part (1). In order to increase the creep resistance, and to reduce the weight, of such a central housing part, the production costs at the same time being advantageous, the invention proposes that the wall thicknesses of the central-housing-part half-shells (1a, 1b) should be designed overall on the basis of a weld strength factor (WSF=1), and that, once the weld seam (2) has been produced, the entire central housing part (1) should be subjected to a rigorous heat treatment involving heating to beyond the transformation temperature, quenching and tempering.

A manufacturing method is used for an outer joint member of a constant velocity universal joint. The outer joint member includes a cup section having track grooves formed in its inner periphery, which are engageable with torque transmitting elements, and a shaft section formed at a bottom portion of the cup section. The manufacturing method includes welding the cup and shaft members by irradiating a beam to joining end portions of the cup and shaft members, causing an outer surface including the welded portion to be formed into a flat smooth surface by removal processing, irradiating ultrasonic waves to the flat smooth surface with one probe at an incident angle which prevents total reflection in a circumferential angle beam flaw detection method, and setting a focal point of the ultrasonic waves to positions from a surface to an inside of the welded portion, to thereby perform inspection.

A manufacturing method is used for an outer joint member of a constant velocity universal joint. The outer joint member includes a cup section having track grooves formed in an inner periphery of the cup section, which are engageable with torque transmitting elements, and a shaft section formed at a bottom portion of the cup section. The outer joint member is constructed by forming the cup section and the shaft section as separate members, and by welding a cup member forming the cup section and a shaft member forming the shaft section to each other. The manufacturing method at least includes welding the cup member and the shaft member by irradiating a beam to joining end portions of the cup member and the shaft member, and inspecting a welded portion formed in the welding by a plurality of ultrasonic flaw detection methods with one probe.

A manufacturing method is used for an outer joint member of a constant velocity universal joint. The outer joint member includes a cup section having track grooves formed in an inner periphery of the cup section, which are engageable with torque transmitting elements, and a shaft section formed at a bottom portion of the cup section. The outer joint member is constructed by forming the cup section and the shaft section as separate members, and by welding a cup member forming the cup section and a shaft member forming the shaft section to each other. The manufacturing method at least includes welding the cup member and the shaft member by irradiating a beam to joining end portions of the cup member and the shaft member, and inspecting a welded portion formed in the welding by a plurality of ultrasonic flaw detection methods with one probe.