A system for depositing a material on a workpiece may include a tool unit to support an electrode and having an electrode supporting element and movement structure configured to move the electrode via the supporting element. The system may include electrical circuitry to produce a voltage potential between the electrode and the surface. The electrical circuitry may have a power source to provide power to elements of the circuitry, and a bank of capacitors configured to be selectively charged by the power source and discharged via an electrode engaged by the electrode supporting element to the surface. In embodiments, the power source may comprise a rechargeable battery. In embodiments, the electrical circuitry may include a processor to control discharge of the bank of capacitors via the electrode to the surface when the electrode is engaged by the electrode supporting element.

Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed to generate a tailored grain size in an additive manufacturing environment. Disclosed herein is an apparatus comprising controller circuitry to determine a configuration for manufacture of a part, the part having a first portion and a second portion, an additive manufacturing machine to manufacture the part according to the configuration, and a force application device to apply a force to the part during manufacture, the force specified in the configuration to produce a desired grain size, the desired grain size including a first grain size and a second grain size, wherein the first portion is formed with the first grain size and the second portion is formed with the second grain size.

Molybdenum is alloyed into stainless steel surface by electro-spark deposition technique. Shielding gas is used during electro-spark deposition process to minimize the oxidation of materials. Control of electro-spark voltage, frequency, capacitance, time can determine the alloying depth of Molybdenum. The alloyed surface thickness varies from 5 m to 80 m depending on the electro-spark deposition parameters. The alloyed surface comprises, by weight, 15 to 40% of Molybdenum, 8 to 22% of Cr, 0-15% of other alloy elements and impurities. The molybdenum alloyed stainless steel surface exhibits improvement in micro-hardness, wear resistance, and especially corrosion resistance in sodium chloride solutions. Thus, the present invention would be utilized in marine and handling of brines application, as well as in other applications which better corrosion resistance of stainless steel is desired.

Some embodiments include a reinforced face of a club head. Other embodiments for related reinforced faces of club heads and related methods are also disclosed.

Strip cladding heads and strip cladding systems are disclosed. A disclosed example strip feeder for a strip cladding system includes; a drive roller to advance a cladding strip along a strip feed path through contact plates; a first guide rail having a first slot extending across an entirety of the strip feed path; a first adjustable bearing and a second adjustable bearing located within the first slot, the first adjustable bearing and the second adjustable bearing capable of being secured at positions within the first slot using corresponding first and second strip width adjusters; a second guide rail having a second slot extending across an entirety of the strip feed path and positioned at a different location than the first guide rail along the strip feed path; and a third adjustable bearing and a fourth adjustable bearing located within the second slot, the third adjustable bearing and the fourth adjustable bearing capable of being secured at positions within the second slot using corresponding third and fourth strip width adjusters, the first, second, third, and fourth strip width adjusters to, when secured, define a location and a width of an effective strip feed path.

A system and method to correct for height error during a robotic additive manufacturing process. One or both of an output current, output voltage, output power, output circuit impedance and a wire feed speed are sampled during an additive manufacturing process when creating a current layer. A plurality of instantaneous contact tip-to-work distances (CTWD's) are determined based on at least one or both of the output current, output voltage, output power, output circuit impedance and the wire feed speed. An average CTWD is determined based on the plurality of instantaneous CTWD's. A correction factor is generated, based on at least the average CTWD, which is used to compensate for any error in height of the current layer.

A method of producing a conformal cooling passage in a part producing mold, and a mold provided with such a conformal cooling passage. The conformal cooling passage is produced by creating a number of open channels in a molding surface of a mold of interest, the channels substantially conforming to the contour of the molding surface. A bridging weld formed from a plurality of connected weld beads is generated in each channel so as to span and seal each channel while enclosing an open passage in the bottom thereof. The remainder of each channel above its bridging weld is filled, such as by welding, and the area of each channel is subsequently shaped to conform with the contours of the molding surface surrounding that channel. A sub-surface conformal cooling passage is thus formed in the mold.

An additive manufacturing system includes an electrode head comprising an array of electrodes for depositing material to form a three-dimensional attachment structure connecting first and second prefabricated metallic parts. The array includes a first plurality of electrodes formed from a first metallic material having a first ductility and a first hardness, and a second plurality of electrodes formed from a second metallic material having a second ductility and a second hardness, wherein the first ductility is greater than the second ductility and the second hardness is greater than the first hardness. A power source provides power for heating each electrode. A drive roll system drives each electrode. A controller is connected to the power source to control operations of the additive manufacturing system to form an interior portion of the attachment structure using the first plurality of electrodes, and control the operations of the additive manufacturing system to form an exterior portion of the attachment structure using the second plurality of electrodes, such that ductility of the interior portion of the attachment structure is greater than ductility of the exterior portion of the attachment structure.

An additively manufacturing method includes: measuring a filler metal feed speed at which the filler metal is fed to the welding torch during the formation of the weld bead; acquiring a reference welding speed that is a moving speed of the welding torch corresponding to the measured filler metal feed speed; measuring a height of the formed weld bead; acquiring a welding speed correction value with which the height of the weld bead to be formed is adjusted based on a difference between the measured height of the weld bead and a height of a tip of the filler metal that protrudes from the tip of the welding torch; correcting the reference welding speed with the welding speed correction value and determining a welding speed at which the weld bead is formed; and forming the weld bead at the determined welding speed.

A piercing plug includes a plug main body, and a sprayed coating which is formed on a surface of the plug main body and includes iron and iron oxide. A chemical composition of the sprayed coating includes, in addition to the iron and the iron oxide, by mass %, C: 0.015% to 0.6%, Si: 0.05% to 0.5%, Mn: 0.1% to 1.0%, and Cu: 0 to 0.3%.