In various embodiments, wire composed at least partially of arc-melted refractory metal material is utilized to fabricate three-dimensional parts by additive manufacturing.

A method of additive manufacture is disclosed. The method may include creating, by a 3D printer contained within an enclosure, a part having a weight greater than or equal to 2,000 kilograms. A gas management system may maintain gaseous oxygen within the enclosure atmospheric level. In some embodiments, a wheeled vehicle may transport the part from inside the enclosure, through an airlock, as the airlock operates to buffer between a gaseous environment within the enclosure and a gaseous environment outside the enclosure, and to a location exterior to both the enclosure and the airlock.

Alloy compositions for 3D metal printing procedures which provide metallic parts with high hardness, tensile strengths, yield strengths, and elongation. The alloys include Fe, Cr and Mo and at least three or more elements selected from C, Ni, Cu, Nb, Si and N. As built parts indicate a tensile strength of at least 1000 MPa, yield strength of at least 640 MPa, elongation of at least 3.0% and hardness (HV) of at least 375.

This disclosure describes various methods and apparatus for characterizing an additive manufacturing process. A method for characterizing the additive manufacturing process can include generating scans of an energy source across a build plane; measuring an amount of energy radiated from the build plane during each of the scans using an optical sensing system that monitors two discrete wavelengths associated with a blackbody radiation curve of the layer of powder; determining temperature variations for an area of the build plane traversed by the scans based upon a ratio of sensor readings taken at the two discrete wavelengths; determining that the temperature variations are outside a threshold range of values; and thereafter, adjusting subsequent scans of the energy source across or proximate the area of the build plane.

An airfoil member having a root end, a tip end, a leading edge, and a trailing edge, the airfoil member including an upper skin; a lower skin; and a support network having a plurality of interconnected support members in a lattice arrangement and/or a reticulated arrangement, the support network being configured to provide tailored characteristics of the airfoil member. Also provided are methods and systems for repairing an airfoil member.

A method and an apparatus for collecting powder samples in real-time in powder bed fusion additive manufacturing may involves an ingester system for in-process collection and characterizations of powder samples. The collection may be performed periodically and uses the results of characterizations for adjustments in the powder bed fusion process. The ingester system of the present disclosure is capable of packaging powder samples collected in real-time into storage containers serving a multitude purposes of audit, process adjustments or actions.

The present invention relates to a methods, computer program products, program elements, and apparatuses for forming a three-dimensional article through successively depositing individual layers of powder material that are fused together so as to form the article. The method comprising the steps of providing at least one electron beam source emitting an electron beam for at least one of heating or fusing the powder material, where the electron beam source comprises a cathode and an anode, and varying an accelerator voltage between the cathode and the anode between at least a first and second predetermined value during the forming of the three-dimensional article.

A system and method of electric arc welding that includes a welding apparatus having an electric arc welder torch with sensors to determine the absolute position of the torch tip and the relative position of the torch tip to the weld joint during automatic welding. Combining absolute and relative positional data can be used to adjust the path of the robot during automated or robotic welding in response to variations in the weld joint.

A fluidic agitator includes a seamless insert body having an outer enclosure wall defining an enclosed cavity and a plurality of inner channel walls arranged to define an inlet chamber, a vortex chamber, and a feedback chamber within the enclosed cavity. The inlet chamber, the vortex chamber, and the feedback chamber create a hydraulic pulse in a fluid stream received in the enclosed cavity.

Methods for processing a powdered material using electron beam equipment for the additive manufacture of components, which methods solve the problem of electrostatic powder entrainment and significantly reduce the process times. This effect is achieved by acceleration voltages of 90 kV or greater in the pre-heating step and/or in the melting step.