A method and casting core for forming a landing for welding a baffle inserted into an airfoil are disclosed, wherein the baffle landing of the blade or vane is formed in investment casting by the casting core rather than by wax, reducing tolerances and variability in the location of the baffle inserted into the cooling cavity of airfoil when the baffle is welded to the baffle landing.

A method and casting core for forming a landing for welding a baffle inserted into an airfoil are disclosed, wherein the baffle landing of the blade or vane is formed in investment casting by the casting core rather than by wax, reducing tolerances and variability in the location of the baffle inserted into the cooling cavity of airfoil when the baffle is welded to the baffle landing.

Methods of making metal objects are provided. These methods generally involve adding a metal powder slurry into a sacrificial mold, such as a mold made by three dimensional printing, and heating the slurry/mold mixture. The heating steps may include curing the slurry to make a green part inside the mold, debinding to burn off the mold and binder to make a brown part, sintering, and hot isostatic pressing. Metal products, such as aircraft engine parts, are also provided.

Methods of making metal objects are provided. These methods generally involve adding a metal powder slurry into a sacrificial mold, such as a mold made by three dimensional printing, and heating the slurry/mold mixture. The heating steps may include curing the slurry to make a green part inside the mold, debinding to burn off the mold and binder to make a brown part, sintering, and hot isostatic pressing. Metal products, such as aircraft engine parts, are also provided.

A disclosed system includes an additive manufacturing printer that performs a layer by layer three-dimensional printing process generating a casting mold based on a three-dimensional numerical specification. The numerical specification is based on a desired casting shape, including internal features such as hollow areas formed by cores, and is further based on a thermo-mechanical model of a casting process. The numerical specification describes variations in material and geometric properties of one or more layers of the casting mold corresponding to variations in the thermal and mechanical properties of the casting processes, as predicted by the thermo-mechanical model. The system may vary the thickness of features of the casting mold, based on predicted cooling rates, to reduce cooling non-uniformities and to provide for controlled, predictable cooling of the casting. The system may further generate trusses and heat sinks in the mold to respectively strengthen and weaken various features of the mold.

A disclosed system includes an additive manufacturing printer that performs a layer by layer three-dimensional printing process generating a casting mold based on a three-dimensional numerical specification. The numerical specification is based on a desired casting shape, including internal features such as hollow areas formed by cores, and is further based on a thermo-mechanical model of a casting process. The numerical specification describes variations in material and geometric properties of one or more layers of the casting mold corresponding to variations in the thermal and mechanical properties of the casting processes, as predicted by the thermo-mechanical model. The system may vary the thickness of features of the casting mold, based on predicted cooling rates, to reduce cooling non-uniformities and to provide for controlled, predictable cooling of the casting. The system may further generate trusses and heat sinks in the mold to respectively strengthen and weaken various features of the mold.

A method of forming a casting mold pattern that includes a core comprises mounting the core in a fixture such that the core is free of flexing imposed by the fixture. Material is removed from and/or added to a first and/or second mounting surface of the core. The core is then positioned in a die, and wax is conducted into the die to form the pattern. The amount of material removed from the first and/or second mounting surface is such that the core will be within a predetermined range of acceptable positions when the core is in the die with the first mounting surface engaging a first core locating surface of the die end with the second mounting surface engaging a second core locating surface of the die. The range of acceptable positions is determined relative to an ideal position of an ideal core.

A method of forming a casting mold pattern that includes a core comprises mounting the core in a fixture such that the core is free of flexing imposed by the fixture. Material is removed from and/or added to a first and/or second mounting surface of the core. The core is then positioned in a die, and wax is conducted into the die to form the pattern. The amount of material removed from the first and/or second mounting surface is such that the core will be within a predetermined range of acceptable positions when the core is in the die with the first mounting surface engaging a first core locating surface of the die end with the second mounting surface engaging a second core locating surface of the die. The range of acceptable positions is determined relative to an ideal position of an ideal core.

Methods of manufacturing a golf club head comprising one or more stiffening members proximate the face, and particularly solid rods or a plate with one or more cutouts, is disclosed herein. One method comprises the steps of preparing a wax mold of a golf club head including a plate stiffening member with excess material, casting the golf club head, and machining away the excess material. Another method comprises the steps of casting a golf club body, providing a plate stiffening member, providing a face component such as a face cup, tack welding the plate stiffening member and the face component to the golf club body, and welding these parts together.

Methods of manufacturing a golf club head comprising one or more stiffening members proximate the face, and particularly solid rods or a plate with one or more cutouts, is disclosed herein. One method comprises the steps of preparing a wax mold of a golf club head including a plate stiffening member with excess material, casting the golf club head, and machining away the excess material. Another method comprises the steps of casting a golf club body, providing a plate stiffening member, providing a face component such as a face cup, tack welding the plate stiffening member and the face component to the golf club body, and welding these parts together.