METHOD FOR THE ADDITIVE MANUFACTURE OF A TURBOMACHINE COMPONENT

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a component, in particular a turbomachine component, in the form of a plurality of superposed layers of a material includes a step of supplying the material into a feed nozzle and a step of projecting energy towards the feed nozzle to cause the material passing through the latter to melt. The method further includes a step of cooling the feed nozzle with a cooling element during the step of projecting energy.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a component in the form of a plurality of superposed layers of a material on a manufacturing support, the method comprising the steps of: supplying the material into a feed nozzle; projecting energy towards the material to cause the material to melt on the manufacturing support; and cooling the feed nozzle by means of a cooling element during the energy projection step, wherein the cooling element is projected over the entire height of the feed nozzle.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the material is in the form of wire.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the material is metallic.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cooling element is projected at a pressure of between 1 and 3 bar.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cooling element has a temperature in the range of 20° C.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cooling element is a neutral gas flow such as nitrogen or argon.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the energy projection step is performed with a laser beam.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the projection of the cooling element is continuous.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises wire laser metal deposition (LMD) additive manufacturing.

10. (canceled)

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of depositing the material on the manufacturing support, the step of cooling the feed nozzle being carried out during the projection and deposition step.

12. An installation for carrying out a method for manufacturing a component in the form of a plurality of superposed layers of a material on a manufacturing support, the installation comprising a feed nozzle for the material for manufacturing the component and an element projecting configured to project energy towards the material to melt the material on the manufacturing support, wherein at least one spray nozzle is configured to project a cooling element onto the feed nozzle and in that the installation comprises several spray nozzles.

13. The installation according to claim 12, wherein the spray nozzle is arranged at a distance of between 3 and 10 cm from the feed nozzle.

14. (canceled)

15. The installation according to claim 12, wherein the spray nozzles are arranged one above the other in a direction parallel to the height of the feed nozzle.

16. The installation according to claim 12, wherein the spray nozzle or all the spray nozzles and the feed nozzle are fixed relative to each other.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

[0026] The invention will be better understood, and other purposes, details, characteristics and advantages thereof will become clearer upon reading the following detailed explanatory description of embodiments of the invention given as purely illustrative and non-limiting examples, with reference to the following attached figures:

[0027] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an embodiment of an installation for additive manufacturing of a component, in particular for a turbomachine, with a processing head comprising a nozzle for feeding a material to be melted and an energy projection element according to the invention;

[0028] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of another embodiment of an installation for additive manufacturing of a turbomachine component, with a processing head which comprises a nozzle for feeding a material to be melted and which is independent of an energy projection element according to the invention;

[0029] FIG. 3 is a schematic detail view of a material feed nozzle of an additive manufacturing installation according to the invention; and

[0030] FIG. 4 is a schematic and perspective view of a processing head of an additive manufacturing installation according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] FIG. 1 shows a partial and schematic representation of an installation 1 for additive manufacturing of components, in particular for turbomachine. Of course, the invention is not limited to the turbomachine components.

[0032] The installation 1 shown here is a laser metal deposition installation (LMD), in particular an LMD-wire installation, in which a laser beam and a quantity of molten material are simultaneously projected onto a manufacturing support. Each quantity of wire is melted and fused together to form layer by layer the component to be manufactured. This installation and the associated method allow to manufacture complex components in three dimensions. Of course, the filler material intended to allow the manufacturing of the component can be in powder form, i.e. an “LMD-powder” type installation.

[0033] The installation 1 in the present example comprises an additive manufacturing device 2 and an enclosure 3 in which this device 2 is installed. The latter comprises a processing head 4 comprising material feed elements 5 on a manufacturing support 6 which is also arranged in the enclosure 3. The component will be built layer by layer on the manufacturing support 6. The manufacturing support 6 in the present example is stationary and has a working surface 6a defined in a plane that is perpendicular to the plane in FIG. 1. Alternatively, the manufacturing support 6 is movable in a vertical translation. In this case, the manufacturing support 6 is mounted on a movable bottom (not shown) of the enclosure 3.

[0034] The material is supplied here in the form of a wire. The feed elements 5 comprise a reel (not shown) from which the wire is taken and on which the wire is wound. Alternatively, the feed elements 5 comprise a feed tank where the wound wire is stored and arranged in the processing head 4. In the present example, the material feed elements 5 comprise a feed conduit 5a which is arranged in the processing head 4 and which passes through the latter along a radial axis Z (which is in the plane of FIG. 1 and which is perpendicular to the plane of the working surface 6a containing transverse Y and longitudinal X axes). The feed conduit 5a is connected to the tank.

[0035] The processing head 4 comprises a nozzle 8 for feeding the material which is directed towards the manufacturing support 6, in particular the working surface 6a.

[0036] As can be seen in FIG. 1, the feed nozzle 8 extends the processing head 4 along the radial axis Z (here vertical). The processing head 4 is brought to move relative to the manufacturing support 6 along at least the three axes (radial Z, longitudinal X and transverse Y) which are perpendicular to each other.

[0037] With reference to FIG. 3, the feed nozzle 8 comprises a first channel 8a passing through it on both sides along the radial axis, and in particular which opens at a first radial end into the feed conduit 5a (or the tank) and at a second radial end into an outlet orifice 9. This feed nozzle 8 allows to maintain the wire 10 passing through it before it melts.

[0038] The wire 10 can have a diameter of about 1 mm depending on the configuration of the processing head and the first channel 8a has a diameter of about 1, 10 (±0.05 mm).

[0039] The installation 1 comprises an energy projection element 11 that allows the material to be melted so that it is deposited on the manufacturing support 6 in the form of a bead of molten or melted material 12 as shown in FIG. 1. The energy projection element 11 is connected to a power source that is controlled by an electronic control system 13 of the installation. The energy projection element is directed towards the material leaving the feed nozzle 8 so as to melt the material before it is deposited on the manufacturing support 6.

[0040] In the example shown in FIG. 1, the energy projection element 11 is arranged in the processing head 4, the processing head 4 comprises one or more conduits 16 (shown schematically) that open into an orifice defined in an external surface of the processing head 4. The external surface is directed towards the working surface 6a of the manufacturing support 6. The axis of a portion of one conduit 16 or each conduit 16 is transverse to the axis of the first channel 8a and is oriented toward the feed nozzle 8 that extends the processing head 4. The axis of the first channel 8a is coaxial with the processing head 4.

[0041] In the present example, the energy projection element 11 comprises a laser beam 14. The axis of the laser beam is coaxial or substantially coaxial (at an angle of more or less than 10 degrees with respect to the radial axis) and oriented towards the working surface 6a of the manufacturing support 6 as seen in FIG. 1.

[0042] In FIG. 2, which illustrates a further embodiment of the installation 1, the material feed elements 5 are separate from the processing head 4 and are arranged at a distance from it. The energy projection element 11 is installed in the processing head 4. The projection axis of the energy projection element 11 is transverse to the output axis of the wire in the feed nozzle 8. Advantageously, but not restrictively, the feed nozzle 8 moves together with the processing head 4 and along the longitudinal, transverse and radial axes.

[0043] Of course, various techniques using another type of energy to melt the material that will be deposited on the manufacturing support 5 are possible (electric arc or plasma).

[0044] With reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, the installation 1 comprises a spray nozzle 15 of a cooling element for the feed nozzle 8 of the material so that the latter does not heat up as a result of the high temperatures of the energy required for melting the material.

[0045] The spray nozzle 15 is directed towards the feed nozzle 8 of the material and at a distance from it. In the example shown in FIG. 4, several spray nozzles are directed toward the feed nozzle. The nozzles 15 are superimposed in a direction parallel to the axis of the feed nozzle (here the radial axis) so as to achieve an efficient and uniform cooling of the feed nozzle 8 over its entire height or length. The number of nozzles is between 1 and 5. Advantageously, the number of nozzles depends on the height of the feed nozzle.

[0046] In order to effectively cool the feed nozzle 8, the cooling element is projected at a pressure of between 1 and 3 bar. This pressure is sufficient to cool the nozzle but does not cause any disturbance to the fusion bath.

[0047] Advantageously, but not restrictively, the spray nozzle 15 of the cooling element is arranged at a distance d of between 3 and 10 cm from the feed nozzle 8. The nozzle 15 moves simultaneously with the feed nozzle 8 to ensure a continuous cooling of the feed nozzle 8.

[0048] In an advantageous, but not limiting, characteristic, the spray nozzle 15 is mounted on a support of the material feed elements 5 so that their movements are simultaneous. In other words, the spray nozzle or the spray nozzles 15 and the feed nozzle 8 are fixed with respect to each other.

[0049] The cooling element comprises an inert gas such as Argon or Nitrogen, which allows to prevent the oxidation of the component being manufactured. Indeed, the spray nozzle 15 is also installed in the enclosure (which is closed here) and being at a distance from the processing head 4, the gas that cools the feed nozzle fills the enclosure creating a protective atmosphere. The temperature of the gas is approximately that of the ambient air, i.e. about 20° C. and therefore relatively cooler than the temperature of the fusion bath (at 2000° C.) in the feed nozzle.

[0050] We will now describe the method for manufacturing the turbomachine component, using the installation 1 described above. The method comprises a step of supplying the material into the feed nozzle 8. In this supply step, the material is fed into the nozzle 8 in the form of wire, in this case metallic, as we have seen previously.

[0051] The method comprises a step of projecting energy toward the material so as to cause the melting of said material leaving the feed nozzle. The material that has melted is then deposited as a bead of material along a first direction on the manufacturing support.

[0052] Several beads of material are deposited next to each other in a second direction (transverse axis Y) on the manufacturing support 6 and then layer after layer in a third direction, here parallel to the vertical axis.

[0053] The method comprises a step of cooling the feed nozzle 8 during the energy projection step. The inert gas used during this step is sprayed onto the feed nozzle and simultaneously with the energy projection step so that the feed nozzle does not heat up and the material bead is of good quality. Advantageously, the cooling element is projected over the entire height of the feed nozzle. Advantageously, the projection of the cooling element is continuous. By continuous, it is understood that the projection of the cooling element is performed during at least the entire energy projection step without interruption of the projection of the cooling element. However, the projection pressure may vary, for example.

[0054] Advantageously, the cooling step is carried out during the projection and deposition step of the material.