Method of providing an abrasive means and of additively manufacturing a component

Abstract

A method of providing an abrasive structure for additive manufacturing includes determining of a design of a portion of a powdery base material and selectively solidifying the portion in a bed of the base material according to the determined design such that an abrasive structure is generated, wherein the abrasive structure is still movable in the bed of the base material. Further, an additively manufactured component has an internal surface with a surface roughness of less than 100 μm, preferably less than 60 μm.

Claims

1. A method of additively manufacturing a component comprising: additively assembling a structure for the component out of the bed such that the structure is provided with an internal surface and the base material covers at least a part of the internal surface, providing the abrasive structure comprising determining of a design of a portion of a powdery base material and selectively solidifying the portion in a bed of the base material according to the determined design such that an abrasive structure is generated, wherein the abrasive structure is movable in the bed of the base material, and actuating the abrasive structure such that the internal surface is mechanically processed by the abrasive structure.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selective solidification is carried out in that a scanning speed of a solidification unit, or a laser unit of an according additive manufacturing system, is adjusted according to the determined design of the abrasive structure.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the design of the portion is determined such that a plurality of clusters are formed for the abrasive structure within the bed of the base material.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a partly assembled structure or a component is assembled such that, an internal surface defines a cavity in which the abrasive structure is retained.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the abrasive structure is an abrasive blasting means and wherein a fluid or pressure blast is guided through an opening from an outside of the cavity such that the internal surface is mechanically processed by the abrasive structure.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein after additive assembly, the cavity is sealed.

7. The method according to claim 4, further comprising, after actuation of the abrasive structure, opening of the cavity such that the base material and/or the abrasive structure at least partly is removeable from the cavity.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein the component is completed, and one or more cluster(s) remain in the cavity, allowing for damping dynamic loads during an operation of the component.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the abrasive structure is a vibratory abrasive means.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining of the design is carried out by a computer algorithm such that the internal surface is effectively mechanically processed.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the internal surface: includes a surface roughness of less than 100 μm.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the internal surface has a surface roughness of less than 60 μm.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further features, expediencies and advantageous refinements become apparent from the following description of the exemplary embodiment in connection with the Figures.

(2) FIGS. 1 to 4 indicate different method steps of a method of providing an abrasive structure, e.g. for the machining of internal surfaces of additively manufactured components. Said method may be part of a novel additive manufacturing method.

(3) FIG. 1 indicates a schematic sectional view of a setup of an assembled structure.

(4) FIG. 2 indicates a schematic sectional view of an additively assembled component.

(5) FIG. 3 indicates a schematic sectional view of the setup of FIG. 2, wherein an internal surface of the structure is being processed according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(6) FIG. 4 indicates a schematic sectional view of the component wherein the internal surface is being processed according to another embodiment of the present invention.

(7) FIG. 5 indicates a schematic sectional view of the component, wherein an abrasive structure is being removed from a cavity of the component.

(8) FIG. 6 indicates a schematic sectional view of an readily assembled component, wherein the abrasive structure remains in the cavity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

(9) Like elements, elements of the same kind and identically acting elements may be provided with the same reference numerals in the Figures.

(10) FIG. 1 indicates a partly assembled structure 9 for a component 10. The structure 9 as well as the component 10 are advantageously manufactured by powder-bed based techniques. The structure 9 has advantageously been assembled out of the powder bed of base material 1 (see below).

(11) An additive manufacturing method, as described herein advantageously relates to a selective laser melting or electron beam melting, wherein a powdery or granular base material 1 is (cf. numeral 1 below) is solidified layer-wise, e.g. by a laser or electron beam (not explicitly indicated in the Figures) in order to assemble the structure 9 for the component 10.

(12) The component 10 is advantageously a component for an application in flow path hardware of turbo machines, such as gas turbine. The component 10 is advantageously manufactured from superalloys, such as nickel or cobalt-based superalloys for gas turbines. A powdery and/or granular base material 1 for the structure 9 may then be selected accordingly.

(13) The structure 9 may constitute the component. Alternatively, the structure 9 may denote only a part of the whole or readily manufactured or assembled component 10. The structure 9 and the component 10 may be referenced synonymously.

(14) In FIG. 1, a cavity 3 or space is shown defined by the additively assembled structure 9. The cavity 3 is at least partly filled with the base material 1, advantageously of powdery and/or granular structure. The structure 9 has advantageously been assembled out of the same base material, wherein the base material remaining in the cavity 3 may be an excess base material, advantageously remaining from the manufacture or assembly of the structure 9.

(15) It is particularly shown in FIG. 1, that the structure 9 is assembled on a substrate 8, such as a base platform for the additive manufacture.

(16) The structure 9 particularly constitutes a part of the component 10 which is to be manufactured. The structure 9 particularly comprises a base section adhered to the substrate 8 and two vertical wall sections (not explicitly indicated), wherein the structure is—or has been manufactured layer-wise in a plurality of different solidification steps.

(17) The base section may be a root section of the turbine blade.

(18) For solidification, a solidification unit 20 is shown which may comprise a laser or electron beam (cf. above). The structure is assembled such that the wall sections of the structure 9 defines or retains a powdery base material 1.

(19) Further, it is shown in FIG. 1 that an abrasive means is provided inside of the structure 9, e.g. for mechanically processing or (abrasively) machining of an internal surface 4 of the structure 9. The abrasive means is advantageously an abrasive structure 2 comprising a plurality of clusters 7.

(20) The clusters 7 are advantageously manufactured or assembled in that the powder bed of base material 1 is locally and/or partly solidified in an inside of the structure 9 (see below) and without being adhered to the structure 9 and/or the substrate 8.

(21) The internal surface 4 is or comprises a certain (inherent) roughness as indicated by “zigg-zagged” or uneven morphology. Said morphology may be un-desired and inherently present to the respective additive manufacturing technique. Particularly the selective laser melting technique, though allowing for a plurality of advantages, usually only reveals a poor surface quality, which may at least be insufficient for internal cooling channels e.g. cooling channels for an application for turbine components, which can usually not be post-processed.

(22) Prior to the actual forming or solidification of the clusters 7, the size and shape (distribution) of the clusters 7 have to be determined or tailored for the intended purpose. Particularly, a designing or determining is carried out by a computer algorithm and/or a computer aided algorithm such that the internal surface can advantageously effectively processed. Further, the mentioned determining and/or designing may be carried out with the aid of computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) and/or computer aided design (CAD) means. Moreover, simulation means may be conducted for the mentioned method steps. The mentioned choice of size, volume or shape of the clusters 7 can particularly be chosen or calculated by a software-based method or software program, wherein, e.g. a threshold or maximum size of the clusters may be defined, e.g. via a preselected cluster volume.

(23) The method further comprises selectively, such as additively, solidifying the portion in a bed of the base material according to the determined design or shape such that an abrasive structure is generated, e.g. as an auxiliary means, wherein, however, the abrasive structure is still movable or remains movable in the bed of base material. In other words, the abrasive structure may be retained in the bed formed by the powdery base material.

(24) Said clusters 7 are advantageously formed or formable in the powder bed, during the additive assembly of the component, wherein e.g. certain portions of the (powdery) base material are locally scanned over, e.g. with a conventional solidifying laser beam, wherein the manufacturing conditions are chosen such that no sintering or adhesion of the clusters occurs. For instance, the scanning speed may be lowered e.g. as compared to a conventional additive manufacturing of solidifying operations, such that a particularly deep melt pool results which allows for powder particles to conglomerate or solidify to the clusters 7.

(25) Moreover, further parameters may be chosen and/or adjusted corresponding to the desired cluster geometry. Said parameter may be a beam profile of laser or electron beam, powder deposition rate, size and/or shape of exposed portion exposure or scanning speed, parameters of beam focusing, solidifying power (laser power) flow rate of inertial gas, layer thickness, melt pool thickness, parameters of scanning trajectory.

(26) The clusters are, advantageously, freely movable in the bed or cavity. The size and/or shape of the clusters 7 may be chosen such that the internal surface 4 may be mechanically and/or abrasively processed or machined in order to refine the internal surface, when the base material 1 and/or the abrasive structure 2 are actuated (cf. FIGS. 3 and 4).

(27) Actually, FIG. 1 shows exemplarily six clusters 7 which may be formed during the additive manufacturing process before the actual component is readily built up. Thus, said clusters 7 may be formed before, e.g. a cavity of the component 10 is completed.

(28) FIG. 2 shows the status of the manufacture, wherein advantageously the component 10 is completed and the component 10 comprises a cavity 3. By means of an opening 5, the cavity 3 may advantageously communicate with an outside of the component 10.

(29) Accordingly, the component 10 is advantageously an at least partly hollow component of a gas turbine, such as a turbine airfoil, vane or blade, which is advantageously to be additively manufactured with the cavity 3, such as cooling channels for an efficient cooling of the component during an operation of the turbine.

(30) The component 10 may be manufactured with a further opening 5, which may be revealed or opened after the substrate has e.g. been removed for the completion of the manufacture.

(31) In FIG. 3 it is shown that, according to the present invention, the mentioned abrasive structure 2, advantageously constituted by the clusters 7 and possibly further powdery base material 1 is or has been used for the mechanical processing, such as abrasively machining of the internal surface 4.

(32) The powdery base material 1 may also be used for the mentioned surface refinement, wherein this refinement may be less effective than the one performed by the clusters 7.

(33) Preferably, the machining is performed predominantly by abrasion caused by the clusters 7. Thus, excess powdery base material may possibly be removed, such as sucked out, from the cavity prior to and according actuation of the clusters 7.

(34) The mentioned actuation of the clusters 7 may be performed by a blasting abrasion and/or a vibratory abrasion, e.g. by means of shaking the substrate at e.g. with an actuated or vibrated substrate (cf. dashed contour lines and arrow A in FIG. 3), such as shaking table.

(35) The mentioned actuation may be performed to achieve a material ablation for improving the roughness of the internal surface 4. However, said abrasion may also effect a polish, such that the surface is refined only with little abrasion effects.

(36) For an expedient actuation, the mentioned opening 5 may has been closed or sealed by a closure 6. The closure 6 may be a seal, such as a glue or a porous material by means of which the cavity 3 is advantageously made powder-tight and/or closed such that base material 1 cannot escape from the cavity, even though the setup is flipped or an orientation thereof is varied. This may be performed by any means known to a skilled person. Preferably, the sealing is performed such that the closure 6 can easily be released afterwards, e.g. after the actuation of the abrasive structure.

(37) FIG. 3 further indicates, as compared e.g. to FIGS. 1 and 2, that the “rough” internal surface has been mechanically processed and refined, such as abrasively grinded or polished, wherein the roughness or surface quality has been improved. Consequently, a particularly refined, even and/or improved internal surface 4′ has been generated and/or provided which allows for an improved performance of the component in its intended operation, such as an improved cooling efficiency due to smoothened internal surface geometry.

(38) The internal surface 4′ of the readily manufactured component may—though not being indicated in the Figures—comprises surface features with a feature size of e.g. down to 100 μm or less, such as 80 μm or even less. The mentioned features advantageously denote features of an intended and accordingly designed geometry, wherein said features may advantageously already be present in an according CAD and/or see a model for the component. Said features may pertain to twirlers or tabulators, for example, wherein the tabulators may effect tabulation and thus an improvement of cooling efficiency in the readily manufactured turbine component.

(39) In FIG. 4 it is shown that the substrate 8 has been removed, e.g. by conventional means. Further, arrows B are shown, indicating that air or pressure blasts may be guided or introduced through the opening 5 into the cavity 3 such that the powder particles of the base material 2 as well as advantageously the clusters 7 of conglomerated powder are swirled around and thus facilitate the machining or abrasive processing of the internal surface 4 in an expedient way. Particularly, the blasts are guided into the cavity from two opposing sides of the structure 9, i.e. from the upper side and the lower side or from two opposing lateral sides.

(40) According to the present invention, the method may comprise applying ultrasound to the structure and/or the base material, e.g. abrasive clustered structure, for the actuation.

(41) In case that the described opening 5 of the cavity is not already facing upwards, such that the base material is trapped inside, the method may comprise changing the orientation of the setup such that the opening is directed upwards. In this case, the process step of sealing the opening 5 may be dispensed. Apart from the indication in the Figures, the structure 9 may be assembled such that, it comprises more than one opening, such as two or more openings, e.g. at opposing sides of the structure or at the top side thereof.

(42) Therefore, the opening may be either widened or at least partly closed afterwards and/or the clusters may be smashed into smaller parts, for example.

(43) It is shown in FIG. 5 that the component 10 is completed built-up and/or manufactured, wherein the clusters 7 have been removed from the cavity, e.g. via an extension of the lower opening.

(44) Although not indicated in the Figures, the described additive manufacturing method may describe further buildup or assembly steps after the base material—irrespective of the powdery, granular or clustered shape—has been used for the refinement of the internal surface 4, 4′ and/or the base material 2 has been removed from the cavity 3.

(45) Apart from the indication in FIG. 5, the mentioned clusters 7 may remain in the cavity, e.g. for damping dynamic loads during an operation of the component 10, as shown in FIG. 6. In FIG. 6 it is further shown that the component has been readily manufactured, wherein, afterwards, the base material 1 may be removed and the abrasive structure 2 actuated, as described.

(46) Alternatively, —along with the powdery base material 2—the clusters 7 may be removed, e.g. through the opening 5.

(47) The revealed processed internal surface 4′ is advantageously refined, improved or processed such that it provides a surface roughness or mean roughness index of less than 100 μm, advantageously less than 60 μm or even less. The component 10 and/or the structure 9 may—when treated by the presented refinement and/or manufacturing method, reveal a surface roughness or roughness depth of only 15 μm. This may particularly denote a surface quality which cannot be achieved by conventional additive manufacturing processes.

(48) Moreover, the presented method allows for creating internal surfaces or cavities for the component 10 with surface features of an improved (structural) resolution or acuteness (cf. above).

(49) Preferably, an additive manufacturing device (not explicitly indicated) is provided according to the present invention, wherein said device may comprise the apparatus 100. Said device may be a device for selective laser melting.

(50) The scope of protection of the invention is not limited to the examples given hereinabove. The invention is embodied in each novel characteristic and each combination of characteristics, which particularly includes every combination of any features which are stated in the claims, even if this feature or this combination of features is not explicitly stated in the claims or in the examples.