Housing for flow-conducting components

Abstract

A method for forming a housing for a flow-conducting component includes forming at least two functional regions of the housing having different material properties using at least one of radiation-induced melting and solidification of a build material and a process gas jet. Each functional region of the housing may be generated from a different construction material, and at least one functional layer may be formed with a reduced weight structure such as a honeycomb structure.

Claims

1. A method of producing a housing for a flow-conducting component having at least two functional regions in an integrative manufacturing unit, comprising the steps of: forming at least one functional region of the at least two functional regions in grid or honeycomb structure from a first build material; applying a layer of a second build material to the at least one other functional region of the at least two functional regions; and selectively applying energy in the form of radiation, heat and pressure to the at least two functional regions, wherein the selectively-applied energy is controlled to generate at least one predetermined property in the at least one functional region of the at least two functional regions which is different from at least one predetermined property in the at least one other functional region of the at least two functional regions, wherein the at least two functional regions are formed layer by layer by a same robot arm during a single generative manufacturing process.

2. The method of producing a housing for a flow-conducting component having at least two functional regions as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of: applying the build material using a process gas jet to generate at least one functional region of the at least two function regions having a predetermined layer thickness.

3. The method of producing a housing for a flow-conducting component having at least two functional regions as claimed in claim 1, wherein each functional region of the at least two functional regions is generated from a different build material.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 a section diagram of a centrifugal pump arrangement in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

(2) FIG. 2 a section diagram of a valve in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

(3) FIG. 3 a schematic diagram of the functional regions with different build material in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(4) FIG. 1 shows a section diagram through a centrifugal pump with a housing 1 for flow-conducting components. The housing 1 consists of three housing parts 2, 3 and 4. The spiral housing 2 has a suction port and a pressure port and surrounds the pump impeller. The bearing carrier caps 3 and 4 serve to accommodate the bearings and to seal the fluid space.

(5) The impeller is designed as a radial impeller and is driven by a shaft. The shaft is set in rotation by a motor which is not shown in this diagram. The shaft is supported by means of bearings.

(6) FIG. 2 shows a section diagram of a housing 5 for flow-conducting components in the example execution of a valve. The valve has a housing 6 with a valve lid 7. Disposed within the housing 6 is a barrier body that can be moved in vertical direction via a spindle by means of a drive.

(7) FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the functional regions 8, 9 and 10 of a housing for flow-conducting components.

(8) In the variant of the invention shown, the functional region 8 having contact with the flowing medium is preferably formed by a cold gas spraying tool of the additive manufacturing method. For this purpose, the coating material is applied in powder form with very high speed to the functional region 9 having load-bearing properties. For this purpose, a process gas that has been heated to a few hundred degrees, for example nitrogen or helium, is accelerated to supersonic speed by expansion in a Laval nozzle and then the powder particles are injected into the gas jet. The particles injected are accelerated here to such a high speed that they form a dense and firmly adhering layer when they hit parts of the housing.

(9) The functional region 9 having load-bearing properties is created, by way of example, with a melt layer tool of the additive manufacturing method, wherein fusible polymer is used to apply a pattern of dots to an area. By melting and extruding by means of a nozzle and subsequent curing by cooling at the desired position, a load-bearing structure is created, especially in the form of a grid. By creating the functional region 9 in a cavity-forming manner with a particularly load-bearing structure, the functional region 9 has enormous strength with simultaneously very low weight.

(10) The functional region 10 having sealing properties is produced from a pulverulent build material by successive melting and solidification of layers by means of radiation. The metallic powder, especially low-alloyed and/or high-alloyed steel powder particles and/or cobalt-containing powder particles with additions such as chromium, molybdenum or nickel, for example, is applied to a plate in a thin layer. The pulverulent material is locally completely remelted at the respectively desired sites by means of radiation and forms a solid material layer after solidification.

(11) The layers of functional regions 8, 9 and 10 that are made of different build material are formed collectively in an additive method, and the layers are created directly. This generates cohesive formation and/or form-fitting combination of the functional regions 8, 9 and 10 of the housing for flow-conducting component.

(12) The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.