METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MANUFACTURING AT LEAST A PORTION OF A COMPONENT

Abstract

A method for manufacturing at least a metallic portion of a component: a) depositing metallic material layer by layer onto at least one building platform; b) locally fusing and/or sintering the material layer by layer by supplying energy by at least one high-energy beam in the region of a buildup and joining zone to form at least a portion of at least one component layer of the component portion and/or of the component; c) lowering the building platform layer by layer by a predefined layer thickness; and d) repeating the steps a) through c) until completion of the component portion and/or of the component. Before, during and/or after process step b), at least one further portion of the component layer is formed by locally fusing and/or sintering the material by inductive heating at a temperature or in a temperature range above the solidus temperature of the metallic material used. A system for manufacturing at least a portion of a component is also provided.

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15: A method for manufacturing at least a portion of a component, the method comprising at least the following steps: a) depositing at least one metallic material layer by layer onto at least one building platform; b) locally fusing or sintering the material layer by layer by supplying energy by at least one high-energy beam in a region of a buildup and joining zone to form at least a portion of at least one component layer of the component portion or of the component; c) lowering the building platform layer by layer by a predefined layer thickness; and d) repeating the steps a) through c) until completion of the component portion or of the component, wherein before, during or after local layer-by-layer fusion or sintering according to process step b), at least one further portion of the component layer is formed by locally fusing or sintering the material by inductive heating at a temperature or in a temperature range above the solidus temperature of the metallic material used.

16: The method as recited in claim 15 wherein the inductive heating is used to fuse or sinter a contour region of the component portion or of the component at least within the at least one material layer.

17: The method as recited in claim 15 wherein during the additive manufacture of the at least one component layer of the component portion or of the component according to process step b), the material, prior to being locally fused or sintered layer by layer by the at least one high-energy beam, is at least partially heated by inductively heating the material to a temperature below the solidus temperature of the material.

18: The method as recited in claim 15 wherein the additive manufacturing method is a selective laser melting or sintering process or an electron beam melting or sintering process or a combination of these processes.

19: The method as recited in claim 15 wherein the formation of the further portion of the component layer by locally fusing or sintering the material by inductive heating occurs in all material layers.

20: The method as recited in claim 15 wherein the formation of the further portion of the component layer by locally fusing or sintering the material by inductive heating does not occur in all material layers.

21: The method as recited in claim 15 wherein the component is a turbomachine component.

22: A device for additive manufacturing of at least a portion of a component, the device comprising: a powder feeder for depositing at least one powder layer of a metallic material onto a buildup and joining zone of a building platform; at least one radiation source for generating at least one high-energy beam, the at least one powder layer locally fusable or sinterable in the region of the buildup and joining zone by the high energy beam to form at least a portion of a component layer; and at least one induction device adapted to form a further portion of the component layer by locally fusing or sintering the material of the powder layer by inductive heating at a temperature or in a temperature range above the solidus temperature of the metallic material used.

23: The device as recited in claim 22 wherein the induction device has at least one induction coil.

24: The device as recited in claim 23 wherein the at least one induction coil includes two induction coils forming an intersection region.

25: The device as recited in claim 23 wherein the at least one induction device includes at least one further induction coil designed to cause a contour region of the component portion or of the component within the powder layer to be fused or sintered by inductive heating.

26: The device as recited in claim 22 wherein the induction device is controllable such that different temperatures or temperature ranges achievable by inductive heating can be set and controlled before, during or after the additive manufacture of the component portion or of the component.

27: The device as recited in claim 26 wherein at least one temperature or a temperature range is below the solidus temperature of the material during the additive manufacture of the component portion or of the component.

28: The device as recited in claim 22 wherein the further portion of the at least one component layer, the further portion being produced by inductive heating, is a contour region of the component portion or of the component.

29: The device as recited in claim 22 wherein the device includes at least one selective laser melting apparatus or at least one electron beam melting apparatus.

30: The device as recited in claim 22 wherein the device is a turbomachine component manufacturing device.

31: A component for a turbomachine obtained by the method as recited in claim 15.

32: A component for an aircraft engine turbomachine obtained by the method as recited in claim 15.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Further features will become apparent from the claims and the exemplary embodiment. The features and feature combinations mentioned above in the description as well as the features and feature combinations mentioned below in the exemplary embodiment and/or shown in isolation are usable not only in the respectively specified combination, but also in other combinations or alone, without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, embodiments of the invention that are not shown and explained explicitly in the exemplary embodiment, but proceed from and can be created by separate combinations of features from the stated embodiments, are also considered to have been included and disclosed herein. In addition, embodiments and combinations of features that therefore do not have all of the features of an originally formulated independent claim are also considered to have been disclosed herein. In the drawing,

[0025] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a device according to the present invention; and

[0026] FIG. 2 is a flow chart for illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the method according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] FIG. 1 schematically shows a device 10 for manufacturing a metallic component 30, in particular a component of a turbomachine. Device 10 includes a powder feeder 18 for depositing a metallic material 22 as a powder layer 28 onto a buildup and joining zone 40 of a building platform 12. Metallic material 22 is stored in a reservoir 20 and deposited layer by layer onto building platform 12 via powder feeder 18, which is configured, in particular, as a so-called coater. In the region of buildup and joining zone 40, powder layers 28 are locally fused and/or sintered layer by layer by a laser beam 16 emitted by a laser source 14 in order to form at least a portion of a component layer. A specified component geometry of component 30 is obtained through the control of laser beam 16. Any material not needed for building component 30 is conveyed by coater 18 into an overflow container 24. The material not needed is denoted by 26.

[0028] Device 10 further includes an induction device 32 including two induction coils 42, 44. The two induction coils 42, 44 form an intersection region and are configured according to the so-called cross coil concept. Induction device 32 is configured to be movable above powder layer 28 and building platform 12. Furthermore, induction device 32 is adapted to form a thermal treatment or heating of at least one further portion of the component layer by locally fusing and/or sintering material 22 by inductive heating at a temperature or in a temperature range above the solidus temperature of the metallic material 22 used. When high-temperature resistant nickel-based alloys, such as, for example, M247, are used as the material 22, the temperature range mentioned is above about 1250 to 1260° C. Induction device 32 is controlled in open- and closed-loop fashion by an open- and closed-loop controller. This concerns, on the one hand, the power of induction device 32 or of the individual induction coils 42, 44, respectively, and, on the other hand, their position above building platform 12.

[0029] FIG. 2 shows a flow chart for illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the method according to the present invention. In a first process step 34, power material 22 is deposited layer by layer onto building platform 12. In a second process step 36, the material 22 in powder layer 28 is at least partially heated by inductive heating, namely before it is locally fused and/or sintered layer by layer by laser beam 16. The temperature of this preheating process is below the solidus temperature of material 22. In third process step 38, which may be performed subsequently or concurrently, powder layer 28 is locally fused and/or sintered in the region of the buildup and joining zone by laser beam 16 to form at least a portion of the component layer. The aforementioned process steps 34 through 38 are repeated until component 30 is completed. Before, during and/or after local layer-by-layer fusion and/or sintering according to process step 36, at least one further portion of the component layer is formed by locally fusing and/or sintering material 22 by inductive heating at a temperature or in a temperature range above the solidus temperature of the metallic material 22 used. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the induction device 32 used in process step 36 for inductive preheating of powder layer 28 is also used to form the further portion of the component layer.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0030] 10 device [0031] 12 building platform [0032] 14 laser source [0033] 16 laser beam [0034] 18 powder feeder [0035] 20 reservoir [0036] 22 material [0037] 24 overflow container [0038] 26 material [0039] 28 powder layers [0040] 30 component [0041] 32 induction device [0042] 34 deposit powder material [0043] 36 inductively heat material [0044] 38 locally fuse or sinter material [0045] 40 buildup and joining zone [0046] 42 induction coil [0047] 44 induction coil