发明人：
MCBRIEN, JOHN | CASTLE, LEA, KENNARD | SPANGLER, BRANDON, W. | XU, JINQUAN
技术问题语段：
The technical problem addressed in this patent is the challenge of quality control in additive manufacturing processes, where subsurface defects are often present in the finished component. The invention provides a method to regenerate an additively manufactured component with defects and cure them, allowing the component to be used as intended. This involves using the component as a pattern to create a shell mold and melt it, resulting in a substantially defectless component of the same shape.
技术功效语段：
The patent text describes a method for regenerating components that have defects, such as subsurface defects, by using additive manufacturing and a shell mold. The method involves creating a shell mold by using the component as a pattern and then melting and solidifying the component to produce a defectless version. This allows for the reuse of components that might have been rejected due to defects and reduces the cost and time associated with conventional manufacturing processes. The technical effect of this patent is the ability to cure defects in additively manufactured components by regenerating them using a shell mold and melting and solidifying them.
权利要求：
CLAIMS:
1. A method to regenerate a component, the method comprising:
additively manufacturing a component to have voids greater than 0 percent but less than approximately 15 percent by volume in a near finished shape; encasing the component in a shell mold;
curing the shell mold;
placing the encased component in a furnace and melting the component;
solidifying the component in the shell mold; and
removing the shell mold from the solidified component.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the component is additively manufactured to have voids greater than 0 percent but less than approximately 1 percent by volume.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the component is additively manufactured to have up to 15 percent additional material by volume in the near finished shape compared to a desired finished configuration.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the component is a blade or vane and the up to 15 percent additional material by volume is located at a root or a tip of an airfoil of the component.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein encasing the component in a shell mold comprises encasing an entirety of the component in the shell mold such that an entire external surface of the component is covered by the shell mold.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein encasing the component in the shell mold comprises a process of:
(a) dipping the entirety of the component in a slurry to form a layer of the shell mold on the entirety of the component;
(b) drying the layer of the shell mold; and
(c) repeating steps (a) and (b) until an acceptable shell mold thickness is formed to encase the entirety of the component.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the component is additively manufactured using at least one of selective laser sintering, selective laser melting, direct metal deposition, direct metal laser sintering, direct metal laser melting, and electron beam melting.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the component is additively manufactured to be of a metal selected from the group consisting of a nickel-based superalloy, cobalt-based superalloy, iron-based superalloy, and mixtures thereof.
9. A method to regenerate a component with internal passageways, the method comprising:
additively manufacturing the component to have voids greater than 0 percent but less than approximately 15 percent by volume with an internal passageway in a near finished shape;
filling the internal passageway with a slurry;
curing the slurry to form a core;
encasing the component in a shell mold;
curing the shell mold;
placing the encased component in a furnace and melting the component;
solidifying the component in the shell mold; and
removing the shell mold and core from the solidified component.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the core substantially conforms to a shape of the internal passageway of the component, and wherein the shell mold substantially conforms to a shape of the component.
11. The method of claim 9, wherein the component is additively manufactured to have voids greater than 0 percent but less than approximately 1 percent by volume.
12. The method of claim 9, wherein the component is additively manufactured to have up to 15 percent additional material by volume in the near finished shape compared to a desired finished configuration.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the component is a blade or vane and the up to 15 percent additional material by volume is located at a root or a tip of an airfoil of the component.
14. The method of claim 9, wherein the component is additively manufactured using at least one of selective laser sintering, selective laser melting, direct metal deposition, direct metal laser sintering, direct metal laser melting, and electron beam melting.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the component is additively manufactured to be of a metal selected from the group consisting of a nickel-based superalloy, cobalt-based superalloy, iron-based superalloy, and mixtures thereof.
16. The method of claim 9, wherein the slurry is selected from the group consisting of silica, alumina, zircon, cobalt, mullite, and kaolin.
17. The method of claim 9, wherein the shell mold is selected from the group consisting of silica, alumina, zircon, cobalt, mullite, kaolin, and mixtures thereof.
18. The method of claim 9, wherein encasing the component in a shell mold comprises encasing an entirety of the component in the shell mold such that an entire external surface of the component is covered by the shell mold.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein encasing the component in the shell mold comprises a process of:
(a) dipping the entirety of the component in a slurry to form a layer of the shell mold on the entirety of the component;
(b) drying the layer of the shell mold; and
(c) repeating steps (a) and (b) until an acceptable shell mold thickness is formed to encase the entirety of the component.
20. An intermediate component with an internal passageway, the intermediate component comprising:
a solid metallic additively manufactured component with an internal passageway in a near finished shape, wherein the component has voids greater than 0 percent but less than approximately 15 percent by volume and up to 15 percent additional material by volume in the near finished shape compared to a desired finished configuration;
a ceramic core disposed within the internal passageway of the component; and an outer ceramic shell mold encasing an entirety of the component, such that an entire external surface of the component is covered by the outer ceramic shell mold.