# US 11,110,548 B2 · Methods and apparatus for laser deposition

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- Number: US 11,110,548 B2
- Document ID: US11110548B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/101,371
- Filed: 2018-08-10
- Published: 2020-02-13
- Granted: 2021-09-07
- Earliest claimed: 2018-08-10
- Assignees: The Boeing Company
- Applicants: The Boeing Company
- Inventors: Daniel E. Sievers; Peter J. Bocchini
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11110548B2

## CPC

- B23K 26/144: the fluid stream containing particles, e.g. powder
- B22F 3/105: by using electric current {other than for infrared radiant energy}, laser radiation or plasma (B22F3/11 takes precedence){; by ultrasonic bonding (B22F3/115 takes precedence)}
- B22F 10/25: Direct deposition of metal particles, e.g. direct metal deposition [DMD] or laser engineered net shaping [LENS]
- B22F 10/50: Treatment of workpieces or articles during build-up, e.g. treatments applied to fused layers during build-up
- B22F 12/50: Means for feeding of material, e.g. heads
- B22F 12/53: Nozzles
- B22F 12/55: Two or more means for feeding material
- B23K 26/0093: {combined with mechanical machining or metal-working covered by other subclasses than B23K}
- B23K 26/123: {in an atmosphere of particular gases}
- B23K 26/1462: {Nozzles; Features related to nozzles}
- B23K 26/1464: {Supply to, or discharge from, nozzles of media, e.g. gas, powder, wire}
- B23K 26/342: Build-up welding
- B24C 1/10: for compacting surfaces, e.g. shot-peening (for deforming sheet metal, tubes or profiles B21D31/06; as a metallurgical treatment C21D7/00, C22F1/00)
- B24C 3/06: movable; portable
- B29C 64/153: using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting
- B29C 64/209: Heads; Nozzles
- B29C 64/268: using laser beams; using electron beams [EB]
- B29C 64/371: using an environment other than air, e.g. inert gas
- B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing
- B33Y 30/00: Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
- B33Y 40/00: Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling
- C21D 7/06: by shot-peening or the like
- B22F 3/24: After-treatment of workpieces or articles {(B22F3/1146 takes precedence)}
- B22F 7/006: {the porous part being obtained by foaming}
- B22F 10/32: of the atmosphere, e.g. composition or pressure in a building chamber
- B22F 12/70: Gas flow means
- B24C 3/32: designed for abrasive blasting of particular work, e.g. the internal surfaces of cylinder blocks (B24C3/08, B24C3/18 take precedence)
- Y02P 10/25: Process efficiency
- B23K: SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
- B22F: WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER (making alloys by powder metallurgy C22C); APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
- B24C: ABRASIVE OR RELATED BLASTING WITH PARTICULATE MATERIAL
- B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00)
- B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
- C21D: MODIFYING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF FERROUS METALS; GENERAL DEVICES FOR HEAT TREATMENT OF FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS METALS OR ALLOYS; MAKING METAL MALLEABLE, e.g. BY DECARBURISATION OR TEMPERING (surface treatment of metallic material involving at least one process provided for in class C23 and at least one process covered by this subclass C23F17/00; unidirectional solidification of eutectic materials or unidirectional demixing of eutectoid materials C30B)
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

A laser deposition apparatus includes a sealed enclosure configured to hold a substrate, a powder source configured to hold a powder material, a peen source configured to hold a shot peen media, and a deposition system fluidly connected to the powder source and the peen source. The deposition system includes a laser configured to generate a laser beam. The deposition system is configured to deposit at least one layer on the substrate by injecting a stream of the powder material into the laser beam. The deposition system is configured to shot peen the at least one layer by propelling the shot peen media onto an exterior surface of the at least one layer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A laser deposition apparatus comprising:
a sealed enclosure configured to hold a substrate;
a powder source configured to hold a powder material;
a peen source configured to hold a shot peen media; and
a deposition system fluidly connected to the powder source and the peen source, the deposition system comprising a deposition head fluidly connected to the powder source and the peen source, the deposition head comprising a laser configured to generate a laser beam, wherein the deposition head is configured to deposit at least one layer on the substrate using a laser deposition process that includes emitting the laser beam toward the substrate and injecting a stream of the powder material into the laser beam, the deposition head being further configured to shot peen the at least one layer by propelling the shot peen media onto an exterior surface of the at least one layer after the laser deposition process has been halted.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The laser deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the deposition head comprises first and second nozzles, the first nozzle being fluidly connected to the powder source and configured to spray the stream of the powder material into the laser beam, the second nozzle being fluidly connected to the peen source and configured to spray the shot peen media onto the exterior surface of the at least one layer.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The laser deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the deposition system further comprises at least one valve configured to selectively switch the deposition system between fluid connection with the powder source and fluid connection with the peen source.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The laser deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the deposition system further comprises a control gas sub-system configured to at least partially surround the stream of the powder material with an inert gas.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The laser deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the table is moveable such that the table is configured to change an orientation of the substrate.

### Claim 6

A method for laser deposition comprising:
depositing at least one layer of material on a substrate using a laser deposition process that includes emitting a laser beam toward the substrate and injecting a stream of a powder material from a powder source into the laser beam using a deposition head that is connected to the powder source and is connected to a peen source; and
shot peening the at least one layer of material by using the deposition head to propel a shot peen media from the peen source onto an exterior surface of the at least one layer of material after the laser deposition process has been halted.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein:
injecting the stream of the powder material into the laser beam comprises spraying the stream of the powder material from the deposition head into the laser beam; and
propelling the shot peen media onto the exterior surface of the at least one layer of material comprises spraying the shot peen media from the deposition head onto the exterior surface.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein injecting the stream of the powder material into the laser beam comprises spraying the stream of the powder material from the deposition head into the laser beam, and wherein shot peening the at least one layer of material comprises spraying the shot peen media onto the exterior surface from the deposition head.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6 further comprising using the deposition head to deposit at least one additional layer after using the deposition head to shot peen the exterior surface of the at least one layer of material.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein injecting the stream of the powder material into the laser beam comprises spraying the stream of the powder material from a nozzle of the deposition head into the laser beam, and wherein shot peening the at least one layer comprises spraying the shot peen media onto the exterior surface of the at least one layer of material from a different nozzle of the deposition head.

### Claim 11 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6 further comprising switching the deposition head between fluid connection with the powder source and fluid connection with the peen source.

### Claim 12 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein shot peening the at least one layer of material comprises changing an orientation of the substrate.

### Claim 13

A laser deposition apparatus comprising:
a laser configured to generate a laser beam; and
a deposition head configured to be fluidly connected to a powder source that contains a powder material and a peen source that contains a shot peen media, the deposition head comprising the laser, wherein the deposition head is configured to deposit at least one layer of material using a laser deposition process that includes emitting the laser beam toward a substrate and injecting a stream of the powder material from the powder source into the laser beam, the deposition head being further configured to shot peen the at least one layer by propelling the shot peen media from the peen source onto an exterior surface of the at least one layer of material after the laser deposition process has been halted.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The laser deposition apparatus of claim 13, wherein the deposition head comprises first and second nozzles, the first nozzle being fluidly connected to the powder source and configured to spray the stream of the powder material into the laser beam, the second nozzle being fluidly connected to the peen source and configured to spray the shot peen media onto the exterior surface of the at least one layer of material.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The laser deposition apparatus of claim 13 further comprising at least one valve configured to selectively switch the deposition head between fluid connection with the powder source and fluid connection with the peen source.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The laser deposition apparatus of claim 13 further comprising a control gas sub-system configured to surround the stream of the powder material and the laser beam with an inert gas for controlling injection of the stream of the powder material into the laser beam.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The laser deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the deposition head comprises a nozzle fluidly connected to the peen source and configured to spray the shot peen media onto the exterior surface of the at least one layer, the laser being held by the deposition head adjacent the nozzle.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The laser deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the deposition head comprises first and second nozzles, the first nozzle being fluidly connected to the powder source and configured to spray the stream of the powder material into the laser beam, the second nozzle being fluidly connected to the peen source and configured to spray the shot peen media onto the exterior surface of the at least one layer, the laser being held by the deposition head between the first and second nozzles.

### Claim 19 (depends on 13)

The laser deposition apparatus of claim 13, wherein the deposition head comprises a nozzle fluidly connected to the peen source and configured to spray the shot peen media onto the exterior surface of the at least one layer of material, the laser being held by the deposition head adjacent the nozzle.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

The laser deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the deposition head comprises first and second nozzles, the first nozzle being fluidly connected to the powder source and configured to spray the stream of the powder material into the laser beam, the second nozzle being fluidly connected to the peen source and configured to spray the shot peen media onto the exterior surface of the at least one layer of material, the laser being held by the deposition head between the first and second nozzles.