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US 11,534,975 B2Granted
Method of designing a part for additive manufacturing (AM) that will increase part accuracy and reduce the need for post processing
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsIan Ribble, Nicholas A. Norman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of manufacturing a part having an opening for receiving an insert, including forming the opening having an internal surface wherein the internal surface has a polygonal cross-section including a plurality of sides. The polygonal cross-section comprises a polygon having an area larger than a cross-section of the insert, and the sides constrain the insert so as to locate the insert in the opening when the insert is inserted into the opening.
Claims20
A method of manufacturing a part, comprising:
- manufacturing the part comprising an aircraft part or a drill jig having an opening for receiving an insert, including:
- depositing a material using additive manufacturing;
- and
- forming the opening using the additive manufacturing, the opening having an internal surface, the internal surface having a plurality of facets, wherein:
- the opening has a first cross-sectional area larger than a second cross-sectional area of the insert,
- the insert comprises an outer contact surface,
- the facets each comprise a planar region tangent at tangent points to the outer contact surface when the insert is inserted in the opening,
- the facets constrain the insert so as to locate the insert in the opening when the insert is inserted into the opening, and
- the tangent points are the only contact points between the internal surface and the outer contact surface.
6 more elements
A part, comprising:
- an additively manufactured aircraft part or additively manufactured drill jig comprising an additively manufactured opening for receiving an insert, the opening including an additively manufactured internal surface having a plurality of facets, wherein:
- the opening has a cross-sectional area having a first cross-sectional area larger than a second cross-sectional area of the insert,
- the insert comprises an outer contact surface,
- the facets each comprise a planar region tangent at tangent points to the outer contact surface when the insert is inserted in the opening,
- the facets constrain the insert so as to locate the insert in the opening when the insert is inserted into the opening, and
- the tangent points are the only contact points between the internal surface and the outer contact surface.
3 more elements
A computer implemented system for manufacturing a part, comprising:
- one or more processors;
- one or more memories;
- and a program stored in the one or more memories, wherein the program executed by the one or more processors:
- generates a data file for controlling an apparatus additively manufacturing a part having an opening for receiving an insert, the data file including dimensions and a shape of an internal surface of the opening, resolution of the data file is selected taking into account the dimensions and the shape defining the internal surface a plurality of facets, wherein the opening has a first cross-sectional area larger than a second cross-sectional of the insert, the insert comprises an outer contact surface, the facets each comprise a planar region tangent at tangent points to the outer contact surface when the insert is inserted in the opening, the facets constrain the insert so as to locate the insert in the opening when the insert is inserted into the opening, and
- selects a resolution of the data file taking into account the tangent points are the only contact points between the internal surface and the outer contact surface of the insert.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.