Mandrel for electroforming
AssigneeUnison Industries, LLC
InventorsGordon Tajiri, Emily Marie Phelps, Dattu G V Jonnalagadda, Joseph Richard Schmitt, Yanzhe Yang
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for a mandrel used during an electroforming process. The mandrel is formed of a structural wax and includes a metallic layer utilized to formulate a metal component. During the electroforming process, the mandrel is actively cooled utilizing a closed loop. The closed loop includes the mandrel and a heat exchanger through which a coolant flows.
Claims20
An electroforming system for forming a component with an electroforming process, the electroforming system comprising:
- an electrodeposition bath within a bath tank at a first temperature;
- an anode;
- a cathode in the form of a mandrel made from a reclaimable material, the reclaimable material comprising a structural wax having a melting temperature;
- and
- a coolant circuit at least partially passing through the cathode to cool the cathode such that a temperature for the cathode remains below the melting temperature while the first temperature is greater than the melting temperature.
A method for reclaiming a mandrel for producing a metallic component with an electroforming process, the method comprising:
- placing the mandrel in an electrodeposition bath within a bath tank of an electroforming system, the electroforming system including an anode and cathode defined by the mandrel, the mandrel made from a structural wax having a melting temperature, the electrodeposition bath being at a first temperature greater than the melting temperature;
- and
- flowing a coolant through a cooling core within the mandrel to actively cool the mandrel to increase temperature insensitivity for the mandrel during the electroforming process.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.