# US 2014/0154088 A1 · Method for manufacturing a metallic component by additive laser manufacturing

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- Number: US 2014/0154088 A1
- Document ID: US20140154088A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/091,780
- Filed: 2013-11-27
- Published: 2014-06-05
- Earliest claimed: 2012-12-01
- Assignees: ALSTOM Technology Ltd
- Applicants: ALSTOM Technology Ltd.
- Inventors: Thomas Etter; Maxim Konter; Matthias Hoebel; Julius Schurb
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140154088A1

## CPC

- F01D 5/005: {Repairing methods or devices}
- B22F 10/28: Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM]
- B22F 10/34: of powder characteristics, e.g. density, oxidation or flowability
- B22F 10/366: Scanning parameters, e.g. hatch distance or scanning strategy
- B22F 10/38: to achieve specific product aspects, e.g. surface smoothness, density, porosity or hollow structures
- B23K 15/0086: {welding for purposes other than joining, e.g. build-up welding}
- B23K 26/32: taking account of the properties of the material involved
- B23K 26/342: Build-up welding
- B23K 35/0255: {for use in welding (B23K35/0205 takes precedence)}
- B23K 35/0261: {Rods, electrodes or wires}
- B23K 35/0272: {with more than one layer of coating or sheathing material}
- B23K 35/30: with the principal constituent melting at less than 1550°C
- B23K 35/3033: {Ni as the principal constituent}
- B23K 35/3046: {Co as the principal constituent}
- B23K 35/3053: {Fe as the principal constituent}
- B23K 35/38: Selection of media, e.g. special atmospheres for surrounding the working area
- B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing
- B33Y 50/00: Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
- B33Y 70/00: Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
- F01D 5/28: Selecting particular materials; {Particular measures relating thereto;} Measures against erosion or corrosion
- B22F 10/64: by thermal means (control of energy beam parameters for post heating B22F10/364)
- B23K 2103/02: Iron or ferrous alloys
- B23K 2103/26: {Alloys of Nickel and Cobalt and Chromium}
- B23K 2103/50: {Inorganic materials other than metals or composite materials}
- F05D 2230/31: Layer deposition
- F05D 2300/606: Directionally-solidified crystalline structures
- Y02P 10/25: Process efficiency
- F01D: NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAM TURBINES (machines or engines for liquids F03; non-positive displacement pumps F04D)
- 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
- 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
- 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
- F05D: INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

The invention refers to a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional metallic article/component entirely or partly. The method includes a) successively building up said article/component from a metallic base material by means of an additive manufacturing process by scanning with an energy beam, thereby b) establishing a controlled grain orientation in primary and in secondary direction of the article/component, c) wherein the secondary grain orientation is realized by applying a specific scanning pattern of the energy beam, which is aligned to the cross section profile of said article/component, or with characteristic load conditions of the article/component.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for manufacturing a three-dimensional metallic article/component entirely or partly, comprising the steps of
a) successively building up said article/component from a metallic base material by means of an additive manufacturing process by scanning with an energy beam, thereby
b) establishing a controlled grain orientation in primary and in secondary direction of the article/component,
c) wherein the controlled secondary grain orientation is realized by applying a specific scanning pattern of the energy beam, which is aligned to the cross section profile of said article/component or to the local load conditions for said article/component.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the control of the secondary grain orientation is achieved by placing the scanner paths alternately parallel and orthogonal in subsequent layers to the direction of the component, where a smallest value of the Young's modulus is desired.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein in order to achieve a non-pronounced secondary grain orientation the scanner paths are rotated by random angles in subsequent layers.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein in order to achieve a non-pronounced secondary grain orientation the scan vectors are parallel within each island of each layer and rotated by 63° in each subsequent layer.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein said additive manufacturing process is one of selective laser melting (SLM), selective laser sintering (SLS) or electron beam melting (EBM), that a metallic base material of powder form is used and said method comprising the steps of:
a) generating a three-dimensional model of said article followed by a slicing process to calculate the cross sections;
b) passing said calculated cross sections to a machine control unit afterwards;
c) providing a powder of said base material, which is needed for the process;
d) preparing a powder layer with a regular and uniform thickness on a substrate plate or on a previously processed powder layer;
e) performing melting by scanning with a energy beam an area corresponding to a cross section of said articles according to the three-dimensional model stored in the control unit;
f) lowering the upper surface of the previously formed cross section by one layer thickness (d);
g) repeating said steps from c) to f) until reaching the last cross section according to the three-dimensional model; and
h) optionally heat treating said three-dimensional article, wherein in steps e) the energy beam is scanned in such a way that
scan vectors are either perpendicular between each subsequent layer or between each certain areas (islands) of a layer thereby establishing a specific desired secondary crystallographic grain orientation or
scan vectors have random angles between each subsequent layer or between each certain areas (islands) of a layer thereby not establishing a specific secondary crystallographic grain orientation.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method according to claim 5, wherein the grain size distribution of said powder is adjusted to the layer thickness (d) of said powder layer in order to establish a good flowability, which is required for preparing powder layers with regular and uniform thickness (d).

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The method according to claim 5, wherein the powder grains have a spherical shape and that an exact grain size distribution of the powder is obtained by sieving and/or winnowing (air separation).

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The method according to claim 5, wherein said powder is provided by means of a powder metallurgical process, specifically one of gas or water atomization, plasma-rotating-electrode process or mechanical milling.

### Claim 9 (depends on 5)

The method according to claim 5, wherein said additive manufacturing process uses a suspension instead of powder.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein said metallic base material is one of a high-temperature Ni-based alloy, Co-based alloy, re-based alloy or combinations thereof.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method according to claim 10, wherein said alloy contain finely dispersed oxides, specifically one of Y2O3, AlO3, ThO2, HfO2, ZrO2.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the preferential alignment of the secondary grain orientation is applied only in designated sub-volumes.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

A component manufactured by a method according to claim 1 wherein the component is used in the compressor, combustor or turbine section of a gas turbine, preferably as a blade, a vane or a heat shield.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

A component according to claim 13, further comprising an airfoil with a profile, characterized in that the alignment of the secondary grain orientation is matched with the profile of the airfoil and that it is gradually and continuously adapted to the shape of the airfoil.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The component according to claim 13, wherein the alignment of the secondary grain orientation is matched with the local load conditions of the part.