Methods and multi-purpose powder removal features for additive manufacturing
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsJohn Alan MANTEIGA, Gregg Hunt WILSON, Stephen Joseph WAYMEYER
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure generally relates to methods for additive manufacturing (AM) for fabricating multi-walled structures. A multi-walled structure includes a first wall having a first surface and a second wall having a second surface facing the first surface to define a passage having a width between the first surface and the second surface in a first direction. The multi-walled structure also includes an enlarged powder removal feature connecting the first wall and the second wall. The enlarged powder removal feature has an inner dimension greater than the width in the first direction and at least one open end in a direction transverse to the first width.
Claims20
A method for fabricating an object, comprising:
- (a) irradiating a layer of powder in a powder bed with an energy beam in a series of scan lines to form a fused region;
- (b) providing a subsequent layer of powder over the powder bed by passing a recoater arm over the powder bed from a first side of the powder bed to a second side of the powder bed;
- and
- (c) repeating steps (a) and (b) until the object is formed in the powder bed,
- wherein the object includes:
- a first wall having a first surface,
- a second wall having a second surface facing the first surface to define a passage having a width between the first surface and the second surface in a first direction, and
- an enlarged powder removal feature connecting the first wall and the second wall, the enlarged powder removal feature having an inner dimension greater than the width in the first direction and at least one open end in a direction transverse to the first width.
An engine component, comprising:
- a first wall having a first surface;
- a second wall having a second surface facing the first surface to define a passage having a width between the first surface and the second surface in a first direction, and
- an enlarged powder removal feature connecting the first wall and the second wall, the enlarged powder removal feature having an inner dimension greater than the width in the first direction and at least one open end in a direction transverse to the first width.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.