Methods and thin walled reinforced structures for additive manufacturing
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsChristian Xavier STEVENSON, John Alan MANTEIGA, Earl Neal DUNHAM
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure generally relates to methods for additive manufacturing (AM) that utilize integrated ribs to support thin walled annular structures. An annular wall fabricated using AM has a thickness less than 0.022 inches across a majority of a surface of the annular wall and a plurality of ribs having a thickness greater than 0.030 inches. The annular wall has a mean thickness less than 0.100 inches. The annular wall conforms to a surface of the component and a mean distance between the annular wall and the component is less than 0.080 inches.
Claims24
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 annular portion and a second annular portion, the second portion being an annular wall with a thickness less than 0.022 inches across a majority of a surface of the second portion, the second portion conforming to a shape of the first portion, wherein a mean distance between the first portion and second portion is less than 0.080 inches, wherein the second portion includes a plurality of ribs having a thickness greater than 0.030 inches and a mean thickness of the second portion is less than 0.100 inches.
A thin walled structure, comprising:
- an annular wall with a thickness less than 0.022 inches across a majority of a surface of the thin walled structure and a plurality of helical ribs having a thickness greater than 0.030 inches,
- wherein the annular wall has a mean thickness less than 0.100 inches, and
- wherein the annular wall conforms to a surface of a component and a mean distance between the annular wall and the component is less than 0.080 inches.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.