Additively Manufactured Component Including a Contrast Agent for Part Identification
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsScott Alan Gold, Thomas Graham Spears
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Abstract
A system and method for additively manufacturing a component including features for part identification are provided. The method includes selectively depositing a contrast agent on a cross sectional layer to define a component identifier of the component and directing energy from an energy source onto the contrast agent to fuse the contrast agent and the cross sectional layer. The contrast agent may be an x-ray emission contrast agent that is read using an x-ray emission spectroscopy method, an infrared contrast agent that is read using an infrared camera or an infrared scanner, or a radioactive contrast agent that is read using a gamma ray spectrometer.
Claims20
A method of manufacturing a component, the method comprising:
- selectively depositing one or more contrast agents within one or more cross sectional layers of the component to define a component identifier of the component;
- and
- directing energy from an energy source onto the contrast agents to fuse the contrast agents and the cross sectional layer.
A method of additively manufacturing a surface of a component, the method comprising:
- depositing a layer of additive material onto the component, the layer of additive material comprising a contrast agent selectively positioned to form a component identifier of the component;
- and
- directing energy from an energy source onto a portion of the layer of additive material to fuse the portion of the layer of powder and the contrast agent onto the component.
A method of authenticating a component, the method comprising:
- locating an identifying region of the component, the identifying region comprising a selectively positioned contrast agent defining a component identifier;
- obtaining data indicative of the component identifier by interrogating the identifying region of the component with a scanner;
- and
- determining that the component is authentic based on the data acquired by the scanner.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.