Method and apparatus for controlling a spray form process based on sensed surface temperatures
AssigneeFord Motor Company
InventorsRichard L. Allor, John Richard Baer, Kevin Patrick Regan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Method and apparatus incorporating an infrared sensor, in the form of a two-wavelength imaging pyrometer into a metallic spray form process for providing real-time measurement of the surface temperature distribution of a steel billet thereby formed. The steel billets may be advantageously used as tools in metal forming processes, injection molding, die casting tooling and other processes that require hard tooling, such as in the automotive industry. The steel billet is formed based on a goal of uniform surface temperature distribution thereby minimizing thermal stresses induced within the steel article thereby produced.
Claims35
A method for controlling the manufacture of a spray formed article, comprising:
- applying multiple layers of spray forming material upon a mold substrate in the manufacture of a spray formed article;
- detecting temperatures of an exposed surface of the spray formed article during application of the spray forming material with an infrared sensor;
- and
- controlling application conditions of a subsequently applied layer of spray forming material based on the detected temperatures of the exposed surface of the article being formed.
A method for controlling the manufacture of a spray formed article, comprising:
- applying multiple layers of spray forming material upon a mold substrate in the manufacture of a spray formed article;
- detecting temperatures of an exposed surface of the spray formed article during application of the spray forming material with an infrared sensor;
- controlling application conditions of a subsequently applied layer of spray forming material based on the detected temperatures of the exposed surface of the article being formed with a computing device coupled to the infrared sensor;
- and
- detecting temperatures across the exposed surface of the spray formed article and thereby producing real-time thermal information, the thermal information being utilized in the control of application conditions of a subsequently applied layer of spray forming material;
- wherein controlling the application conditions by the computing device further comprises allowing a user to input operator override commands to the computing device via an input device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.