Coating system and process

• US 10,450,645 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2017
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rtx Corporation
• Original Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Neal, James W., Litton, David A., Beers, Russell A., Zimmerman, Benjamin Joseph, Maloney, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Jr., Joseph A
• Application Number:
  US15/712,696
• Publication Number:
  US 20180010232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/042 using masks
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/044 using masks to redistribute rather than totally prevent coating, e.g. producing thickness gradient
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/30 by electron bombardment
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2230/313 by physical vapour deposition

Abstract

A coating system for coating a part (10), such as a turbine blade or vane, has a mask (14) positioned adjacent to a first portion (16) of the part (10) to be coated and a mechanism (30) for moving the mask (14) relative to the part (10). The mechanism (30) may be a gear mechanism or a magnetic mechanism.

Claims

1. A coating process comprising the steps of:

positioning a part within a coating chamber;

positioning a mask adjacent to a first portion of said part;

creating a coating vapor within said coating chamber;

periodically moving said mask relative to said first portion of said part during the coating process by use of a gear mechanism, said gear mechanism includes one gear that is configured to be counter rotational and configured to move said mask back and forth;

wherein said first portion is a leading edge of an airfoil portion of said part; and

moving said mask from a position adjacent said leading edge to a position adjacent a suction side of said airfoil portion between 5 to 20 rotations of the part about a longitudinal axis thereof.

2. The coating process of claim 1, wherein said moving step comprises moving said mask away from said leading edge a distance as slight as a width of said mask.

3. The coating process of claim 1, further comprising rotating said mask and said part at different speeds.