SYSTEM, METHOD, AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING A CERAMIC COMPONENT

• US 20110030731A1
• Filed: 08/09/2010
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporation (Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporation (Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Schlienger, Max Eric
• Granted Patent: US 8,864,914 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/18
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/08 the liquid having chemical or dissolving effect substances used, see the relevant classes

Abstract

A method for cleaning a ceramic component includes generating a computer solid model of a component, converting the computer solid model to a stereo-lithographic instruction file, and preparing the component in a stereo-lithography machine in response to the stereo-lithographic instruction file. The method further includes providing an amount of solvent, where a residue left from preparing the component is at least partially soluble in the solvent. The method includes immersing at least part of the component in the solvent, heating the solvent in a liquid state, and reducing a pressure of the solvent sufficiently to boil the solvent. The method further includes heat-curing the component.

Claims

1. A method for cleaning a residue from a green ceramic component, comprising:

providing an amount of solvent, wherein the residue is at least partially soluble in the solvent;

immersing at least a portion of the green ceramic component having the residue in the solvent;

heating the solvent in a liquid state; and

reducing a pressure of the solvent sufficiently to boil the solvent.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming the green ceramic component with a stereo-lithographic operation, and wherein the residue comprises a resin from the stereo-lithographic operation.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring a temperature of the solvent, and further reducing the pressure of the solvent in response to the temperature of the solvent approaching a liquid-vapor phase temperature.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising vertically orienting a surface of the green ceramic component that is to be cleaned.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising rotating the green ceramic component during the reducing the pressure of the solvent.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising reducing the pressure of the solvent sufficiently to put the solvent into a superheated state.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the reducing the pressure of the solvent comprises one of reducing the pressure of the solvent from an elevated state toward atmospheric pressure and reducing the pressure of the solvent from atmospheric pressure to a reduced pressure.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the amount of solvent in a vessel, and sealing the vessel from external mass transfer during at least one of the heating and reducing.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a green ceramic component having a residual resin on at least one surface;

a vessel containing an amount of a solvent wherein the residual resin is at least partially soluble in the solvent;

a heater structured to heat the solvent in the vessel;

a pressure modulator structured to control a pressure in the vessel; and

a controller structured to control the heater to heat the solvent in a liquid state and to control the pressure modulator to reduce the pressure in the vessel sufficiently to boil the solvent.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, where the green ceramic component comprises a component formed from a stereo-lithographic operation.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a temperature sensor structured to determine a temperature of the solvent, and wherein the controller is further structured to control the pressure modulator to further reduce the pressure in the vessel in response to the temperature of the solvent approaching a liquid-vapor phase temperature.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller is further structured to control the pressure modulator to reduce the pressure in the vessel sufficiently rapidly to put the solvent into a superheated state.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the pressure modulator is structured to modulate the pressure by increasing the pressure in the vessel above atmospheric pressure.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the pressure modulator is structured to modulate the pressure by decreasing the pressure in the vessel below atmospheric pressure.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the pressure modulator is capable of modulating the pressure between a triple point pressure and a critical point pressure, inclusive.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the vessel is sealed from external mass transfer.

17. A method, comprising:

generating a computer solid model of a component;

converting a computer solid model to a stereo-lithographic instruction file;

preparing the component in a stereo-lithography machine in response to the stereo-lithographic instruction file;

providing an amount of solvent, wherein a residue from the preparing is at least partially soluble in the solvent;

immersing at least a portion of the component in the solvent;

heating the solvent in a liquid state;

reducing a pressure of the solvent sufficiently to boil the solvent; and

heat-curing the component.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the component comprises a ceramic component, the method further comprising casting a metal component having complex internal structures utilizing the ceramic component as a casting core.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the metal component comprises at least one airfoil.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising repeating the heating and reducing operations to remove the residue from the component.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the reducing is continued to keep the solvent on a vapor side of a liquid-vapor phase line.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising monitoring a temperature of the solvent, and in response to the temperature of the solvent being below a threshold temperature, stopping the reducing, then repeating the heating and reducing.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the reducing is repeated to cycle the solvent across a liquid-vapor phase line.

24. A system, comprising:

a stereolithography device structured to manufacture a green ceramic component having internal passages;

a cleaning vessel structured to contain a solvent, the cleaning vessel fluidly coupled to a pressure control device; and

a controller structured to command the pressure control device to change the pressure in the cleaning vessel such that solvent in the cleaning vessel crosses from a liquid side to a vapor side of a liquid-vapor phase line during a cleaning operation.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the cleaning vessel is thermally coupled to a temperature control device, and wherein the controller is further structured to command the temperature control device to re-heat the solvent in response to a temperature of the solvent going below a threshold temperature.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the cleaning vessel is thermally coupled to a temperature control device, and wherein the controller is further structured to command the temperature control device to heat the solvent in a liquid phase before the cleaning operation.

27. The system of claim 24, further comprising a heat curing device structured to heat the green ceramic component sufficiently to cure the ceramic component.

28. The system of claim 24, further comprising a positioning device structured to position the green ceramic component in the cleaning vessel to vertically orient a surface of the ceramic component that is to be cleaned.

29. The system of claim 24, further comprising a positioning device structured to rotate the ceramic component during the cleaning operation.