Method and apparatus for production of a cast component

• US 8,550,144 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2007
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporation (Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporation (Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Frasier, Donald J., Schlienger, M. Eric, Brady, Guy Allen, Kush, Matthew T., Vessely, Patrick A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kerns, Kevin P
• Application Number:
  US11/999,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20080142182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,133 Days
• Field of Search: 164/6, 164/23, 164/361
• US Class Current: 164/23
• CPC Class Codes: B22D 47/00 Casting plants
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/165 using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/40 Structures for supporting 3D objects during manufacture and intended to be sacrificed after completion thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 11/00 Single-crystal growth by normal freezing or freezing under temperature gradient, e.g. Bridgman-Stockbarger method C30B13/00, C30B15/00, C30B17/00, C30B19/00 take precedence; under a protective fluid C30B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 11/002 Crucibles or containers for supporting the melt
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 11/14 characterised by the seed, e.g. its crystallographic orientation
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/52 Alloys
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/0037 Production of three-dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/0047 characterised by additives for obtaining a metallic or ceramic pattern, e.g. by firing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 117/90 Apparatus characterized by composition or treatment thereof, e.g. surface finish, surface coating
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 117/10 Apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 117/1016 with means for treating single-crystal [e.g., heat treating]

Abstract

A system for producing cast components from molten metal. One form of the present invention includes a system for the precision pouring of molten metal within a casting mold. The precision pouring system is driven by a pressure differential.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a casting mold having a plurality of layers of a material bonded together to define a cavity for receiving a molten metal material therein and an exit in communication with the cavity;

orienting the casting mold at an inclination;

rotating the casting mold to free any material located within the cavity and not bonded to one of the plurality of layers of material;

passing the material located within the cavity out of the cavity and through the exit; and

moving the casting mold along a pathway;

wherein the providing a casting mold includes providing at least two casting molds, and which further includes conveying a spacer between the at least two of the casting molds.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said moving is occurring simultaneous with said rotating.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said rotating is unidirectional.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said rotating is bi- directional.

5. The method of claim 1, which further includes gas scrubbing the inner surface of the plurality of layers of material bonded together to define the cavity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the inclination is at an acute angle.

7. The method of claim 1, which further includes placing a plug in the exit after said passing of the material from the cavity.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said rotating is within a range of about 0.1 revolutions per minute to about 2 revolutions per minute, and wherein the casting mold is rotated between about fifteen minutes and two days.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the casting mold is rotated about two hours.

10. The method of claim 1:

which further includes moving the casting mold along a pathway;

wherein at least a portion of said moving and said rotating are occurring simultaneously; and

wherein said orienting orients the casting mold at an acute angle.

11. The method of claim 1, which further includes placing the casting mold within a mold container.

12. The method of claim 1, which further includes drying the plurality of layers.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said drying is occurring during a preheating act of the mold.

14. A method, comprising:

forming an integral ceramic shell by three dimensional printing, the ceramic shell includes a plurality of layers of a ceramic material bonded together to define a cavity therein for receiving a molten metal material and at least one exit in fluid communication with the cavity;

orienting the ceramic shell at an inclination;

rotating the ceramic shell about a first axis to free ceramic material located within the cavity that is not bonded to one of the plurality of layers of material;

passing the material located within the cavity out of the cavity and through the at least one exit; and

moving the ceramic shell along a predetermined pathway;

wherein the rotating includes engaging a toothed member formed in the casting mold with a member that engages the toothed member to rotate the casting mold.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said moving is substantially linear.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said rotating about an axis is unidirectional.

17. The method of claim 14, which further includes providing a casting mold tube, and which further includes positioning the ceramic shell within the casting mold tube prior to said orienting.

18. The method of claim 14, which further includes passing a gas through the cavity to scrub the inner surface of the plurality of layers defining the cavity.

19. The method of claim 14, which further includes inverting the ceramic shell to facilitate removal of the ceramic material within the cavity.

20. The method of claim 14, which further includes providing a first gear coupled with the ceramic shell, and which further includes engaging the first gear with a driven second gear to cause said rotating.