Rapid manufacturing method

• US 8,561,668 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2011
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rtx Corporation
• Original Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Castle, Lea Kennard, Marcin, John Joseph, Bullied, Steven J., Bochiecchio, Mario P., Chittenden, Kevin W., Verner, Carl R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kerns, Kevin P
• Application Number:
  US13/192,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20130025810A1
• Time in Patent Office: 817 Days
• Field of Search: 164516-519, 164/28, 164/369, 164/72, 164/4.1
• US Class Current: 164/4.1
• CPC Class Codes: B22C 7/02 Lost patterns
• CPC Class Codes: B22C 9/10 Cores; Manufacture or installation of cores breaker cores B22C9/084
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/3807 Resin-bonded materials, e.g. inorganic particles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/40 Plastics, e.g. foam or rubber
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/565 Consisting of shell-like structures supported by backing material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/188 involving additional operations performed on the added layers, e.g. smoothing, grinding or thickness control surface shaping B29C59/00; after-treatment of articles without altering their shape B29C71/00
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 70/00 Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 10/25 Process efficiency

Abstract

A rapid manufacturing method includes forming tooling in a rapid manufacturing process. The tooling is coated with a conductive material.

Claims

1. A rapid manufacturing method, comprising the steps of:

(a) building tooling that includes a die pattern from a polymeric material using a rapid manufacturing process;

(b) coating the tooling with a metallic material;

(c) manufacturing a casting article with the tooling;

(d) using the casting article in a casting process to cast a part; and

(e) reusing the tooling to manufacture a second casting article.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the tooling is built to a dimensional opposite of the part cast in said step (d).

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the rapid manufacturing process includes a stereolithography (SLA) process.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the rapid manufacturing process includes a selective laser sintering (SLS) process.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the polymeric material includes at least one of an ultraviolet curable thermoset and a powdered material.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the metallic material includes at least one of a copper based alloy, a stainless steel based alloy, an aluminum based alloy, a nickel based alloy, a gold based alloy, a chromium based alloy and a ferrous alloy.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the casting process includes an investment casting process.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of building includes:

rapidly manufacturing a mask of the tooling; and

backfilling the mask with a metallic material.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of coating includes the use of a coldspray coating process.

10. The method as recited as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of coating includes the use of a low temperature deposition process.

11. The method as recited as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of coating includes the use of a plating process.

12. The method as recited as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of coating includes the use of a sputtering process.

13. The method as recited as recited in claim 1, wherein the tooling includes die gating tooling.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the tooling includes a die for preparing a core.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the core is a ceramic core.

16. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the tooling includes a die for preparing a shell.