Electroforming system and method

• US 11,142,840 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2018
• Issued: 10/12/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unison Industries LLC (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: Unison Industries LLC (GE Aerospace)
• Inventors: Jonnalagadda, Dattu GV, Kumar, Sandeep, Sebastian, Merin, Tajiri, Gordon, Phelps, Emily Marie
• Primary Examiner(s): Wittenberg, Stefanie S
• Application Number:
  US16/176,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20200131663A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 1/00 Electroforming
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 17/02 Tanks; Installations therefor
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 21/14 Controlled addition of electrolyte components
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 3/12 of nickel or cobalt

Abstract

An electroforming system and method for electroforming a component includes an electroforming reservoir with a housing defining a fluid passage. An electroforming chamber can be located within the housing and fluidly coupled to the fluid passage via a set of apertures in at least one wall of the electroforming chamber.

Claims

1. An electroforming reservoir, comprising:

a body having a first portion and a second portion operably coupled to form an electroforming chamber with a fluid passage formed peripherally around the electroforming chamber, the body defining a housing including the first portion and the second portion, each of the first portion and the second portion having an exterior wall and an interior wall spaced apart from the exterior wall to define a portion of the fluid passage, when the first portion and the second portion are operably coupled a housing exterior wall and a housing interior wall are defined, the housing interior wall further defining the electroforming chamber radially interior of the housing interior wall, the housing interior wall at least partially separating the electroforming chamber from the fluid passage;

a set of apertures in the housing interior wall fluidly coupling the fluid passage and the electroforming chamber; and

anodes operably coupled to the housing interior wall within the electroforming chamber.

2. The electroforming reservoir of claim 1 wherein the electroforming chamber is configured to receive a workpiece defining a cathode.

3. The electroforming reservoir of claim 2, further comprising a pedestal located within the electroforming chamber and configured to receive the workpiece in a predetermined position within the electroforming chamber.

4. The electroforming reservoir of claim 1 wherein the anodes located within the electroforming chamber comprise non-sacrificial anodes.

5. The electroforming reservoir of claim 4 wherein the non-sacrificial anodes are conformable about a workpiece located within the electroforming chamber.

6. The electroforming reservoir of claim 5 wherein the conformable non-sacrificial anodes comprise titanium strips.

7. The electroforming reservoir of claim 1, further comprising at least one drain opening in a base of the electroforming reservoir and fluidly coupled to the electroforming chamber.

8. The electroforming reservoir of claim 2 wherein the set of apertures are configured to advance fluid towards the workpiece in a predetermined direction.

9. The electroforming reservoir of claim 1 wherein the electroforming reservoir comprises a two-piece body configured to couple together to form the fluid passage and electroforming chamber.

10. The electroforming reservoir of claim 1, wherein the anodes coupled to the housing interior wall are formed to have the same geometric profile as the housing interior wall.

11. A system for electroforming a component, comprising:

a dissolution reservoir containing an electrolytic fluid and a first anode;

a power source electrically coupled to the first anode; and

an electroforming reservoir, comprising;

a body having a first portion and a second portion operably coupled to form an electroforming chamber with a fluid passage formed peripherally around the electroforming chamber, the body defining a housing including the first portion and the second portion, each of the first portion and the second portion having an exterior wall and an interior wall spaced apart from the exterior wall to define a portion of the fluid passage, when the first portion and the second portion are operably coupled a housing exterior wall and a housing interior wall are defined, the housing interior wall further defining the electroforming chamber radially interior of the housing interior wall, the housing interior wall at least partially separating the electroforming chamber from the fluid passage;

a set of apertures in the housing interior wall fluidly coupling the fluid passage and the electroforming chamber; and

at least one second anode coupled to the housing interior wall within the electroforming chamber, with the at least one second anode formed to have the same geometric profile as the housing interior wall.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the first anode comprises a sacrificial anode including at least one of nickel or cobalt coins, the at least one second anode comprises titanium strips, and the electrolytic fluid comprises nickel sulfamate.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising an inlet conduit and a drain conduit at least partially defining a recirculation circuit between the dissolution reservoir and the electroforming chamber.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a pump fluidly coupled to the recirculation circuit.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the at least one second anode is electrically coupled to the power source.

16. A method of electroforming a component in the system of claim 11, the method comprising:

supplying the electrolytic fluid to the fluid passage in the electroforming reservoir;

flowing the electrolytic fluid from the fluid passage through the set of apertures in the housing interior wall to the electroforming chamber having a workpiece and the at least one second anode along the housing interior wall; and

forming a metal layer on the workpiece to define an electroformed component.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the supplying the electrolytic fluid includes continuously supplying the electrolytic fluid from the dissolution reservoir fluidly coupled to the electroforming reservoir.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein a recirculation circuit fluidly couples the dissolution reservoir and the electroforming chamber and the supplying the electrolytic fluid includes continuously circulating the electrolytic fluid through the recirculation circuit.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein supplying the electrolytic fluid to the electroforming chamber includes impinging the electrolytic fluid upon the workpiece within the electroforming chamber.