Abstract: The present invention includes an apparatus and method by which the three-dimensional form or configuration of a distorted workpiece, such as a turbine component, is reverse engineered, and then this reverse engineering capability is combined with welding equipment, preferably a laser powder fusion welder, all integrally carried within a single machine, whereby a tool path unique to each workpiece is created and the welding machine accurately replaces lost material on the workpiece. The present invention consists of a series of operations or steps, preferably carried out by a single machine.
Type:
Application
Filed:
January 17, 2008
Publication date:
July 24, 2008
Applicant:
S.E. Huffman Corp (a South Carolina corporation)
Inventors:
David E. Drechsler, James N. Cobb, J. Michael Humber