Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatuses for coating flexible substrates are provided. A coating system includes an unwinding module housing a feed reel capable of providing a continuous sheet of flexible material, a winding module housing a take-up reel capable of storing the continuous sheet of flexible material, and a processing module arranged downstream from the unwinding module. The processing module includes a plurality of sub-chambers arranged in sequence, each configured to perform one or more processing operations to the continuous sheet of flexible material. The processing module includes a coating drum capable of guiding the continuous sheet of flexible material past the plurality of sub-chambers along a travel direction. The sub-chambers are radially disposed about the coating drum and at least one of the sub-chambers includes a deposition module. The deposition module includes a pair of electron beam sources positioned side-by-side along a transverse direction perpendicular to the travel direction.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to protective coatings on turbocharger components, such as turbine wheels and compressor wheels, and other rotary equipment components and methods for depositing the protective coatings on such components. In one or more embodiments, a coated turbocharger component is provided and includes a metallic substrate containing a nickel-based alloy or superalloy, a cobalt-based alloy or superalloy, a stainless steel, or a titanium-aluminum alloy and a protective coating disposed on the metallic substrate. The protective coating contains an aluminum oxide having a purity of greater than 99 atomic percent (at %). In some examples, the metallic substrate is a turbine wheel, a compressor wheel, an impeller, a fan blade, a disk, a heat shield, a pulley, or a shaft.

Abstract: A reactor for coating particles includes one or more motors, a rotary vacuum chamber configured to hold particles to be coated, wherein the rotary vacuum chamber is coupled to the motors, a controller configured to cause the motors to rotate the rotary vacuum chamber about an axial axis of the rotary vacuum chamber such that the particles undergo tumbling agitation, a vacuum port to exhaust gas from the rotary vacuum chamber, a paddle assembly including a rotatable drive shaft extending through the rotary vacuum chamber and coupled to the motors and at least one paddle extending radially from the drive shaft, such that rotation of the drive shaft by the motors orbits the paddle about the drive shaft in a second direction, and a chemical delivery system including a gas outlet on the paddle configured inject process gas into the particles.

Abstract: A retaining ring for a polishing process is disclosed. The retaining ring includes a body comprising an upper portion and a lower portion, and a sacrificial surface disposed on the lower portion, the sacrificial surface comprising a negative tapered surface having a taper height that is about 0.0003 inches to about 0.00015 inches.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a platform, a dispenser to deliver a layers of feed material onto the platform, one or more light sources to generate a first light beam and a plurality of second light beams, a galvo mirror scanner to scan the first light beam on a layer of feed material on the platform, and a plurality of polygon mirror scanners. The galvo mirror scanner has a first field of view that spans a width of a build area of the platform, whereas, each of the plurality of polygon mirror scanners having a second field of view with the plurality of polygon mirror scanners providing a plurality of second fields of view. Each second field of view is a portion of the first field of view, and the plurality of polygon mirror scanners are positioned such that the plurality of second fields of view span the width of the build area of the platform.

Abstract: A reactor for coating particles includes one or more motors, a rotary vacuum chamber configured to hold particles to be coated and coupled to the motors, a controller configured to cause the motors to rotate the chamber in a first direction about an axial axis at a rotation speed sufficient to force the particles to be centrifuged against an inner diameter of the chamber, a vacuum port to exhaust gas from the rotary vacuum chamber, a paddle assembly including a rotatable drive shaft extending through the chamber and coupled to the motors and at least one paddle extending radially from the drive shaft, such that rotation of the drive shaft by the motors orbits the paddle about the drive shaft in a second direction, and a chemical delivery system including a gas outlet on the paddle configured inject process gas into the particles.

Abstract: A reactor for coating particles includes one or more motors, a rotary vacuum chamber configured to hold particles to be coated, wherein the rotary vacuum chamber is coupled to the motors, a controller configured to cause the motors to rotate the rotary vacuum chamber about an axial axis of the rotary vacuum chamber such that the particles undergo tumbling agitation, a vacuum port to exhaust gas from the rotary vacuum chamber, a paddle assembly including a rotatable drive shaft extending through the rotary vacuum chamber and coupled to the motors and at least one paddle extending radially from the drive shaft, such that rotation of the drive shaft by the motors orbits the paddle about the drive shaft in a second direction, and a chemical delivery system including a gas outlet on the paddle configured inject process gas into the particles.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a platform, a dispenser configured to deliver a plurality of successive layers of feed material on the platform, at least one energy source to selectively fuse feed material in a layer on the platform, and an air knife supply unit. The air knife supply unit includes a tube having a plurality of holes spaced along a length of the tube, a multi-fluted helical screw positioned in the tube, a gas inlet configured to supply a gas into an end of the tube with the screw configured to guide the gas from the gas inlet through the tube and out the holes, and a spiral plenum surrounding the tube with the spiral plenum including an inner end to receive gas from the holes and an outer end to deliver the gas over the platform.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a platform, a dispenser to deliver a plurality of successive layers of feed material on the platform, a light source to generate one or more light beams, a first galvo mirror scanner positioned to direct a first light beam onto a topmost layer of the plurality of successive layers, a second galvo mirror scanner positioned to direct a second light beam onto the topmost layer of the plurality of successive layers, and a controller configured to cause the first galvo mirror scanner to direct the first light beam to pre-heat or heat-treat an area of the topmost layer and to cause the second galvo mirror scanner to direct the second light beam to fuse the area of the topmost layer.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing system includes a platform to support an object to be fabricated, a dispenser to deliver a plurality of layers of a feed material over the platform, a controller configured to store digital data representing a pre-defined pattern, a laser configured to generate a laser beam to impinge an outermost layer of the feed material and coupled to the controller to fuse the feed material in the pre-defined pattern, and a plurality of independently controllable infrared lamps, each infrared lamp directed to a different section of an outermost layer of the feed material.

Abstract: A method of additive manufacturing includes storing a plurality of predetermined cell processing recipes, dispensing a layer of a plurality of successive layers of feed material on a platform, receiving data describing an area of the layer of the feed material to fuse, determining a combination of a plurality of non-overlapping cells that substantially cover the area, and sequentially processing the plurality of cells. Each cell processing recipe includes scan path data indicating a path for an energy beam to follow, and different cell processing recipes having different paths for the energy beam. Each cell of the plurality of cells gets an associated cell processing recipe selected from the plurality of predetermined cell processing recipes. Each cell is processed by causing an energy beam to follow the first path for the cell processing recipe associated with the cell.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing system includes a platform, a dispenser to dispense a plurality of layers of feed material on a top surface of the platform, a light source to generate a first light beam and a second light beam, a polygon mirror scanner, a galvo mirror scanner positioned adjacent to the polygon mirror scanner, and a controller. The controller is coupled to the light source, the polygon mirror scanner and the galvo mirror scanner, and the controller is configured to cause the light source and polygon mirror scanner to apply the first light beam to a region of the layer of feed material, and to cause the light source and galvo mirror scanner to apply the second light beam to at least a portion of the region of the layer of feed material.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing system includes a factory interface chamber, a load lock chamber, a first valve to fluidically seal the factory interface chamber from the load lock chamber, an additive manufacturing chamber including a dispensing system to deliver a plurality of layers of a powder to a build platform and an energy source to apply energy to the powder dispensed on the top surface of the build platform, at least a second valve to fluidically seal the load lock chamber from the additive manufacturing chamber, and a plurality of supports and actuators that provide a transport tool to carry the build platform from the factory interface unit, through the load lock chamber, to the additive manufacturing chamber, and back to the factory interface chamber.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming an anode electrode structure are provided. The deposition apparatus comprises a first spool chamber capable of housing a storage spool operable to provide the flexible substrate. The deposition apparatus further comprises a first deposition chamber arranged downstream from the first spool chamber. The first deposition chamber comprises a first coating drum capable of guiding the flexible substrate past a first plurality of deposition units capable of depositing lithium metal on the flexible substrate. The deposition apparatus further comprises a second deposition chamber arranged downstream from the first deposition chamber. The second deposition chamber comprises a second coating drum capable for guiding the flexible substrate past a second deposition unit comprising an evaporation crucible capable of depositing a ceramic protective film on the lithium metal film.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein provide apparatus, software applications, and methods of a coating process, such as an Electron Beam Physical Vapor Deposition (EBPVD) of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) on objects. The objects may include aerospace components, e.g., turbine vanes and blades, fabricated from nickel and cobalt-based super alloys. The apparatus, software applications, and methods described herein provide at least one of the ability to detect an endpoint of the coating process, i.e., determine when a thickness of a coating satisfies a target value, and the ability for closed-loop control of process parameters.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein provide apparatus, software applications, and methods of a coating process, such as an Electron Beam Physical Vapor Deposition (EBPVD) of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) on objects. The objects may include aerospace components, e.g., turbine vanes and blades, fabricated from nickel and cobalt-based super alloys. The apparatus, software applications, and methods described herein provide at least one of the ability to detect an endpoint of the coating process, i.e., determine when a thickness of a coating satisfies a target value, and the ability for closed-loop control of process parameters.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for depositing material on a continuous substrate are provided herein. In some embodiments, an apparatus for processing a continuous substrate includes: a first chamber having a first volume; a second chamber having a second volume fluidly coupled to the first volume; and a plurality of process chambers, each having a process volume defining a processing path between the first chamber and the second chamber, wherein the process volume of each process chamber is fluidly coupled to each other, to the first volume, and to the second volume, and wherein the first chamber, the second chamber, and the plurality of process chambers are configured to process a continuous substrate that extends from the first chamber, through the plurality of process chambers, and to the second chamber.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a platform, a dispenser to dispense successive layers of feed material on the platform, a heat source above the platform, an energy source to emit a beam of energy to impinge a second region of the topmost layer, a sensor system to measure temperatures of the topmost layer of feed material and to measure a dimension of a melt pool in the second region, and a controller. The heat source is configured to deliver energy to a first region of a topmost layer of the successive layers of feed material to pre-heat and/or heat-treat the first region. The controller is configured to operate the heat source to heat the topmost layer of feed material based on the measured temperatures, and operate the energy source to fuse feed material in the topmost layer based on the measured dimension.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for continuous web processing systems for pre-lithiating Li-ion battery substrates is provided. The modular processing system comprises a common transfer chamber body defining a transfer volume. The system further comprises a first vertical chamber body defining a first processing volume and positioned on the common transfer chamber body. The transfer volume is in fluid communication with the first processing volume. The system further comprises a second vertical chamber body defining a second processing volume and positioned on the common transfer chamber body. The transfer volume is in fluid communication with the second processing volume. The system further comprises a reel-to-reel system operable to transport a continuous flexible substrate having an electrode structure formed thereon.

Abstract: A reactor for coating particles includes one or more motors, a rotary vacuum chamber configured to hold particles to be coated and coupled to the motors, a controller configured to cause the motors to rotate the chamber in a first direction about an axial axis at a rotation speed sufficient to force the particles to be centrifuged against an inner diameter of the chamber, a vacuum port to exhaust gas from the rotary vacuum chamber, a paddle assembly including a rotatable drive shaft extending through the chamber and coupled to the motors and at least one paddle extending radially from the drive shaft, such that rotation of the drive shaft by the motors orbits the paddle about the drive shaft in a second direction, and a chemical delivery system including a gas outlet on the paddle configured inject process gas into the particles.