Abstract: A system (50) and method (200) for repairing one or more components (70) using an additive manufacturing process includes securing the components (70) in a tooling assembly (52) such that a repair surface (72) of each component (70) is positioned within a single build plane (82), determining a repair toolpath (76) corresponding to the repair surface (72) of each component using a vision system (56), depositing a layer of additive powder (72) over the repair surface (72) of each component (70) using a powder dispensing assembly (112), and selectively irradiating the layer of additive powder (72) along the repair toolpath (76) to fuse the layer of additive powder (72) onto the repair surface (72) of each component (70).

Abstract: A seal assembly to seal a gas turbine hot gas path flow at an interface of a combustor liner and a downstream component, such as a stage one turbine nozzle, in a gas turbine. The seal assembly including a piston ring seal housing, defining a cavity, and a piston ring disposed within the cavity. The piston ring disposed circumferentially about the combustor liner. The piston ring is responsive to a regulated pressure to secure sealing engagement of the piston ring and outer surface of the combustor liner. The seal assembly includes at least one of one or more sectional through-slots, bumps or channel features to provide for a flow therethrough of a high-pressure (Phigh) bypass airflow exiting a compressor to the cavity. The high-pressure (Phigh) bypass airflow exerting a radial force on the piston ring.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing system may include a controller operably coupled to a vision system and an additive manufacturing machine. The controller may be configured to determine a workpiece-interface of each of a plurality of workpieces from one or more digital representations of one or more fields of view having been captured by a vision system and determining one or more coordinates of the workpiece-interface of respective ones of the plurality of workpieces, and to transmit one or more print commands to an additive manufacturing machine so as to additively print a plurality of extension segments on the workpiece-interface of respective ones of the plurality of workpieces, with the one or more print commands having been generated based at least in part on the one or more digital representations of the one or more fields of view.

Abstract: Provided are workpiece-assemblies, and systems and methods for aligning a plurality of workpieces with a build plane. A system may include an alignment plate, one or more elevating blocks, and a workpiece-assembly. A workpiece-assembly may include a build plate that has a plurality of workpiece docks, a plurality of workpiece shoes that have a slot configured to receive a portion of one or more workpieces respectively inserted or insertable into the plurality of workpiece docks, a plurality of biasing members respectively situated or situatable between the build plate and the plurality of workpiece shoes so as to exert a biasing force upon the workpiece shoes, and one or more clamping mechanisms coupled or couplable to the build plate and operable to secure the plurality of workpiece shoes within the respective workpiece docks.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing system may include a controller operably coupled to a vision system and an additive manufacturing machine. The controller may be configured to determine in a library-CAD model, a nominal model-interface traversing a nominal model corresponding to a workpiece, to compare the nominal model-interface of the library-CAD model to a digital representation of a workpiece-interface of the workpiece, where the digital representation has been obtained using the vision system, and to generate a model of an extension segment based at least in part on the nominal model-interface, with the model of the extension segment being configured to be additively printed on the workpiece-interface of the workpiece.

Abstract: Methods of additively printing an extension segment on a workpiece may include pretreating a workpiece-interface of a workpiece using an energy beam from an additive manufacturing machine, providing a pretreated workpiece-interface having received a pretreatment, with the pretreatment remediating an aberrant feature of the workpiece and/or the workpiece-interface. Such methods may additionally include additively printing an extension segment on the pretreated workpiece-interface using the energy beam from the additive manufacturing machine. Exemplary additive manufacturing system for printing an extension segment on a workpiece may include a controller operably coupled to a vision system and an additive manufacturing machine.

Abstract: A seal assembly to seal a gas turbine hot gas path flow at an interface of a combustor liner and a downstream component, such as a stage one turbine nozzle, in a gas turbine. The seal assembly including a piston ring seal housing, defining a cavity, and a piston ring disposed within the cavity. The piston ring disposed circumferentially about the combustor liner. The piston ring is responsive to a regulated pressure to secure sealing engagement of the piston ring and outer surface of the combustor liner. The seal assembly includes at least one of one or more sectional through-slots, bumps or channel features to provide for a flow therethrough of a high-pressure (Phigh) bypass airflow exiting a compressor to the cavity. The high-pressure (Phigh) bypass airflow exerting a radial force on the piston ring.

Abstract: Coating systems for a cooled turbine blade tip, such as a metal turbine blade tip, are provided. The coating system includes an abrasive layer overlying the surface of the turbine blade tip. One or more buffer layers may additionally be disposed between an outer surface of the blade tip and the abrasive layer. The coated blade tip can be used with a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) shroud coated with an environmental barrier coating (EBC) to provide improved cooling to the tip so as to lengthen oxidation time of the abrasive layer and reduce blade tip wear. Methods are also provided for forming the cooled blade tip and applying the coating system onto the cooled turbine blade tip.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing system may include a controller operably coupled to a vision system and an additive manufacturing machine. The controller may be configured to determine a workpiece-interface of each of a plurality of workpieces from one or more digital representations of one or more fields of view having been captured by a vision system and determining one or more coordinates of the workpiece-interface of respective ones of the plurality of workpieces, and to transmit one or more print commands to an additive manufacturing machine so as to additively print a plurality of extension segments on the workpiece-interface of respective ones of the plurality of workpieces, with the one or more print commands having been generated based at least in part on the one or more digital representations of the one or more fields of view.

Abstract: A build plate-clamping assembly may include a work station having a build plate-receiving surface and a lock-pin extending from the build plate-receiving surface of the work station. The lock-pin may include a hollow pin body, a piston disposed within the hollow pin body, with the piston axially movable from a retracted position to an actuated position, and a plurality of detents, with the plurality of detents radially extensible through respective ones of a plurality of detent-apertures in the hollow pin body responsive to the piston having been axially moved to the actuated position. A methods of working on workpieces may include lockingly engaging a build plate at a first work station, performing a first work-step, releasing the build plate from the first work station, lockingly engaging the build plate at a second work station, and performing a second work-step.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing machine includes a build platform being movable along a build direction and a powder supply assembly for dispensing additive powder above a build plane. A recoating assembly is used for spreading the additive powder into a build layer on the powder bed. The recoating assembly includes a support beam that slidably supports a recoater blade and moves along a recoater direction over the powder bed. A blade positioning mechanism adjusts the vertical position of the recoater blade in response to measurements from a sensing device which measures a tip clearance between the recoater blade and the build plane. The tip clearance may be measured along the length of the recoater blade while stationary and while moving along the recoater direction to obtain a smooth and level layer of additive powder.

Abstract: Provided are workpiece-assemblies, and systems and methods for aligning a plurality of workpieces with a build plane. A system may include an alignment plate, one or more elevating blocks, and a workpiece-assembly. A workpiece-assembly may include a build plate that has a plurality of workpiece docks, a plurality of workpiece shoes that have a slot configured to receive a portion of one or more workpieces respectively inserted or insertable into the plurality of workpiece docks, a plurality of biasing members respectively situated or situatable between the build plate and the plurality of workpiece shoes so as to exert a biasing force upon the workpiece shoes, and one or more clamping mechanisms coupled or couplable to the build plate and operable to secure the plurality of workpiece shoes within the respective workpiece docks.

Abstract: A tooling assembly for mounting a plurality of components, such as compressor blades, in a powder bed additive manufacturing machine to facilitate a repair process is provided. The tooling assembly includes component fixtures configured for receiving each of the compressor blades, a mounting plate for receiving the component fixtures, and a magnet assembly operably coupling the component fixtures to the mounting plate in a desired position and orientation to facilitate an improved printing process.

Abstract: Additive manufacturing systems, methods, and computer readable media may be configured to perform a calibration. Calibrating an additive manufacturing system may include comparing a digital representation of one or more calibration marks to a calibration-CAD model that includes one or more model calibration marks, and applying a calibration adjustment to one or more CAD models based at least in part on the comparison. The digital representation of the one or more calibration marks may have been obtained using a vision system, and the one or more calibration marks may have been printed on a calibration surface according to the calibration-CAD model using an additive manufacturing machine. The calibration adjustment may be configured to align the one or more CAD models with one or more coordinates of the additive manufacturing system.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing machine for repairing a component includes a build platform that supports the component and a powder dispensing assembly for selectively depositing additive powder over the build platform. A powder seal assembly includes a powder support plate positioned above the build platform and defining an aperture for receiving the component without contacting the component. A clamping mechanism is movable relative to the powder support plate and defines a void for receiving a resilient sealing element around the aperture. An actuating mechanism, such as bolts or a linear actuator, moves the clamping mechanism toward the powder support plate to deform the resilient sealing element until the resilient sealing element contacts and forms a seal with the component.

Abstract: A tooling assembly for mounting a plurality of components, such as compressor blades, in a powder bed additive manufacturing machine to facilitate a repair process is provided. The tooling assembly includes component fixtures configured for receiving each of the compressor blades, a mounting plate for receiving the component fixtures, and a complementary fixture defining a plurality of voids within which the compressor blades are received when the complementary fixture is mounted to the mounting plate such that less powder is required to fill the powder bed.

Abstract: A tooling assembly and method of aligning a plurality of components for a repair process in an additive manufacturing machine includes positioning the plurality of components such that a repair surface of each of the plurality of components contacts an alignment plate, e.g., under the force of gravity or using biasing members. The method further includes surrounding the alignment plate with containment walls to define a reservoir around the plurality of components and dispensing a fill material, such as wax or a potting material, into the reservoir which is configured for fixing a relative position of the plurality of components when the fill material is solidified.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing machine for repairing a component includes a build platform that supports the component and a powder dispensing assembly for selectively depositing additive powder over the build platform. A powder seal assembly includes a powder support plate positioned above the build platform and defining an aperture for receiving the component without contacting the component. An inflatable sealing element is operably coupled to the powder support plate around the aperture and is inflated to contact and seal against the component, thereby forming a support surface above the build platform upon which additive powder may be deposited.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing system may include a controller operably coupled to a vision system and an additive manufacturing machine. The controller may be configured to determine in a library-CAD model, a nominal model-interface traversing a nominal model corresponding to a workpiece, to compare the nominal model-interface of the library-CAD model to a digital representation of a workpiece-interface of the workpiece, where the digital representation has been obtained using the vision system, and to generate a model of an extension segment based at least in part on the nominal model-interface, with the model of the extension segment being configured to be additively printed on the workpiece-interface of the workpiece.

Abstract: A component is fabricated in a powder bed by moving a laser array across the powder bed. The laser array includes a plurality of laser devices. The power output of each laser device of the plurality of laser devices is independently controlled. The laser array emits a plurality of energy beams from a plurality of selected laser devices of the plurality of laser devices to generate a melt pool in the powder bed. A non-uniform energy intensity profile is generated by the plurality of selected laser devices. The non-uniform energy intensity profile facilitates generating a melt pool that has a predetermined characteristic.