US 12,240,042 B2
System and method for inspecting components fabricated using a powder metallurgy process
Joseph A. Pecina, Lynnwood, WA (US)
Assigned to The Boeing Company, Arlington, VA (US)
Filed by The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL (US)
Filed on Jul. 20, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/813,634.
Prior Publication US 2024/0024955 A1, Jan. 25, 2024
Int. Cl. G01N 15/08 (2006.01); B22F 3/15 (2006.01); B22F 12/90 (2021.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); G01N 29/12 (2006.01)
CPC B22F 12/90 (2021.01) [B22F 3/15 (2013.01); G01N 15/088 (2013.01); G01N 29/12 (2013.01); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); G01N 2291/014 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method, comprising steps of:
fabricating a first inspection standard using a metal injection molding process such that the first inspection standard comprises first voids, induced by a first set of conditions of a sintering operation and a hot isostatic pressing operation of the metal injection molding process, wherein at least one of the conditions in the first set of conditions is different than a nominal set of conditions of the sintering operation and the hot isostatic pressing operation of the metal injection molding process;
fabricating a second inspection standard using the metal injection molding process such that the second inspection standard comprises second voids, induced by a second set of the conditions of the sintering operation and the hot isostatic pressing operation of the metal injection molding process and different than the first voids, wherein at least one of the conditions in the second set of conditions is different than the first set of conditions and the nominal set of conditions;
verifying that the first inspection standard is representative of a lower porosity threshold and the second inspection standard is representative of an upper porosity threshold using a visual nondestructive inspection;
correlating a first reference-response, generated by the first inspection standard during a non-visual nondestructive inspection operation, to the lower porosity threshold;
correlating a second reference-response, generated by the second inspection standard during the non-visual nondestructive inspection operation, to the upper porosity threshold;
creating a reference library for the non-visual nondestructive inspection comprising the first reference-response and the second reference-response; and
qualifying a part, fabricated using a powder metallurgy process, based on the non-visual nondestructive inspection using the first reference-response and the second reference-response of the reference library.