US 11,945,047 B2
Composite forming system combining additive manufacturing and forging and methods for same
Zirong Zhai, ShangHai (CN); Dalong Zhong, ShangHai (CN); Yingna Wu, ShangHai (CN); Bin Wei, Niskayuna, NY (US); Yong Yang, ShangHai (CN); and Xiaobin Chen, ShangHai (CN)
Assigned to General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
Appl. No. 16/759,025
Filed by General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
PCT Filed Oct. 26, 2018, PCT No. PCT/US2018/057749
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 24, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/084430, PCT Pub. Date May 2, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 201711013952.7 (CN), filed on Oct. 26, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2021/0178520 A1, Jun. 17, 2021
Int. Cl. B23K 26/354 (2014.01); B21J 5/00 (2006.01); B22F 10/25 (2021.01); B22F 10/28 (2021.01); B22F 10/50 (2021.01); B23K 26/34 (2014.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); B33Y 30/00 (2015.01); B33Y 40/00 (2020.01); B33Y 40/20 (2020.01); B22F 12/00 (2021.01)
CPC B23K 26/354 (2015.10) [B21J 5/002 (2013.01); B22F 10/25 (2021.01); B22F 10/28 (2021.01); B22F 10/50 (2021.01); B23K 26/34 (2013.01); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 30/00 (2014.12); B33Y 40/00 (2014.12); B33Y 40/20 (2020.01); B22F 12/222 (2021.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An additive manufacturing system, comprising:
a material conveyor configured to feed a material;
an energy source configured to direct an energy beam toward the material to fuse at least a portion of the material to form a solidified part;
a microforging device movable along with the material conveyor for forging the solidified part, wherein the microforging device comprises a first forging hammer configured to impact the solidified part to generate a first deformation and a second forging hammer configured to impact the solidified part to generate a second deformation greater than the first deformation, and wherein the microforging device is movable relative to the material conveyor between a hot forging position and a cold forging position farther away from the material conveyor than the hot forging position;
a connector, wherein the material conveyor and the microforging device are each attached to the connector, and the microforging device is movable along the connector relative to the material conveyor between the hot forging position and the cold forging position;
a control device that controls the microforging device by operating the first forging hammer at a first frequency and operating the second forging hammer at a second frequency greater than the first frequency to generate the second deformation greater than the first deformation; and
a polishing device synchronously movable with the microforging device that can polish the solidified part after the microforging device forges the solidified part by abrading or cutting a surface of the solidified part by physical contact between the surface and the polishing device, wherein the polishing device is attached to the connector.