The present invention relates to the thermal spraying of tools, more specifically, the present invention relates to metallic thermal sprayed tools having layers of non-metallic sheets impregnated therein.
Industrial processes such as molding and layup of composite materials, thermoforming, injection molding and reaction injection molding require tools having shapes specific to the article to be made. For example, a composite article can be formed in a mold having an internal shape corresponding to the shape of the desired article by laying up fibers and a matrix composition such as an epoxy or other polymeric material on the surface of the mold and curing the polymer composition. In some cases, the fibers and composition are held between two mating mold parts so that the fibers and composition are squeezed between the surfaces of the mold parts. In reaction injection molding, two or more mating mold parts are brought together to form a substantially closed cavity and a reactive polymer composition is placed within the cavity and cured to form a shape corresponding to the shape of the cavity.
There has been an ever-increasing need for large molds in numerous industries. For example, in the aerospace industry, the increasing prevalence of composite structural materials in airframes has lead to a substantial need for practical large molds. These molds often must meet demanding conditions in use. For example, composite parts used in airframes must meet exacting standards for fit and finish and often incorporate complex curved surfaces. Also, many useful materials such as carbon-fiber reinforced graphite composites must be molded at relatively high temperatures. Molds formed from alloys having low coefficients of thermal expansion such as nickel alloys are preferred for bonding these materials.
Thus, the importance of these molds is evident. However, the process of creating such molds has been somewhat difficult. While tools for fabrication of small parts are often machined from solid metals, using conventional machining techniques, these techniques are impractical in the case of very large molds, having dimensions of a meter or more. The cost of machining these large molds from solid blocks of material is prohibitive. However, there have been several innovative and cost effective methods for fabricating such molds proposed.
As described in greater detail in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,817,267 (“the '267 patent”) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,447,704 (“the '704 patent”), the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein, molds and other tools of essentially unlimited dimensions may be formed from a wide variety of metals, including low-expansion nickel and iron alloys, by a thermal spraying process. As described in certain embodiments of the '267 patent, a shell having a working surface with a desired shape can be formed by providing a matrix having the desired shape and spraying droplets of molten metal using a thermal spray gun, such as a plasma spray gun or arc spray gun onto the matrix. Such spraying can be used to build up the metal to a substantial thickness, typically about one-quarter inch (6 mm) or more. During the deposition process, the spray gun is moved relative to the matrix so that the spray gun passes back and forth over the surface of the matrix in a movement direction and so that the spray gun shifts in a step direction transverse to the movement direction between passes. Thus, during at least some successive passes, metal is deposited on the same region of the matrix from two different spray directions in a “crisscross” pattern. The resulting shells have substantial strength and good conformity with the matrix to provide a faithful reproduction of the matrix shape. Although the '267 patent is not limited by any theory of operation, it is believed that deposition of the metal in different spray directions can produce an interwoven pattern of metal droplets and/or metal grains in the deposited shell, and that this produces a stronger, generally better shell.
While the fabrication of large molds, as taught in the '267 and '704 patents, is indeed innovative and cost effective, there is room for improvement. The successful method of fabricating molds as taught in these patents provides a mold that adheres to strict standards placed upon the products for which it is utilized to create. However, the durability of the molds may be improved. Typically, molds of this type are very heavy, which makes them both costly to manufacture and difficult to handle. Similarly, molds in accordance with the '267 and '704 patents are rather large, their vast size coupled with their significant weight making it difficult for them to hold their shape and exact dimensions. Additionally, molds of this type are housed and utilized in an industrial working environment, such as a manufacturing facility, where the molds can be damaged. While damage of this type may be mended, it is often an expensive repair process. The durability of the mold may be improved by incorporation more material into the mold. However, this not only creates cost issues, but also increases the overall weight of the mold.
Therefore, there exists a need for a more durable mold for use in large scale industrial molding processes.
A first aspect of the present invention is a method of making a metal and non-metallic fiber composite mold. The method includes the steps of providing a matrix having a shape to be molded, providing an underlying metal layer on the matrix, placing a sheet over the underlying metal layer, the sheet including a plurality of filaments, the filaments being spaced apart from one another and defining gaps therebetween, and then spray depositing an additional metal layer by making a plurality of passes with at least one spray gun so that the metal of the additional metal layer merges with the metal of the underlying metal layer in the gaps.
Another embodiment of the present invention is another method of making a metal and non-metallic fiber composition. The method includes the steps of providing a matrix having a shape to be molded, providing an underlying metal layer on the matrix, placing a sheet over the underlying metal layer, the sheet including a plurality of filaments, and then spray depositing an additional metal layer by making a plurality of passes with at least one spray gun so that the metal of the additional metal layer merges with the metal of the underlying metal layer. During at least a part of the spray depositing step, the sheet is restrained against the underlying metal layer.
Another aspect of the present invention is a method of molding including providing a mold including a unitary metallic structure having non-metallic reinforcing fibers embedded therein, applying a composition to be molded so that the composition contacts the metallic structure, and curing the composition.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is a mold including a unitary metallic structure having non-metallic reinforcing fibers embedded therein. The structure defining a surface having a shape corresponding to the shape of an article to be molded. The surface being at least one square meter in area.
A more complete appreciation of the subject matter of the present invention and the various advantages thereof can be realized by reference to the following detailed description in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which:
In describing the preferred embodiments of the subject matter illustrated and to be described with respect to the drawings, specific terminology will be used for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to any specific terms used herein, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.
A process for making a mold in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention uses a matrix 10 (shown in
As is shown in
A non-oxidizing gas such as nitrogen may be used as the gas in spraying and may be applied as a gas blanket over the area being sprayed. The use of such a non-oxidizing blanket minimizes oxidation of the metal during the process and promotes bonding of newly-sprayed metal to previously-sprayed metal.
The robot maintains spray gun 18 at a preselected standoff distance or spacing S from the matrix and from the deposited layer. The standoff distance will depend upon the spray conditions and the particular head employed, but most typically, in accordance with the present invention, is about 6-10 inches. As the metal is sprayed from spray gun 18, robot 20 moves the spray gun head 18 in a sweeping pattern over the active surface 12 and the adjacent walls and edge regions of the matrix. Desirably, the robot moves head 18 in a movement direction as, for example, into and out of the plane of the drawing as seen in
The material used to form first or first layer 24 is selected for compatibility with the material to be molded. Particularly in those applications involving elevated temperatures or substantial temperature changes during the molding operation, the material used to form the first layer is selected to have a low coefficient of thermal expansion and to provide substantial strength at elevated temperature. Merely by way of example, materials such as aluminum alloys, ferrous metals such as stainless steels and iron-nickel alloys can be used. Alloys formed predominantly from iron and nickel are particularly preferred for this purpose. As used in this disclosure, a metal formed “predominantly from” certain metals contain at least about 50% of those metals in the aggregate. Thus, a metal formed predominantly from iron and nickel contains at least about 50% iron and nickel in the aggregate and 50% or less of other materials by weight. Alloys of iron and nickel containing between about 30% and about 55% nickel and between about 45% and about 70% iron are particularly preferred. The most preferred low-expansion alloys are those containing about 36% nickel, such as those sold under the commercial designation INVAR®.
Once the desired thickness T of first layer 24 is achieved, the spray process is halted. At this point, first layer 24 is kept at a temperature of above at least 160° F. This may be accomplished through the use of external heating devices. With first layer 24 completely sprayed and in place, a first sheet 30, made up of a plurality of filaments 32, is placed on the outer surface 28 of first layer 24. This can be seen in
A means for further holding down first sheet 30, such as wire mesh 34, is then placed over first sheet 30. This can also be seen in
With wire mesh 34 in place, spray gun 18 is utilized to spray a second layer 44 over first sheet 30. As was the case in the spraying of first layer 24, spray gun 18 is spaced a distance S from the outer surface 28 of first layer 24. However, to begin spraying second layer 44, spray gun 18 is angled so that spray direction 22 is approximately forty five degrees with respect to outer surface 28 of first layer 24. A single pass is then made with spray gun 18 oriented in this fashion. This forty five degree orientation allows for the sprayed metal droplets to, not only impinge in between each filament 32 of first sheet 30, but also to get under each individual filament 32 and deflect up onto the underside 33 (shown in
After this single pass, spray gun 18 is reoriented in its standard ninety degree orientation, as discussed above, and one or more, typically two, additional passes are made with wire mesh 34 in place. The additional passes further bind first sheet 30 to the shell, but do not fully encapsulate the wires of mesh 34. Upon the completion of these additional passes, wire mesh 34 is removed from its position, leaving first sheet 30 with a semi-completed second layer 44 formed over it. Thereafter, spray gun 18 passes are continued, in the manner discussed above in the description of the formation of first layer 24, until a desired thickness of second layer 44 is achieved. Like that of first layer 24, the desired thickness may be any thickness, preferably approximately 0.062 inches at every point over the entire area of second layer 44. Although first layer 24, first sheet 30, and second layer 44 are depicted in
The above steps may be repeated, thereby creating a shell with alternating layers of spray deposited metal (like that of first layer 24 and second layer 44) and carbon reinforcing sheets (like that of first sheet 30). In fact, the above steps may be repeated until any desired shell overall thickness is achieved. For example, in certain embodiments, the shell consists of four 0.062 inch sprayed metal layers and three 0.002 inch sheets, thereby having a total shell thickness of approximately one quarter inch. However, it is contemplated that other metal layer/sheet combinations can be utilized to achieve many different shell thicknesses. The end result of the above discussed steps is to from an integral, unitary shell, incorporating the metal spray deposited in all of the various layers, with the sheets disposed between each pair of adjacent metal layers.
The shell has a working surface 26 corresponding to the interior surface of first layer 24 and conforming to the shape of matrix 10. As described in greater detail in the '267 patent, the shell can be allowed to cool gradually, desirably over a period of several hours and preferably over a longer time before being removed from matrix 10. For example, very large molds may be cooled from about 150° C. to about 20° C. over a period of several weeks in a temperature controlled environment with subsequent cooling at normal room temperature. It is believed that such gradual cooling tends to stabilize the shell and prevent warpage when the shell is removed from matrix 10. As also described in the '267 patent, those portions of shell extending along side walls 16 of matrix 10 form ribs projecting from the remainder of the shell which further tend to stiffen the shell and reinforce it against warpage. Those ribs may remain in place in the finished shell or else may be removed after cooling.
The completed shell can be used as a mold or a mold component. For example, in reaction injection molding or blow molding, two such assemblies can be engaged with one another so that their shells form a closed cavity and a molten composition can be squeezed between the shells. In other processes such as thermoforming and some lay up processes, only one shell is employed.
As described in the '267 patent, the mold surfaces can be polished or otherwise treated to provide the desired surface finish. Also, the metal layers formed by thermal spraying may be porous or may be dense and substantially non-porous, depending upon the spray deposition conditions. The working surfaces of the mold may be impregnated with a polymer or with a metal such as nickel by electroplating or electroless plating. Polymeric coatings such as homopolymers and copolymers of tetrachlorethylene, flouranated ethylene propylene, perofluoro alkoxyethylene, acrylics, vinylidene fluorides and amides can be applied by conventional coating and impregnation techniques to enhance the release properties of the mold and to decrease its porosity. Surface treatments such as those sold under the registered trademarks TUFRAM and NEDOX, release agents such as those sold under the registered trademark PLASMADIZE and coatings such as those sold under the registered trademark LECTROFLUOR, all available from the General Magnaplate Corporation of Linden, N.J. may be applied on the working surfaces of the shells.
Finally, numerous variations and combinations of the features discussed above can be employed without departing from the present invention. It is contemplated that the above discussed steps for forming shell can be modified in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention. For example, all three passes made with wire mesh 34 in place could be completed with the spray direction 22 being oriented in the forty five degree orientation. Similarly, wire mesh 34 can be placed on or removed from its position over first sheet 30 after any amount of passes of spray gun 18.
Also, it is not essential to form every metal layer by spray deposition. For example, the first or underlying layer 24 can be formed in part or in whole by other processes, such as by plating and the remaining thickness of the shell can be formed by the steps as discussed above.
Although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
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