公开(公告)号：US20220260050A1

公开(公告)日：2022-08-18

申请号：US17627198

申请日：2019-07-16

Applicant: General Electric Company

Inventor： James Robert Tobin ,  Andrew McCalip ,  Lauren Laurer Watts ,  Hongyi Zhou ,  Huijuan Dai ,  Collin McKee Sheppard

IPC: F03D1/06 ,  B29C43/36 ,  B29C43/52 ,  B29C70/52

Abstract: A system for manufacturing a panel includes a support frame, a first caul plate arranged atop the support frame, a second caul plate arranged atop the first caul plate, and a heating assembly having a housing defining an inlet and an outlet. The housing includes one or more heaters. The heater(s) is configured to generate heat and the housing is configured to generate a first pressurized gas film. Thus, one or more layers of material to be consolidated may be placed between the first and second caul plates and drawn through the heating assembly as the heating assembly applies pressure to the one or more layers of material to be consolidated via the first pressurized gas film in combination with applying the heat via the one or more heaters, thereby consolidating the panel.

公开(公告)号：US20220250309A1

公开(公告)日：2022-08-11

申请号：US17629994

申请日：2019-07-26

Applicant: General Electric Company

Inventor： James Robert Tobin ,  Andrew McCalip ,  Collin McKee Sheppard ,  Jacob David Frady

IPC: B29C64/106 ,  B29C64/209 ,  B29C64/218 ,  B29C64/314 ,  B29C64/295 ,  B29C64/321 ,  B33Y10/00 ,  B33Y30/00 ,  B33Y40/10 ,  B33Y80/00

Abstract: A method for forming an article includes placing at least one forming tool of the article adjacent to a substrate, the at least one forming tool having a predefined shape and/or height. The method also includes extruding a bead of material from a printer head of a print head assembly directly into or onto the forming tool(s) of the article so as to increase a height of the bead of material via the forming tool(s), thereby reducing or eliminating a number of extruded layers of the material. Further, the method includes allowing the material to solidify to form the article. Thus, by using the forming tool(s), multiple printed layers of the material can be eliminated or reduced.