US-12617033-B2 - Manufacturing device for electrochemical machining of a component, in particular a turbine component, method for electrochemical machining of a component, and component

US12617033B2US 12617033 B2US12617033 B2US 12617033B2US-12617033-B2

Abstract

The invention relates to a manufacturing device for the electrochemical machining of a component, in particular a turbine component, wherein the manufacturing device comprises at least one machining device, which is set up to remove material of the component in accordance with a predetermined electrochemical machining method. It is provided that the manufacturing device comprises at least one cleaning device, which is set up to spray jets of the electrolyte solution onto the component in accordance with a predetermined jet-spraying method in order to remove a residue layer formed on the component during the predetermined electrochemical machining method.

Inventors

Kilian Bayer
Benjamin Steininger
Gazmen Dzemajili

Assignees

MTU Aero Engines AG

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20220828
Priority Date: 20210901

Claims (9)

1 . A manufacturing device for the electrochemical machining of a turbine component, comprising: at least one machining device, located in a material removal position within the manufacturing device, wherein the at least one machining device removes material of the turbine component when located at the material removal position, to provide a machined turbine component in accordance with a predetermined electrochemical machining method using an electrolyte solution from a tank thereby leaving a liquid residue layer on the machined turbine component, at least one cleaning device, located in a cleaning position within the manufacturing device, wherein the cleaning position is different from the material removal position, and wherein the at least one cleaning device is configured and arranged to spray jets of the electrolyte solution from the tank onto the machined turbine component moved into the cleaning position in accordance with a predetermined jet-spraying method to remove the liquid residue layer formed on the machined turbine component during the predetermined electrochemical machining method.
2 . The manufacturing device according to claim 1 , wherein the manufacturing device shifts in position and/or rotates the turbine component and/or the machining device to arrange the turbine component in the material removal position in relation to the machining device.
3 . The manufacturing device according to claim 1 , wherein the manufacturing device shifts in position and/or rotates the machined turbine component and/or the cleaning device in order to arrange the machined turbine component in the cleaning position in relation to the cleaning device.
4 . The manufacturing device according to claim 1 , wherein the cleaning device comprises at least one jet-spraying nozzle, which sprays jets, at least one jet, of the electrolyte solution on predetermined regions of the machined turbine component.
5 . The manufacturing device according to claim 4 , wherein the cleaning device comprises at least two jet-spraying nozzles, wherein the jet-spraying nozzles are aligned with respect to each other wherein the jet-spraying directions of the respective jets differ from each other.
6 . The manufacturing device according to claim 1 , wherein the manufacturing device rotates the component during the predetermined electrochemical machining method and/or the machined turbine component during the predetermined cleaning method around at least one predetermined axis in space.
7 . The manufacturing device according to claim 1 , wherein the machining device, the cleaning device, and the component are arranged in a machine chamber of the manufacturing device.
8 . The manufacturing device according to claim 1 , wherein the cleaning device changes the alignment or positioning of at least one of the jet-spraying nozzles.
9 . The manufacturing device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one cleaning device is configured and arranged to spray jets of the electrolyte solution from the tank orthogonally into a surface of the machined turbine component to remove the liquid residue layer formed on the machined turbine component during the predetermined electrochemical machining method.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a manufacturing device for the electrochemical machining of a component, in particular of a turbine component, a method for the electrochemical machining of a component, and a component therefor. Electrochemical treatment methods are employed increasingly in the manufacture of components for turbines. For example, so-called electrochemical machining is known as a method for the exact and very precise machining of surfaces. In electrochemical machining, the component is polarized as the anode in order to machine the surface of the component. A machining device that is intended for machining the component is polarized as the cathode. The component and the machining device are spaced apart by a gap. For this reason, what is involved is a contact-free machining method. The removal of material of the component occurs by electrochemical reactions of the component with an electrolyte solution present in the gap between the component and the machining device. The electrolyte solution can be conveyed through the gap in order to carry away the removed material out of the gap. In conventional operations of electrochemical lowering, distances of the machining device from the component that can lie in the range of 1 to 2 mm are employed. For producing finer structures and forms, the distance can be lowered to values in the range of 10 bis 50 μm and less (precise electrochemical machining). The electrolyte solutions used contain dissociated ions, which move in a directed manner under the influence of the electric field formed by the anode and the cathode. These components can involve those that are used for the production of certain aircraft engine components or the components of already finished components that are to be cleaned, further processed, or repaired or overhauled by use of the electrolyte solution. These components can involve, for example, blisks (blade integrated disks) made of Ni-based or Ti-based alloys, low-pressure turbine disks, and, in general, all components that are to be etched, coated, or cleaned. For example, in electrochemical metal machining, ((precise) electrochemical machining, (P)ECM), alloy constituents of the component are released by means of electrolysis and dissolve in solution as electrolyte. Depending on the material group, an anodic metal release into an aqueous electrolyte solution suitable for this purpose takes place. The metal cations (for example, Ni2+, Fe2+, Fe3+, Cr6+, etc.) that are formed accumulate continuously in the electrolyte solution or else are precipitated directly as metal hydroxide and, for example, are removed from the system by filtration. Normally, for example, a sodium nitrate solution of defined concentration is used for the machining of nickel-based alloys. However, a residue layer can form on the component during the electrochemical machining of components. The residue layer is in liquid form shortly after the electrochemical machining and can be easily removed. After a period of time, the residue layer dries out and a crust forms on the component that needs to be removed from the component. In accordance with the prior art at the present time, it is conventional to conclude the electrochemical machining of the entire component before the residue layer is removed in a subsequent step. For cleaning, the component is taken out of a component chamber of the manufacturing device after the electrochemical machining and, as a rule, is processed by means of shot peening in order to remove the residue layer. This subsequent processing of the component, which occurs in a separate device, necessitates a greater manufacturing effort and expense in the manufacture of the component. The increased effort is due to the fact that, after electrochemical machining, the component needs to be removed from the manufacturing device and the shot peening of the component is tedious on account of the hardness of the residue layer that has formed. Known from the prior art are several apparatuses and/or methods for the electrochemical machining of components, some of which are presented below by way of example. Disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,153,411 B2 are a method for cleaning and polishing metal alloys and objects that are cleaned or polished thereby. In the method for cleaning and polishing an alloy, which comprises at least one precious metal and at least one nonprecious metal, it is provided that the method comprises steps of immersing the alloy in an electrolytic acid bath, which comprises at least one chelating agent or complexing agent including sulfur, and the application of a plurality of periodic pulse-reverse waveforms. Disclosed in EP 1 850 995 A2 are a method and a system for electrochemical machining. The electrochemical machining system for machining a component comprises a number of electrochemical machining workstations. A first electrochemical machining workstation machines a first region of the component. A second