DED Repair with Integrated Machining

Aftermarket repair and overhaul of turbine engines is a vital and necessary service that ensures continued operation and reliability for the operators. Due to the harsh environment and extreme operating conditions, many turbine engine components need some degree of repair to restore the functionality of the part. One of the most common repairs utilizes welding, specifically weld build-up of the damaged area and then machining to restore dimensions. To perform this repair, the traditional process includes the following steps: (1) machine the damaged area away in preparation for weld, (2) manually weld the damaged area with sufficient metal, and (3) final machine the weld build-up to finish dimensions.
The University of Arizona has obtained a Meltio DED+CNC machine that is capable of both welding and machining in one machine cell. This project will explore the ability of the machine to perform the traditional repair steps outlined above – including automation of the weld repair and automation of the machining steps. The capstone group will focus their efforts on a turbine bearing housing – or a similar geometry – where the damaged half is cut away and then welded and machined back to intended dimensions