1. 1 Five Axis Laser Welding for Repair of Turbine Engine Components NCMS/CTMA Symposium: Track 1 Terry L. VanderWert PRIMA North America, Inc.

2. 2 Outline  Laser welding technology overview  A History of success  Applications and benefits  Repair applications  Potential benefits  Barriers  Potential projects  Summary

3. 3 Laser Welding – A History of Success Automotive – Body-in-White, Gear box, Sensors Medical – Pacemakers, Implants, Surgical Instruments Electronics – Hybrid packages, Sensors, Transducers Military –Microwave devices, IR Sensors, Gyroscope Aerospace – Fuselage Panels, Sensors Turbine Engine Components 70 m laser welded joint

4. 4 Application – Repair of Turbine Engine Components Weld repair of worn blade tips, knife edge seals, rotary seals Weld new sections of blades, NGVs Weld sheet metal sections of combustors Growing Success in Aerospace

5. 5 Reduced weight 1 lb on the engine = 5-10 lbs on the wing structure Growing Success in Aerospace Source: Mendez, P. F., Eagar, T. W., “New Trends in Welding in the Aeronautic Industry”, 2 nd Conference of New Manufacturing Trends, Bilbao, Spain, November 19-20, 2002. Application - Aircraft Fuselage Panel Stringer Welding Military jets: $2,000/lb/100,000 hours

6. 6 Applications and Benefits for Aircraft Fuselage Panel Stringer Welding Reduced weight (fuel savings) Eliminate fasteners and sealing material Modify designs to account for lower heat affected zone. Reduced costs – Welded joint made in half the time of a riveted joint. Improved reliability No rivets to corrode or fatigue No moisture traps

7. 7 Potential Benefits of Laser Welding for Repair Depots  Flexible  Applicable to a wide range of metals and alloys and to a wide range of components  Sheet metal welding (+ cutting + drilling)  Low distortion produces ‘near net shape’ - means minimum post-weld machining and blending operations for repaired components  Readily automated – addresses growing shortage of skilled labor/welders

8. 8 Barriers to Laser Welding in Repair Applications  Process not qualified  Highly concentrated beam creates demand for good joint fit-up prior to and during welding.  Penetration limited by laser power for autogenous welding processes.  High capital equipment costs most often demands high utilization – requires ‘high volume’ applications or multiple applications Source: Industrial Laser Processes – An Introduction, AMT Laser Systems Product Group, 1999.

9. 9 Potential Projects Baffle plate welding Automated seam tracking/in-situ weld quality monitoring Hybrid laser/arc welding

10. 10 Baffle Plate Welding Objective – Extend laser welding of baffle plates to repair applications. Challenges – Tooling designed to address design (joint fit-up; joint type that changes with location) Potential return Improved yield – less scrap, rework Improved process repeatability Reduced cost

11. 11 Automated Seam Tracking - Weld Quality Monitoring Objective – Integrate adaptive tools to reliably track the weld joint and monitor weld quality Challenges High speed machine motion Varying surface conditions Laser weld plume and ejection of material Potential return Greatly reduced set-up times - greater equipment utilization Higher reliability - reduced inspection costs Reduced tooling costs

12. 12 Hybrid Laser/Arc Welding Objective – Adapt hybrid laser + arc welding process to repair applications. Challenges – Integration and control of the laser and arc welding equipment; develop weld process. Source: Moore, P.L., et. al., “Development of Laser, and Laser/Arc Hybrid Welding for Land Pipeline Applications”. Potential return Greater flexibility – wider range of applications Higher weld speeds Improved tolerance to joint fit- up

13. 13 Laser welding is gaining traction as a means for aircraft and turbine engine manufacturers to reduce weight and production costs, and increase product quality. Consistent quality = reduced scrap, rework, inspection. Low distortion and high quality welds. Fast relative to conventional joining processes. Multi-axis laser welding systems with adaptive controls can provide maximum versatility and minimum set-up times. PRIMA North America’s experience in laser welding and integrated multi-axis laser systems can be valuable in adapting this technology to repair depots. Summary Laser Welding - An Enabling Technology