Patent ID: 6863937
Filing Date: 2005-03-08
Classification: C23C,H01J

Abstract:
1. A method of operating an electron beam physical vapor deposition coating apparatus, the method comprising the steps of: mounting an article on a support within a loading chamber that is adjacent a preheat chamber; establishing an absolute pressure of between 10 moving the article into the preheat chamber; establishing an elevated temperature and an absolute pressure of between about 10 moving the article into the coating zone within the condensate hood, coating the condensate hood having a reflective member located within the coating chamber such that the article is between the reflective member and a coating material located within the coating chamber, the reflective member being in a first position relative to the molten coating material; operating an electron beam gun to project an electron beam onto the ceramic material so as to form a molten pool of the coating material, form vapors of the coating material within the coating zone and deposit the vapors on the article, the article being subject to heat radiated by the molten pool and to radiative heat emitted by the molten pool and reflected back toward the article by the reflective member; and as the temperature within the coating zone rises, moving the reflective member to a second position farther further from the molten pool of the coating material so that the article is subject to less reflective heating by the reflective member, the reflective member operating with the condensate hood so that the absolute pressure within the coating zone remains higher than the pressure within the region of the coating chamber outside the condensate hood.