Patent ID: 6871398
Filing Date: 2005-03-29
Classification: B21D,B23K,B23P,F01D,F04D,F05D,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method of manufacturing an article of predetermined finished profile by diffusion bonding at least two metal workpieces comprising the steps of: (a) forming at least two metal workpieces, each metal workpiece has at least one flat surface, each metal workpiece is larger than a predetermined size in at least one direction parallel to the flat surface to form at least one excess portion, the predetermined size is that required to produce the outer profile of the finished article, the at least one excess portion being located outside the outer profile of the finished article, (b) forming at least one groove in the flat surface of the at least one excess portion of the at least one of the least two metal workpieces, (c) assembling the at least two metal workpieces into a stack relative to each other so that the flat surfaces are in mating abutment, (d) evacuating the stack such that the at least one groove enables at least more of the gases in the stack to be removed from the stack, and (e) applying heat and pressure across the thickness of the at least two metal workpieces to diffusion bond the at least two metal workpieces together to form an integral structure, (f) cutting the integral structure such as to remove the excess portions of the at least two metal workpieces and the at least one groove.