Patent Description:
Machine or device components frequently experience damage, wear, and/or degradation throughout their service life. For example, serviced compressor blades of a gas turbine engine show erosion, defects, and/or cracks after long term use. Specifically, for example, such blades are subject to significant stresses which inevitably cause blades to wear over time, particularly near the tip of the blade. For example, blade tips are susceptible to wear or damage from friction or rubbing between the blade tips and shrouds, from chemical degradation or oxidation from hot gasses, from fatigue caused by cyclic loading and unloading, from diffusion creep of crystalline lattices, etc..

Notably, worn or damaged blades may result in machine failure or performance degradation if not corrected. Specifically, such blades may cause a turbomachine to exhibit reduced operating efficiency as gaps between blade tips and turbine shrouds may allow gasses to leak through the turbine stages without being converted to mechanical energy. When efficiency drops below specified levels, the turbomachine is typically removed from service for overhaul and refurbishment. Moreover, weakened blades may result in complete fractures and catastrophic failure of the engine.

As a result, compressor blades for a gas turbine engine are typically the target of frequent inspections, repairs, or replacements. It is frequently very expensive to replace such blades altogether, however, some can be repaired for extended lifetime at relatively low cost (as compared to replacement with entirely new blades). Nevertheless, existing repair processes tend to be labor intensive and time consuming.

For example, a traditional compressor blade tip repair process uses a welding/cladding technique where repair materials are supplied, in either powder or wire form, to the blade tips. The repair materials are melted by focused power source (e.g., laser, e-beam, plasma arc, etc.) and bonded to blade tips. However, blades repaired with such welding/cladding technique need tedious post-processing to achieve the target geometry and surface finish. Specifically, due to the bulky feature size of the welding/cladding repair joint, the repaired blades require heavy machining to remove the extra materials on the tip, and further require a secondary polishing process to achieve a target surface finish. Notably, such a process is performed on a single blade at a time, is very labor intensive and tedious, and results in very large overall labor costs for a single repair.

Alternatively, other direct-energy-deposition (DED) methods may be used for blade repair, e.g., such as cold spray, which directs high-speed metal powders to bombard the target or base component such that the powders deform and deposit on the base component. However, none of these DED methods are suitable for batch processing or for repairing a large number of components in a time efficient manner, thus providing little or no business value.

Accordingly, novel systems and methods have been developed and are presented herein for repairing or rebuilding worn compressor blades (or any other components) using a powder bed additive manufacturing process. Specifically, such a repair process generally includes removing the worn portion of each of a plurality of compressor blades, positioning the plurality of compressor blades on a build platform of an additive manufacturing machine, determining the precise location of each blade tip, and printing repair segments directly onto the blade tips, layer by layer, until the compressor blades reach their original dimensions or another suitable target size and shape.

One of the key challenges with such a novel additive manufacturing DMLM repair procedures described herein relates to aligning the blade tips at the same vertical height to facilitate the powder depositing and recoating processes. Specifically, the recoating process generally uses a recoater blade that scrapes or spreads additive powder into a layer on the powder bed prior to fusing a portion of that layer. However, if a blade tip is too far above a desired height, physical contact with the recoater may occur, causing a failure of the recoating process. By contrast, if a blade tip is too far below the desired height, proper fusing of the layer of deposited additive powder to the blade may not occur, e.g., because the melt pool is not deep enough to form a proper bond with the blade tip.

Another challenge in such novel additive manufacturing repair procedures relates to the loading, unloading, and handling additive powder which is used to fill the powder bed. In this regard, to perform a repair process on the tip of a blade, the powder bed must first be loaded with additive powder to the height of the blade tips. Such a process generally includes manually loading the additive powder, which is time-consuming and can also be costly, especially for components with large dimensions in the build orientation, e.g., the height of the blades. Moreover, any unpacked additive powder might collapse during printing, resulting in failure of recoating. In addition, filling the entire volume of the powder bed which is not filled by components to be repaired can require a large volume of powder which must be added prior to printing, removed after printing, and filtered or screened prior to reuse during a subsequent additive manufacturing process. <CIT> discloses a method and device for powder bed additive manufacturing repair of a plurality of components. <CIT> discloses a component carrier for powder bed additive manufacturing repairs. <CIT> discloses methods for making composite tiles.

Accordingly, an improved system and method for repairing components using an additive manufacturing machine would be useful. More particularly, an additive manufacturing machine including tooling assemblies for aligning multiple components and for minimizing powder usage during a powder bed additive manufacturing process would be particularly beneficial.

In one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of aligning a plurality of components for a repair process is provided, according to claim <NUM>.

In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, a tooling assembly for fixing a relative position of a plurality of components is provided, according to claim <NUM>.

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims.

Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

As used herein, the terms "first," "second," and "third" may be used interchangeably to distinguish one component from another and are not intended to signify location or importance of the individual components. In addition, the terms "upstream" and "downstream" refer to the relative direction with respect to the motion of an object or a flow of fluid. For example, "upstream" refers to the direction from which the object has moved or fluid has flowed, and "downstream" refers to the direction to which the object is moving or the fluid is flowing. Furthermore, as used herein, terms of approximation, such as "approximately," "substantially," or "about," refer to being within a ten percent margin of error.

Aspects of the present subject matter are directed to a system and method for repairing one or more components using an additive manufacturing process. The method includes securing the components in a tooling assembly such that a repair surface of each component is positioned within a single build plane, determining a repair toolpath corresponding to the repair surface of each component using a vision system, depositing a layer of additive powder over the repair surface of each component using a powder dispensing assembly, and selectively irradiating the layer of additive powder along the repair toolpath to fuse the layer of additive powder onto the repair surface of each component.

Specifically, aspects of the present subject matter provide a tooling assembly and method of aligning a plurality of components for a repair process in an additive manufacturing machine. The method includes positioning the plurality of components such that a repair surface of each of the plurality of components contacts an alignment plate, e.g., under the force of gravity or using biasing members. The method further includes surrounding the alignment plate with containment walls to define a reservoir around the plurality of components and dispensing a fill material, such as wax or a potting material, into the reservoir which is configured for fixing a relative position of the plurality of components when the fill material is solidified. In this manner, a tips of the plurality of components may be aligned for the repair procedure and the amount of additive powder required to fill the powder bed may be reduced.

As described in detail below, exemplary embodiments of the present subject matter involve the use of additive manufacturing machines or methods. As used herein, the terms "additively manufactured" or "additive manufacturing techniques or processes" refer generally to manufacturing processes wherein successive layers of material(s) are provided on each other to "build-up," layer-by-layer, a three-dimensional component. The successive layers generally fuse together to form a monolithic component which may have a variety of integral subcomponents.

Although additive manufacturing technology is described herein as enabling fabrication of complex objects by building objects point-by-point, layer-by-layer, typically in a vertical direction, other methods of fabrication are possible and within the scope of the present subject matter. For example, although the discussion herein refers to the addition of material to form successive layers, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the methods and structures disclosed herein may be practiced with any additive manufacturing technique or manufacturing technology. For example, embodiments of the present invention may use layer-additive processes, layer-subtractive processes, or hybrid processes.

Suitable additive manufacturing techniques in accordance with the present disclosure include, for example, Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), 3D printing such as by inkjets and laserjets, Sterolithography (SLA), Direct Selective Laser Sintering (DSLS), Electron Beam Sintering (EBS), Electron Beam Melting (EBM), Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS), Laser Net Shape Manufacturing (LNSM), Direct Metal Deposition (DMD), Digital Light Processing (DLP), Direct Selective Laser Melting (DSLM), Selective Laser Melting (SLM), Direct Metal Laser Melting (DMLM), and other known processes.

In addition to using a direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) or direct metal laser melting (DMLM) process where an energy source is used to selectively sinter or melt portions of a layer of powder, it should be appreciated that according to alternative embodiments, the additive manufacturing process may be a "binder jetting" process. In this regard, binder jetting involves successively depositing layers of additive powder in a similar manner as described above. However, instead of using an energy source to generate an energy beam to selectively melt or fuse the additive powders, binder jetting involves selectively depositing a liquid binding agent onto each layer of powder. The liquid binding agent may be, for example, a photo-curable polymer or another liquid bonding agent. Other suitable additive manufacturing methods and variants are intended to be within the scope of the present subject matter.

The additive manufacturing processes described herein may be used for forming components using any suitable material. For example, the material may be plastic, metal, concrete, ceramic, polymer, epoxy, photopolymer resin, or any other suitable material that may be in solid, liquid, powder, sheet material, wire, or any other suitable form. More specifically, according to exemplary embodiments of the present subject matter, the additively manufactured components described herein may be formed in part, in whole, or in some combination of materials including but not limited to pure metals, nickel alloys, chrome alloys, titanium, titanium alloys, magnesium, magnesium alloys, aluminum, aluminum alloys, iron, iron alloys, stainless steel, and nickel or cobalt based superalloys (e.g., those available under the name Inconel® available from Special Metals Corporation). These materials are examples of materials suitable for use in the additive manufacturing processes described herein, and may be generally referred to as "additive materials.

In addition, one skilled in the art will appreciate that a variety of materials and methods for bonding those materials may be used and are contemplated as within the scope of the present disclosure. As used herein, references to "fusing" may refer to any suitable process for creating a bonded layer of any of the above materials. For example, if an object is made from polymer, fusing may refer to creating a thermoset bond between polymer materials. If the object is epoxy, the bond may be formed by a crosslinking process. If the material is ceramic, the bond may be formed by a sintering process. If the material is powdered metal, the bond may be formed by a melting or sintering process. One skilled in the art will appreciate that other methods of fusing materials to make a component by additive manufacturing are possible, and the presently disclosed subject matter may be practiced with those methods.

In addition, the additive manufacturing process disclosed herein allows a single component to be formed from multiple materials. Thus, the components described herein may be formed from any suitable mixtures of the above materials. For example, a component may include multiple layers, segments, or parts that are formed using different materials, processes, and/or on different additive manufacturing machines. In this manner, components may be constructed which have different materials and material properties for meeting the demands of any particular application. In addition, although the components described herein are constructed entirely by additive manufacturing processes, it should be appreciated that in alternate embodiments, all or a portion of these components may be formed via casting, machining, and/or any other suitable manufacturing process. Indeed, any suitable combination of materials and manufacturing methods may be used to form these components.

An exemplary additive manufacturing process will now be described. Additive manufacturing processes fabricate components using three-dimensional (3D) information, for example a three-dimensional computer model, of the component. Accordingly, a three-dimensional design model of the component may be defined prior to manufacturing. In this regard, a model or prototype of the component may be scanned to determine the three-dimensional information of the component. As another example, a model of the component may be constructed using a suitable computer aided design (CAD) program to define the three-dimensional design model of the component.

The design model may include 3D numeric coordinates of the entire configuration of the component including both external and internal surfaces of the component. For example, the design model may define the body, the surface, and/or internal passageways such as openings, support structures, etc. In one exemplary embodiment, the three-dimensional design model is converted into a plurality of slices or segments, e.g., along a central (e.g., vertical) axis of the component or any other suitable axis. Each slice may define a thin cross section of the component for a predetermined height of the slice. The plurality of successive cross-sectional slices together form the 3D component. The component is then "built-up" slice-by-slice, or layer-by-layer, until finished.

In this manner, the components described herein may be fabricated using the additive process, or more specifically each layer is successively formed, e.g., by fusing or polymerizing a plastic using laser energy or heat or by sintering or melting metal powder. For example, a particular type of additive manufacturing process may use an energy beam, for example, an electron beam or electromagnetic radiation such as a laser beam, to sinter or melt a powder material. Any suitable laser and laser parameters may be used, including considerations with respect to power, laser beam spot size, and scanning velocity. The build material may be formed by any suitable powder or material selected for enhanced strength, durability, and useful life, particularly at high temperatures.

Each successive layer may be, for example, between about <NUM> and <NUM>, although the thickness may be selected based on any number of parameters and may be any suitable size according to alternative embodiments. Therefore, utilizing the additive formation methods described above, the components described herein may have cross sections as thin as one thickness of an associated powder layer, e.g., <NUM>, utilized during the additive formation process.

In addition, utilizing an additive process, the surface finish and features of the components may vary as need depending on the application. For example, the surface finish may be adjusted (e.g., made smoother or rougher) by selecting appropriate laser scan parameters (e.g., laser power, scan speed, laser focal spot size, etc.) during the additive process, especially in the periphery of a cross-sectional layer which corresponds to the part surface. For example, a rougher finish may be achieved by increasing laser scan speed or decreasing the size of the melt pool formed, and a smoother finish may be achieved by decreasing laser scan speed or increasing the size of the melt pool formed. The scanning pattern and/or laser power can also be changed to change the surface finish in a selected area.

After fabrication of the component is complete, various post-processing procedures may be applied to the component. For example, post processing procedures may include removal of excess powder by, for example, blowing or vacuuming. Other post processing procedures may include a stress relief process. Additionally, thermal, mechanical, and/or chemical post processing procedures can be used to finish the part to achieve a desired strength, surface finish, and other component properties or features.

Notably, in exemplary embodiments, several aspects and features of the present subject matter were previously not possible due to manufacturing restraints. However, the present inventors have advantageously utilized current advances in additive manufacturing techniques to improve various components and the method of additively manufacturing such components. While the present disclosure is not limited to the use of additive manufacturing to form these components generally, additive manufacturing does provide a variety of manufacturing advantages, including ease of manufacturing, reduced cost, greater accuracy, etc..

Also, the additive manufacturing methods described above enable much more complex and intricate shapes and contours of the components described herein to be formed with a very high level of precision. For example, such components may include thin additively manufactured layers, cross sectional features, and component contours. In addition, the additive manufacturing process enables the manufacture of a single component having different materials such that different portions of the component may exhibit different performance characteristics. The successive, additive nature of the manufacturing process enables the construction of these novel features. As a result, components formed using the methods described herein may exhibit improved performance and reliability.

Referring now to <FIG>, an exemplary additive repair system <NUM> will be described according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject matter. As illustrated, additive repair system <NUM> generally includes a tooling fixture or assembly <NUM>, a material removal assembly <NUM>, a vision system <NUM>, a user interface panel <NUM>, and an additive manufacturing machine or system <NUM>. Furthermore, a system controller <NUM> may be operably coupled with some or all parts of additive repair system <NUM> for facilitating system operation. For example, system controller <NUM> may be operably coupled to user interface panel <NUM> to permit operator communication with additive repair system <NUM>, e.g., to input commands, upload printing toolpaths or CAD models, initiating operating cycles, etc. Controller <NUM> may further be in communication with vision system <NUM> for receiving imaging data and with AM machine <NUM> for performing a printing process.

According to exemplary embodiments, tooling assembly <NUM> is generally configured for supporting a plurality of components in a desired position and orientation. According to exemplary embodiments, tooling assembly <NUM> supports twenty (<NUM>) high pressure compressor blades <NUM> during an additive manufacturing repair process. Specifically, the additive manufacturing process may be a powder bed fusion process (e.g., a DMLM or DMLS process as described above). Although the repaired components are illustrated herein as compressor blades <NUM> of a gas turbine engine, it should be appreciated that any other suitable component may be repaired, such as turbine blades, other airfoils, or components from other machines. In order to achieve proper recoating and to facilitate the printing process, it may be desirable to position all blades <NUM> in the same orientation and at the same height such that a repair surface <NUM> of each blade is in a single build plane. Tooling assembly <NUM> is a fixture intended to secure blades <NUM> in such desired position and orientation.

Material removal assembly <NUM> may include a machine or device configured for grinding, machining, brushing, etching, polishing, wire electrical discharge machining (EDM), cutting, or otherwise substantively modifying a component, e.g., by subtractive modification or material removal. For example, material removal assembly <NUM> may include a belt grinder, a disc grinder, or any other grinding or abrasive mechanism. According to an exemplary embodiment, material removal assembly <NUM> may be configured for removing material from a tip of each blade <NUM> to obtain a desirable repair surface <NUM>. For example, as explained briefly above, material removal assembly <NUM> may remove at least a portion of blades <NUM> that has been worn or damaged, e.g., which may include microcracks, pits, abrasions, defects, foreign material, depositions, imperfections, and the like. According to an exemplary embodiment, each blade <NUM> is prepared using material removal assembly <NUM> to achieve the desired repair surface <NUM>, after which the blades <NUM> are all mounted in tooling assembly <NUM> and leveled appropriately. However, according to alternative embodiments, material removal assembly <NUM> may grind each blade <NUM> as it is fixed in position in tooling assembly <NUM>.

After the blades are prepared, vision system <NUM> may be used to obtain an image or digital representation of the precise position and coordinates of each blade <NUM> positioned in tooling assembly <NUM>. In this regard, according to exemplary embodiments, vision system <NUM> may include any suitable camera or cameras <NUM>, scanners, imaging devices, or other machine vision device that may be operably configured to obtain image data that includes a digital representation of one or more fields of view. Such a digital representation may sometimes be referred to as a digital image or an image; however, it will be appreciated that the present disclosure may be practiced without rendering such a digital representation in human-visible form. Nevertheless, in some embodiments, a human-visible image corresponding to a field of view may be displayed on the user interface <NUM> based at least in part on such a digital representation of one or more fields of view.

Vision system <NUM> allows the additive repair system <NUM> to obtain information pertaining to one or more blades <NUM> onto which one or more repair segments <NUM> (see <FIG>) may be respectively additively printed. In particular, the vision system <NUM> allows the one or more blades <NUM> to be located and defined so that the additive manufacturing machine <NUM> may be instructed to print one or more repair segments <NUM> on a corresponding one or more blades <NUM> with suitably high accuracy and precision. According to an exemplary embodiment, the one or more blades <NUM> may be secured to tooling assembly <NUM>, a mounting plate, a build platform, or any other fixture with repair surface <NUM> of the respective blades <NUM> aligned to a single build plane <NUM>.

The one or more cameras <NUM> of the vision system <NUM> may be configured to obtain two-dimensional or three-dimensional image data, including a two-dimensional digital representation of a field of view and/or a three-dimensional digital representation of a field of view. Alignment of the repair surface <NUM> of the blades <NUM> with the build plane <NUM> allows the one or more cameras <NUM> to obtain higher quality images. For example, the one or more cameras <NUM> may have a focal length adjusted or adjustable to the build plane <NUM>. With the repair surface <NUM> of one or more blades <NUM> aligned to the build plane <NUM>, the one or more cameras may readily obtain digital images of the repair surface <NUM>.

The one or more cameras <NUM> may include a field of view that encompasses all or a portion of the one or more blades <NUM> secured to the tooling assembly <NUM>. For example, a single field of view may be wide enough to encompass a plurality of components, such as each of the plurality of blades <NUM> secured to tooling assembly <NUM>. Alternatively, a field of view may more narrowly focus on an individual blade <NUM> such that digital representations of respective blades <NUM> are obtained separately. It will be appreciated that separately obtained digital images may be stitched together to obtain a digital representation of a plurality of components or blades <NUM>. In some embodiments, the camera <NUM> may include a collimated lens configured to provide a flat focal plane, such that blades <NUM> or portions thereof located towards the periphery of the field of view are not distorted. Additionally, or in the alternative, the vision system <NUM> may utilize a distortion correction algorithm to address any such distortion.

Image data obtained by the vision system <NUM>, including a digital representation of one or more blades <NUM> may be transmitted to a control system, such as controller <NUM>. Controller <NUM> may be configured to determine a repair surface <NUM> of each of a plurality of blades <NUM> from one or more digital representations of one or more fields of view having been captured by the vision system <NUM>, and then determine one or more coordinates of the repair surface <NUM> of respective ones of the plurality of blades <NUM>. Based on the one or more digital representations, controller <NUM> may generate one or more print commands (e.g., corresponding to one or more repair toolpaths, e.g., the path of a laser focal point), which may be transmitted to an additive manufacturing machine <NUM> such that the additive manufacturing machine <NUM> may additively print a plurality of repair segments <NUM> on respective ones of the plurality of blades <NUM>. The one or more print commands may be configured to additively print a plurality of repair segments <NUM> with each respective one of the plurality of repair segments <NUM> being located on the repair surface <NUM> of a corresponding blade <NUM>.

Each of the components and subsystems of additive repair system <NUM> are described herein in the context of an additive blade repair process. However, it should be appreciated that aspects of the present subject matter may be used to repair or rebuild any suitable components. The present subject matter is not intended to be limited to the specific repair process described. In addition, <FIG> illustrates each of the systems as being distinct or separate from each other and implies the process steps should be performed in a particular order, however, it should be appreciated that these subsystems may be integrated into a single machine, process steps may be swapped, and other changes to the build process may be implemented while remaining within the scope of the present subject matter.

For example, vision system <NUM> and additive manufacturing machine <NUM> may be provided as a single, integrated unit or as separate stand-alone units. In addition, controller <NUM> may include one or more control systems. For example, a single controller <NUM> may be operably configured to control operations of the vision system <NUM> and the additive manufacturing machine <NUM>, or separate controllers <NUM> may be operably configured to respectively control the vision system <NUM> and the additive manufacturing machine <NUM>.

Operation of additive repair system <NUM>, vision system <NUM>, and AM machine <NUM> may be controlled by electromechanical switches or by a processing device or controller <NUM> (see, e.g., <FIG> and <FIG>). According to exemplary embodiments, controller <NUM> may be operatively coupled to user interface panel <NUM> for user manipulation, e.g., to control the operation of various components of AM machine <NUM> or system <NUM>. In this regard, controller <NUM> may operably couple all systems and subsystems within additive repair system <NUM> to permit communication and data transfer therebetween. In this manner, controller <NUM> may be generally configured for operating additive repair system <NUM> or performing one or more of the methods described herein.

<FIG> depicts certain components of controller <NUM> according to example embodiments of the present disclosure. Controller <NUM> can include one or more computing device(s) 60A which may be used to implement methods as described herein. Computing device(s) 60A can include one or more processor(s) 60B and one or more memory device(s) 60C. The one or more processor(s) 60B can include any suitable processing device, such as a microprocessor, microcontroller, integrated circuit, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), logic device, one or more central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs) (e.g., dedicated to efficiently rendering images), processing units performing other specialized calculations, etc. The memory device(s) 60C can include one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage medium(s), such as RAM, ROM, EEPROM, EPROM, flash memory devices, magnetic disks, etc., and/or combinations thereof.

The memory device(s) 60C can include one or more computer-readable media and can store information accessible by the one or more processor(s) 60B, including instructions 60D that can be executed by the one or more processor(s) 60B. For instance, the memory device(s) 60C can store instructions 60D for running one or more software applications, displaying a user interface, receiving user input, processing user input, etc. In some implementations, the instructions 60D can be executed by the one or more processor(s) 60B to cause the one or more processor(s) 60B to perform operations, e.g., such as one or more portions of methods described herein. The instructions 60D can be software written in any suitable programming language or can be implemented in hardware. Additionally, and/or alternatively, the instructions 60D can be executed in logically and/or virtually separate threads on processor(s) 60B.

The one or more memory device(s) 60C can also store data 60E that can be retrieved, manipulated, created, or stored by the one or more processor(s) 60B. The data 60E can include, for instance, data to facilitate performance of methods described herein. The data 60E can be stored in one or more database(s). The one or more database(s) can be connected to controller <NUM> by a high bandwidth LAN or WAN, or can also be connected to controller through one or more network(s) (not shown). The one or more database(s) can be split up so that they are located in multiple locales. In some implementations, the data 60E can be received from another device.

The computing device(s) 60A can also include a communication module or interface 60F used to communicate with one or more other component(s) of controller <NUM> or additive manufacturing machine <NUM> over the network(s). The communication interface 60F can include any suitable components for interfacing with one or more network(s), including for example, transmitters, receivers, ports, controllers, antennas, or other suitable components.

Referring now to <FIG>, an exemplary laser powder bed fusion system, such as a DMLS or DMLM system <NUM>, will be described according to an exemplary embodiment. Specifically, AM system <NUM> is described herein as being used to build or repair blades <NUM>. It should be appreciated that blades <NUM> are only an exemplary component to be built or repaired and are used primarily to facilitate description of the operation of AM machine <NUM>. The present subject matter is not intended to be limited in this regard, but instead AM machine <NUM> may be used for printing repair segments on any suitable plurality of components.

As illustrated, AM system <NUM> generally defines a vertical direction V or Z-direction, a lateral direction L or X-direction, and a transverse direction T or Y-direction (see <FIG>), each of which is mutually perpendicular, such that an orthogonal coordinate system is generally defined. As illustrated, system <NUM> includes a fixed enclosure or build area <NUM> which provides a contaminant-free and controlled environment for performing an additive manufacturing process. In this regard, for example, enclosure <NUM> serves to isolate and protect the other components of the system <NUM>. In addition, enclosure <NUM> may be provided with a flow of an appropriate shielding gas, such as nitrogen, argon, or another suitable gas or gas mixture. In this regard, enclosure <NUM> may define a gas inlet port <NUM> and a gas outlet port <NUM> for receiving a flow of gas to create a static pressurized volume or a dynamic flow of gas.

Enclosure <NUM> may generally contain some or all components of AM system <NUM>. According to an exemplary embodiment, AM system <NUM> generally includes a table <NUM>, a powder supply <NUM>, a scraper or recoater mechanism <NUM>, an overflow container or reservoir <NUM>, and a build platform <NUM> positioned within enclosure <NUM>. In addition, an energy source <NUM> generates an energy beam <NUM> and a beam steering apparatus <NUM> directs energy beam <NUM> to facilitate the AM process as described in more detail below. Each of these components will be described in more detail below.

According to the illustrated embodiment, table <NUM> is a rigid structure defining a planar build surface <NUM>. In addition, planar build surface <NUM> defines a build opening <NUM> through which build chamber <NUM> may be accessed. More specifically, according to the illustrated embodiment, build chamber <NUM> is defined at least in part by vertical walls <NUM> and build platform <NUM>. Notably, build platform <NUM> is movable along a build direction <NUM> relative to build surface <NUM>. More specifically, build direction <NUM> may correspond to the vertical direction V, such that moving build platform <NUM> down increases the height of the part being printed and the build chamber <NUM>. In addition, build surface <NUM> defines a supply opening <NUM> through which additive powder <NUM> may be supplied from powder supply <NUM> and a reservoir opening <NUM> through which excess additive powder <NUM> may pass into overflow reservoir <NUM>. Collected additive powders may optionally be treated to sieve out loose, agglomerated particles before re-use.

Powder supply <NUM> generally includes an additive powder supply container <NUM> which generally contains a volume of additive powder <NUM> sufficient for some or all of the additive manufacturing process for a specific part or parts. In addition, powder supply <NUM> includes a supply platform <NUM>, which is a plate-like structure that is movable along the vertical direction within powder supply container <NUM>. More specifically, a supply actuator <NUM> vertically supports supply platform <NUM> and selectively moves it up and down during the additive manufacturing process.

AM system <NUM> further includes recoater mechanism <NUM>, which is a rigid, laterally-elongated structure that lies proximate build surface <NUM>. For example, recoater mechanism <NUM> may be a hard scraper, a soft squeegee, or a roller. Recoater mechanism <NUM> is operably coupled to a recoater actuator <NUM> which is operable to selectively move recoater mechanism <NUM> along build surface <NUM>. In addition, a platform actuator <NUM> is operably coupled to build platform <NUM> and is generally operable for moving build platform <NUM> along the vertical direction during the build process. Although actuators <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> are illustrated as being hydraulic actuators, it should be appreciated that any other type and configuration of actuators may be used according to alternative embodiments, such as pneumatic actuators, hydraulic actuators, ball screw linear electric actuators, or any other suitable vertical support means. Other configurations are possible and within the scope of the present subject matter.

As used herein, "energy source" may be used to refer to any device or system of devices configured for directing an energy beam of suitable power and other operating characteristics towards a layer of additive powder to sinter, melt, or otherwise fuse a portion of that layer of additive powder during the build process. For example, energy source <NUM> may be a laser or any other suitable irradiation emission directing device or irradiation device. In this regard, an irradiation or laser source may originate photons or laser beam irradiation which is directed by the irradiation emission directing device or beam steering apparatus.

According to an exemplary embodiment, beam steering apparatus <NUM> includes one or more mirrors, prisms, lenses, and/or electromagnets operably coupled with suitable actuators and arranged to direct and focus energy beam <NUM>. In this regard, for example, beam steering apparatus <NUM> may be a galvanometer scanner that moves or scans the focal point of the laser beam <NUM> emitted by energy source <NUM> across the build surface <NUM> during the laser melting and sintering processes. In this regard, energy beam <NUM> can be focused to a desired spot size and steered to a desired position in plane coincident with build surface <NUM>. The galvanometer scanner in powder bed fusion technologies is typically of a fixed position but the movable mirrors/lenses contained therein allow various properties of the laser beam to be controlled and adjusted. According to exemplary embodiments, beam steering apparatus may further include one or more of the following: optical lenses, deflectors, mirrors, beam splitters, telecentric lenses, etc..

It should be appreciated that other types of energy sources <NUM> may be used which may use an alternative beam steering apparatus <NUM>. For example, an electron beam gun or other electron source may be used to originate a beam of electrons (e.g., an "e-beam"). The e-beam may be directed by any suitable irradiation emission directing device preferably in a vacuum. When the irradiation source is an electron source, the irradiation emission directing device may be, for example, an electronic control unit which may include, for example, deflector coils, focusing coils, or similar elements. According to still other embodiments, energy source <NUM> may include one or more of a laser, an electron beam, a plasma arc, an electric arc, etc..

Prior to an additive manufacturing process, recoater actuator <NUM> may be lowered to provide a supply of powder <NUM> of a desired composition (for example, metallic, ceramic, and/or organic powder) into supply container <NUM>. In addition, platform actuator <NUM> may move build platform <NUM> to an initial high position, e.g., such that it substantially flush or coplanar with build surface <NUM>. Build platform <NUM> is then lowered below build surface <NUM> by a selected layer increment. The layer increment affects the speed of the additive manufacturing process and the resolution of a components or parts (e.g., blades <NUM>) being manufactured. As an example, the layer increment may be about <NUM> to <NUM> micrometers (<NUM> to <NUM> in.

Additive powder is then deposited over the build platform <NUM> before being fused by energy source <NUM>. Specifically, supply actuator <NUM> may raise supply platform <NUM> to push powder through supply opening <NUM>, exposing it above build surface <NUM>. Recoater mechanism <NUM> may then be moved across build surface <NUM> by recoater actuator <NUM> to spread the raised additive powder <NUM> horizontally over build platform <NUM> (e.g., at the selected layer increment or thickness). Any excess additive powder <NUM> drops through the reservoir opening <NUM> into the overflow reservoir <NUM> as recoater mechanism <NUM> passes from left to right (as shown in <FIG>). Subsequently, recoater mechanism <NUM> may be moved back to a starting position.

Therefore, as explained herein and illustrated in <FIG>, recoater mechanism <NUM>, recoater actuator <NUM>, supply platform <NUM>, and supply actuator <NUM> may generally operate to successively deposit layers of additive powder <NUM> or other additive material to facilitate the print process. As such, these components may collectively be referred to herein as powder dispensing apparatus, system, or assembly. The leveled additive powder <NUM> may be referred to as a "build layer" <NUM> (see <FIG>) and the exposed upper surface thereof may be referred to as build surface <NUM>. When build platform <NUM> is lowered into build chamber <NUM> during a build process, build chamber <NUM> and build platform <NUM> collectively surround and support a mass of additive powder <NUM> along with any components (e.g., blades <NUM>) being built. This mass of powder is generally referred to as a "powder bed," and this specific category of additive manufacturing process may be referred to as a "powder bed process.

During the additive manufacturing process, the directed energy source <NUM> is used to melt a two-dimensional cross-section or layer of the component (e.g., blades <NUM>) being built. More specifically, energy beam <NUM> is emitted from energy source <NUM> and beam steering apparatus <NUM> is used to steer the focal point <NUM> of energy beam <NUM> over the exposed powder surface in an appropriate pattern (referred to herein as a "toolpath"). A small portion of exposed layer of the additive powder <NUM> surrounding focal point <NUM>, referred to herein as a "weld pool" or "melt pool" or "heat effected zone" <NUM> (best seen in <FIG>) is heated by energy beam <NUM> to a temperature allowing it to sinter or melt, flow, and consolidate. As an example, melt pool <NUM> may be on the order of <NUM> micrometers (<NUM> in. This step may be referred to as fusing additive powder <NUM>.

Build platform <NUM> is moved vertically downward by the layer increment, and another layer of additive powder <NUM> is applied in a similar thickness. The directed energy source <NUM> again emits energy beam <NUM> and beam steering apparatus <NUM> is used to steer the focal point <NUM> of energy beam <NUM> over the exposed powder surface in an appropriate pattern. The exposed layer of additive powder <NUM> is heated by energy beam <NUM> to a temperature allowing it to sinter or melt, flow, and consolidate both within the top layer and with the lower, previously-solidified layer. This cycle of moving build platform <NUM>, applying additive powder <NUM>, and then directed energy beam <NUM> to melt additive powder <NUM> is repeated until the entire component (e.g., blades <NUM>) is complete.

Referring again briefly to <FIG>, tooling assembly <NUM> is generally configured for receiving one or more components, e.g., shown here as blades <NUM>, and securely mounting such components for a subsequent additive manufacturing process. Specifically, tooling assembly <NUM> may secure each of the plurality of blades <NUM> in a desired position and orientation relative to AM machine <NUM>. In this regard, as used herein, the "position" of a blade <NUM> may refer to the coordinates of a centroid of blade <NUM> in the X-Y plane. In addition, the "orientation" of a blade <NUM> may refer to an angular position of blade <NUM> about the Z-direction. In this regard, according to an exemplary embodiment, the orientation of each blade <NUM> may be defined according to the angular position of its chord line (not shown). In this regard, for example, two blades <NUM> are said to have the same "orientation" when their chord lines are parallel to each other.

As explained briefly above, it is desirable to support a plurality of components, such as blades <NUM>, such that the repair surface <NUM> of each blade <NUM> is positioned within a build plane <NUM>. In this manner, a layer of additive powder (e.g., build layer <NUM>) may be deposited over each repair surface <NUM> at a desired thickness for forming a first layer of repair segments <NUM> (<FIG>) on the tip of each blade <NUM>. Notably, however, due to the height of each blade <NUM> relative to a height of repair segments <NUM>, conventional additive manufacturing processes require a substantial amount of additive powder <NUM>. Specifically, a substantial volume of additive powder <NUM> must typically be provided into build chamber <NUM> to form a powder bed that supports the top layer of additive powder or build layer <NUM>.

As explained above, the powder loading process is typically a manual process that takes a significant amount of time and can result in recoating or print errors when pockets or voids collapse within the additive powder <NUM>. In addition, additive manufacturing machine <NUM>, or build platform <NUM> more specifically, is typically configured for only supporting a specific volume or weight of additive powder <NUM> during the build process, thus introducing process limitations when powder bed is filled with additive powder <NUM>. Finally, even to the extent some unfused additive powder <NUM> may be reused during subsequent additive manufacturing processes, such used additive powder <NUM> must be carefully screened, filtered, or otherwise reconditioned prior to reuse. Aspects of the present subject matter are directed both to aligning the repair surface of components and to minimizing the amount of additive powder required for an additive repair process as described herein.

Referring now generally to <FIG>, a tooling assembly <NUM> that may be used with AM system <NUM> will be described according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject matter. For example, tooling assembly <NUM> may be a part of or used in conjunction with tooling assembly <NUM> as described in relation to <FIG>. Because tooling assembly <NUM> can be used as part of additive repair system <NUM> or in AM system <NUM>, like reference numerals may be used in <FIG> to refer to like features described with respect to <FIG>.

As illustrated, tooling assembly <NUM> includes an alignment plate <NUM> which is configured for receiving a plurality of components, e.g., blades <NUM> such that a repair surface <NUM> of each of the plurality of blades <NUM> contacts the alignment plate <NUM>. In this regard, alignment plate <NUM> is typically a flat, rigid plate that serves to align repair surfaces <NUM> of all blades <NUM> in a single build plane <NUM>. In this manner, each blade <NUM>, regardless of its height, may have a repair surface <NUM> positioned in the build plane <NUM> (e.g., when urged against the alignment plate <NUM>).

Notably, in order to facilitate a powder bed repair process, alignment plate <NUM> must be removed from repair surfaces <NUM> of blades <NUM> while blades <NUM> remain fixed relative to each other. Therefore, according to an exemplary embodiment, tooling assembly <NUM> further includes a fill assembly <NUM> which is configured for dispensing a fill material <NUM> around blades <NUM> when they are positioned against alignment plate <NUM>. As used herein, "fill material" may be used to refer to any material or composition which may be solidified to fix the position of blades <NUM>. In this regard, for example, fill material <NUM> may be wax, a potting material, a photopolymer resin, or molten glass. Alternatively, fill material <NUM> may be any other material that may be poured around blades <NUM> which may become less viscous or more rigid to secure the position of blades <NUM> when solidified.

Notably, according to exemplary embodiments, fill material <NUM> is a fluid material which flows around blades <NUM> to fill in gaps an ensure contact against all portions of blades <NUM>, e.g., to provide firm support when solidified. Therefore, according to exemplary embodiments, tooling assembly <NUM> may further include a plurality of walls <NUM> which surround alignment plate <NUM> to define a reservoir <NUM>. In this regard, fill assembly <NUM> may dispense fill material <NUM> directly into reservoir <NUM> until the level of fill material <NUM> reaches a height is suitable to support blades <NUM> when the fill material <NUM> is solidified.

Notably, after fill material <NUM> has been poured into reservoir <NUM> such that it surrounds blades <NUM>, fill material <NUM> must be solidified or its composition must be otherwise changed in order to rigidly couple and fix the relative positions of blades <NUM>. After fill material <NUM> is solidified, the solidified fill material <NUM> and the components fixed therein (e.g., blades) are generally referred to as a fixed component assembly <NUM>. It should be appreciated that fixed component assembly <NUM> may be removed from alignment plate <NUM> and walls <NUM> as a standalone, rigid structure having repair surfaces <NUM> of blades <NUM> positioned in a single plane, e.g., build plane <NUM>. In this manner, as will be described below, fixed component assembly <NUM> may then be positioned at a known location on build platform <NUM> of an additive manufacturing machine <NUM> and an additive repair process may begin directly on the repair surface <NUM> of each blade <NUM>.

It should be appreciated that such a solidification process may vary depending on the type of fill material <NUM> used. For example, if fill material <NUM> is liquid wax, tooling assembly <NUM> may be left at room temperature for an amount of time sufficient for the wax to solidify. Alternatively, tooling assembly <NUM> may be positioned in a refrigerated environment or may otherwise be cooled, e.g., by attaching cooling coils to walls <NUM> and the alignment plate <NUM>. By contrast, if fill material <NUM> is a photopolymer resin, a light source sufficient for curing the photopolymer resin may be directed toward fill material <NUM> until it is solidified. It should further be appreciated that other fill materials are possible, other methods of solidification may be used, and other variations and modifications may be made to tooling assembly <NUM> while remaining within the scope of the present subject matter.

In addition, although the illustrated embodiments shown in <FIG> illustrate three blades <NUM> which have been fixed and are formed into fixed component assembly <NUM> using tooling assembly <NUM>, it should be appreciated that tooling assembly <NUM> and the methods described herein may be used to prepare any other suitable number, type, position, and configuration of components according to alternative embodiments. The exemplary embodiments described herein are not intended to limit the scope of the present subject matter in any manner.

Referring now specifically to <FIG>, one exemplary use of tooling assembly <NUM> will be described according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject matter. According to this embodiment, blades <NUM> are mounted against the alignment plate <NUM> under the force of gravity. Specifically, as shown in <FIG>, blades <NUM> are mounted against the alignment plate <NUM> such that repair surfaces <NUM> are aligned against a top surface <NUM> of alignment plate <NUM>. In other words, repair surfaces <NUM> face down along the vertical direction V toward alignment plate <NUM>. Blade <NUM> may then be held in position in any suitable manner while walls <NUM> are positioned to surround alignment plate <NUM> and define reservoir <NUM>.

After blades <NUM> are placed such that repair surfaces <NUM> are face down on alignment plate <NUM>, fill assembly <NUM> may supply fill material <NUM> into reservoir <NUM>, e.g., through a nozzle <NUM>. According to the illustrated embodiment shown in <FIG>, fill material <NUM> is added until a top of the component is covered, e.g., until dovetail <NUM> of each blade <NUM> is covered. However, it should be appreciated that according to alternative embodiments, blades <NUM> need only be surrounded by fill material <NUM> sufficiently to fix their relative position. Thus, the amount of fill material <NUM> needed may depend, for example, on the rigidity of fill material <NUM> when solidified, on the number and size of blades <NUM> in fixed component assembly <NUM>, and on the amount of handling which might occur to fixed component assembly <NUM> prior to the additive repair process.

Notably, after fixed component assembly <NUM> has solidified, it may be desirable to remove a top layer or top portion <NUM> of fill material <NUM> from fixed component assembly <NUM>. In this regard, for example, fill material <NUM> may contaminate repair surface <NUM> of each blade <NUM>, may melt during the additive printing process and contaminate melt pool <NUM>, or may otherwise compromise the additive printing process. Therefore, as illustrated in <FIG>, tooling assembly <NUM> further includes a cleaning device <NUM> which is generally configured for removing the top portion <NUM> of fill material <NUM> from fixed component assembly <NUM>. For example, cleaning device <NUM> may be a heat source <NUM> which passes along top portion <NUM> of fixed component assembly <NUM> after it is removed from alignment plate <NUM>. In this manner, heat source <NUM> may melt top portion <NUM> which may can flow away from blades <NUM> and off of fixed component assembly <NUM>. According to alternative embodiments, cleaning device <NUM> may include any other suitable material removal device, such as a grinding wheel, sandpaper, or any other suitable machine or device configured for grinding, machining, brushing, etching, polishing, or otherwise substantively modifying a component, e.g., by subtractive modification or material removal.

After fixed component assembly <NUM> is formed to position repair surfaces <NUM> in build plane <NUM>, and after top portion <NUM> of fill material <NUM> and fixed component assembly <NUM> is removed and repair surfaces <NUM> are suitably prepped, fixed component assembly <NUM> may be positioned on build platform <NUM> of AM machine <NUM> in preparation for the additive repair process. In this regard, recoater mechanism <NUM> may then deposit a layer of additive powder <NUM> over fixed component assembly <NUM> and the repair surfaces <NUM> of each of the plurality of blades <NUM>, as illustrated schematically in <FIG>. In this manner, build layer <NUM> may be positioned at the top of each repair surface <NUM> and have substantially even thickness and the additive printing process may proceed by fusing a portion of build layer <NUM> onto repair surfaces <NUM> of each blade <NUM>.

Referring now specifically to <FIG>, an alternative method of forming fixed component assembly <NUM> will be described according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject matter. Notably, due to the similarity of components described with respect to <FIG>, like reference numerals may be used to refer to the same or similar elements in <FIG>. The primary difference between these two embodiments is that the previously discussed fixed component assembly <NUM> is formed with repair surfaces <NUM> facing down on alignment plate <NUM>, whereas the fixed component assembly <NUM> described with respect to <FIG> is formed with repair surfaces <NUM> facing up toward the bottom surface <NUM> of alignment plate <NUM>.

In order to ensure flush contact with repair surface <NUM> of each blade <NUM> against bottom surface <NUM> of alignment plate <NUM>, tooling assembly <NUM> may further include one or more biasing members <NUM> which are configured for urging each of the blades <NUM> upward against the alignment plate <NUM>. In this regard, biasing members <NUM> may be any suitable device or mechanism for exerting a biasing force on blades <NUM> upward along the vertical direction V. Biasing members <NUM> may be, for example, one or more mechanical springs, magnet pairs (e.g., permanent magnets or electromagnets), linear actuators, piezoelectric actuators, etc. The biasing force generated by biasing members <NUM> allows repair surfaces <NUM> to seat flush against the alignment plate <NUM> such that they are aligned in the same build plane <NUM>.

Notably, after the blades <NUM> are urged upward against the alignment plate <NUM>, fill assembly <NUM> may dispense fill material <NUM> into reservoir <NUM> in the same manner as described above. However, it should be appreciated that by mounting blades <NUM> with their repair surfaces <NUM> facing up, the fill material <NUM> need only be filled to a level suitable for forming a rigid fixed component assembly <NUM>, but preferably does not cover repair surfaces <NUM> themselves. In this manner, potential contamination of repair surfaces <NUM> may be avoided and cleaning device <NUM> may not be needed for removing top portion <NUM> of fill material <NUM> from fixed component assembly <NUM>.

Thus, tooling assembly <NUM> as described above is generally configured for forming a fixed component assembly <NUM> which includes a plurality of components, e.g., blades <NUM>, surrounded by a solidified fill material <NUM> which fixes repair surfaces <NUM> of each blade <NUM> in a single horizontal plane, e.g., the build plane <NUM>. Notably, in addition to securing repair surfaces <NUM> and build plane <NUM> to facilitate improved recoating and printing operations, performing repair procedures with fixed component assembly <NUM> also requires much less additive powder within build chamber <NUM>. In this regard, solidified fill material <NUM> acts as a raised support surface for forming the powder bed, such that the process for supplying or loading additive powder <NUM> into powder bed is simplified. For example, an operator need only fill build chamber <NUM> above fill material <NUM>. In this manner, the time required to prepare the additive manufacturing machine <NUM> for the print process is reduced, as is the amount of additive powder <NUM> that must be used and the required time for post processing of blades <NUM> and additive powder <NUM>.

Now that the construction and configuration of additive repair system <NUM> has been described according to exemplary embodiments of the present subject matter, an exemplary method <NUM> for mounting and aligning a plurality of components for a repair or rebuild process using an additive repair system will be described according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject matter. Method <NUM> can be used to repair blades <NUM> using additive repair system <NUM>, AM machine <NUM>, and tooling assembly <NUM>, or to repair any other suitable component using any other suitable additive manufacturing machine or system. In this regard, for example, controller <NUM> may be configured for implementing some or all steps of method <NUM>. Further, it should be appreciated that the exemplary method <NUM> is discussed herein only to describe exemplary aspects of the present subject matter, and is not intended to be limiting.

Referring now to <FIG>, method <NUM> includes, at step <NUM>, positioning the plurality of components such that a repair surface of each of the plurality of components contacts an alignment plate. In this regard, continuing the example from above, the plurality of blades <NUM> may be urged against the alignment plate <NUM> under the force of gravity (e.g., as shown in <FIG>) or by a biasing member <NUM> (e.g., as shown in <FIG>). In this manner the repair surface <NUM> of each blade <NUM> is positioned in a desired build plane <NUM>.

Method <NUM> further includes, at step <NUM>, surrounding the alignment plate with containment walls to define a reservoir, the plurality of components being positioned at least partially within the reservoir. Furthermore, step <NUM> includes dispensing a fill material into the reservoir, the fill material being configured for fixing the relative position of the plurality of components when the fill material is solidified. Step <NUM> may further include solidifying the fill material to form a fixed component assembly comprising fill material and the plurality of components fixed therein. In this regard, for example, a potting material, liquid wax, a photopolymer resin, or molten glass may be poured into reservoir <NUM> and solidified, e.g., by cooling to room temperature. After the fill material is solidified, fixed component assembly <NUM> includes the plurality of components, e.g., blades <NUM>, which are fixed in relative position and have their repair surfaces <NUM> aligned for the additive printing process.

In the event fixed component assembly <NUM> was formed with the repair surfaces <NUM> of blades <NUM> facing down, step <NUM> may further include removing a top layer of the fill material from the fixed component assembly proximate the repair surface of each of the plurality of components. For example, heat source <NUM> may be used to melt wax, a grinding assembly may be used to remove potting material, etc. After fixed components assembly <NUM> has been prepped and repair surfaces <NUM> are cleaned, fixed component assembly <NUM> may be positioned on a build platform <NUM> of an additive manufacturing machine <NUM> for printing process.

Thus, according to an exemplary embodiment, method <NUM> may further include additively printing repair segments <NUM> onto repair surfaces <NUM> of each blade <NUM> using AM machine <NUM>. In this regard, step <NUM> includes depositing a layer of additive powder over the fixed component assembly using a powder dispensing assembly. Step <NUM> includes selectively irradiating the layer of additive powder to fuse the layer of additive powder onto the repair surfaces of the components. In this manner, an energy source may fuse additive powder onto each blade tip layer by layer until the component is repaired to an original CAD model or to another suitable geometry.

<FIG> depicts an exemplary control method having steps performed in a particular order for purposes of illustration and discussion. Those of ordinary skill in the art, using the disclosures provided herein, will understand that the steps of any of the methods discussed herein can be adapted, rearranged, expanded, omitted, or modified in various ways without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure. Moreover, although aspects of the methods are explained using additive repair system <NUM>, AM machine <NUM>, and tooling assembly <NUM> as an example, it should be appreciated that these methods may be applied to repairing or rebuilding any other number, type, and configuration of components using any suitable tooling assembly or additive manufacturing machine or system.

Claim 1:
A method (<NUM>) of aligning a plurality of components (<NUM>) for a repair process, the method (<NUM>) comprising:
positioning (<NUM>) the plurality of components (<NUM>) such that a repair surface (<NUM>) of each of the plurality of components (<NUM>) contacts an alignment plate (<NUM>);
surrounding (<NUM>) the alignment plate (<NUM>) with containment walls (<NUM>) to define a reservoir (<NUM>), the plurality of components (<NUM>) being positioned at least partially within the reservoir (<NUM>);
dispensing (<NUM>) a fill material (<NUM>) into the reservoir (<NUM>), the fill material (<NUM>) being configured for fixing a relative position of the plurality of components (<NUM>) when the fill material (<NUM>) is solidified;
characterized by
solidifying (<NUM>) the fill material (<NUM>) to form a fixed component assembly (<NUM>) comprising the fill material (<NUM>) and the plurality of components (<NUM>); and
removing (<NUM>) a top layer of the fill material (<NUM>) from the fixed component assembly (<NUM>) proximate the repair surface (<NUM>) of each of the plurality of components (<NUM>).