Patent ID: 8597491

Claim:
A process for one of manufacturing and repairing a metal component of a rotating machine, the metal component having a known electrochemical erosion behavior and including a first section with abutting surfaces defining a joint and a second section having a substantially finished surface disposed adjacent to the first section, wherein the process comprises the following steps: a) permanent joining of the abutting surfaces defining the joint to one another, whereby a first joint contour is created on the surface of the first section, the first joint contour including a bulge created by the joining process that projects above a desired final contour in a localized area proximate the joint; b) application of an electrically conductive protective layer having a predetermined thickness on at least one area of the second section adjacent the first section, wherein the protective layer is one of a metal; and a metal alloy; having an electrochemical erosion behavior that has a known relation to the electrochemical erosion behavior of the metal component, wherein the predetermined thickness of the electronically conductive protective layer is selected to be substantially completely eroded during electrochemical processing of the first section; and c) electrochemical processing of the first section and of the protective layer by guiding an electrolyte through a gap created between the first section and the protective layer, which are circuited as anodes, and surfaces of a pair of electrodes, which are circuited as cathodes, the electrodes having a contour that corresponds to the desired final contour of the component, with the first joint contour being eroded to define a second joint contour, wherein the bulge is substantially completely removed from the localized area proximate to the joint in the second joint contour, and the protective layer being substantially completely eroded to the substantially finished surface by the electrochemical processing.