3D Printing of Ceramic Shell Molds for Precision Casting of Turbine Blades

Traditionally, the technology used in the production of gas turbine blade castings characterized by a large number of technological conversions, high labor costs with a large amount of manual labor and the need to produce various types of complex and expensive equipment at different stages of production. This work aims to reduce the time and money spent on the manufacturing of ceramic shell shapes — a form suitable for the standard methods of precision casting by traditional heat-resistant nickel alloys. The proposed approached involves obtaining a shell shape with an internal core as a single, non-assembled product, without lengthy and time-consuming design and manufacturing processes involved in forming equipment for the production of castings based on smelted models. The proposed method is based on the use of 3D printing with refractory ceramic pastes. Using both uncooled and cooled blades as examples, models of casting molds were designed, technological processes were developed, and ceramic shell molds were manufactured. Experimental casting into a manufactured ceramic shell mold for an uncooled blade with a bandage shelf was performed and showed satisfactory results.