qslrokrg gas carburizing with l a s e r h enabled Garrett Turbine Engine

)t0produce~periortorque airplane engines while

nng costs by 61%. The small,

herdening was ti- and "-anddtendistortedtheDatt~rerwir. a

I

j

E ! b W W O n d . S p r . n d U p l p m c m t . T h e U s e d investment castings reduces the number of surfaces that require subsequent machining from 17 to only 8. Eliminated are plating, masking, stripping, and cleaning operations as weH as carburizing furnaces, subzero freezers, hardening furnaces, quench presses, salt baths, and other related equipment.

krrw twmound-lasa work In pmceas. Lead time hu been reduced by eliminating posthardening operations nd because the hardening operations can be performed on

JloQ ffooc without transporting hardware to remote

andspaceaavi"thless , mantenance and floor space . Solutions used to strip copper from the used, eliminating disposal concerns. The major energy reduction comes from

have been reduced.

Irr, didktion the high-temperature gas carburizing and hmdming.operations. Energy used to carburize a 100-piece Id has been reduced from 800 kwh to only. 1.1 kwh. More modest savings come from the elimination of other unit operations such as plating, freezing, and machining steps. Finally energy usage per finished part is also significantly reduced by reduction in scrap rate.

What Did It All Cost? The laser equipment cost about $250,000 and can be

used for a variety of parts, not just torque load arms. GTEC e#pgcEs a payback period of about 2 years. In addition to the W, a merical-controlled method is needed to move the pCa through the laser beam. GTEC uses a 5-axis mitting machine although generally only 1 or 2 axes are needed for

A person familiar with heat treating can operate the laser with only a few hours of instruction in its operation and safety procedures.

Ilr Lkn: Hlgh-Quallty Products at r-"-.coa

prls has enhanced GTEC's ability to maintain high

lassr hardening.

Using laeec hardening for torque load arms and other

hardenkg typewriterkeys, farm implements, and parts of hand t d s , such as saw teeth and hammer heads. Process refinement is continuing on gears, splines and shafts. For more information on laser hardening, see TechCommentary Vd. 3, No. 9 on Laser Cutting.

Garrett Turbine Engine Company, Phoenix, Arizona President-Mal Craig Approximately 7000 employees Garrett turbine engines are used in commercial, industrial and military applications including propulsion engines for aircraft, auxiliary power systeys and industrial gas turbines. Company philosophy: Doing the job right the first time.

The Center fw Materiels F a b r i i (CMF) would lib to thank Larry Cidek and Gary Benedict of GTEC for valuable contributions made to miis issue. Arizona Public Service provides electric service to Garrett Turbine Engine

CMF is operaled by Bettelle's Columbus Division. Basic fund&g is provided ky the Eledri Power Research Itmttute, a nonpmfii idlute that conclucEs appliiions development on behalf d the United States electric utility industry. TedtApplication is one of the ways the Center assists industry in implementing cost- and energy- e f f i c i i , electric-based technologies in materials fabrication and related fields. T k issue was cdunded by a grant from the United States Department of Energy, t:: O f f i i of lnduslrial Programs.

C~pany. J 2

J4-21,2& 25,29,62.84.89

tl"14.24.28,43.51,64 SB-41,42 -11, 19, 23, 24, 31-33, 41, 42, 44-47, 4 9 , 62, 6 6 , 6 8

"" An EPRl R&D Applications Center 505 Kino Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43201-2693 (614) 424-7737 Cowright 0 1987 TechAwMationiVd. 1/No. 18 Battelle Memorial Instlttde Columbus. Ohio

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