Modern aircrafts are continuously required to operate in harsh conditions, which result in accelerated turbine engine compressor blade damage by erosion or by foreign object damage (FOD). These damaged blades cause engine performance losses and increased fuel consumption, resulting in decreased safety and a negative environmental impact.
 
The ability to economically repair critical, high value components such as Compressor Blades and Bladed-Disks (BLISKS) is a critical issue when considering their economic impact on affordability of propulsion systems of our civilian and military air fleets.
 
The quality of the weld repair and in many cases the success in reclamation of a critical part is mostly dependent on the lowest possible heat input during the weld. Conventional weld repair processes require a molten pool of metal on the surface of the work-piece prior to deposition. This molten pool demands an undesirable excess heat input into the part.
 
Some of these processes such as TIG or GTAW can provide high deposition rates but at the expense of very high heat inputs into the part. Other processes such as Micro Plasma Arc Welding (PAW) and Electro-Spark Deposition provide reduced heat inputs but at the expense of significant reduction in the metal deposition rates.
 
HRT will discuss latest advances in its patented PMD™ ultra-low heat flat wire metal deposition process which offers ultra-low heat inputs while allowing high deposition rates. We will discuss our PMD™ gas turbine component repair systems which combine the scanning/reverse-engineering, metal deposition, and pre-and post-deposition machining operations in one automated repair process and machine. Applications for the repairs of ultra-thin wall structures and of such critical components as IBR’s/Blisks, compressor blades, shafts and air-seals will be discussed.