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Material Selection for Gas Turbine Nozzle Assemblies

September 19th, 2023

Not many alloys can survive in the environment downstream of the combustion chamber in a gas turbine engine. It’s too hot, forces are high, the gases are extremely corrosive and they’re flowing quickly. Together, these factors make material selection one

Manufacturing Techniques for Gas Turbine Nozzle Assemblies

September 12th, 2023

In a gas turbine engine the nozzle assembly comes just after the combustion chamber. It directs fast moving gasses onto the turbine blades that generate the rotary motion needed for power generation. It’s a complex piece of engineering, produced in

17-4 Stainless Steel Investment Casting and its Applications

September 5th, 2023

Stainless steel is produced in a large number of grades that have austenitic, ferritic or martensitic structures. 17-4 is a martensitic grade that can be precipitation hardened, (leading to the 17-4 PH designation). It’s often investment cast and is a

Thin-Walled Investment Casting and its Applications

August 29th, 2023

Wall thickness refers to the distance between opposite sides or surfaces of a solid metal cast region. In a part like a cover the wall thickness is the distance between inner and outer surfaces. Thin walls are difficult to cast,

Manufacturing Combustion Parts for Aircraft Engine and APU Applications

August 21st, 2023

The heart of the axial flow turbine engine is the combustion chamber. This is where fuel and air are mixed and ignited, with air velocity determining how far through the chamber the flame front extends. Parts used in the combustion

Stainless Steel Investment Casting and Its Aerospace Applications

August 21st, 2023

Stainless steel is preferred for many aircraft engine, structural, fuel and hydraulic system applications. Providing a combination of strength and corrosion-resistance, it supports weight reduction goals and facilitates factors of safety of 1.5. Part mass is minimized by investment casting.

Understanding the Design and Engineering of Gas Turbine Nozzle Assemblies

August 18th, 2023

Gas turbine nozzle components are some of the most highly engineered parts manufactured anywhere. They need to survive high temperatures, corrosive atmospheres, vibration and centrifugal forces, and the challenges are growing as gas turbine manufacturers push for higher temperatures and

Introduction to Investment Casting Accuracy Grades

July 13th, 2023

One of the reasons for having parts made by investment casting is that the process is capable of maintaining tight tolerances. This minimizes secondary machining and enables reproduction of fine. What’s left unasked though is, what tolerances can investment casting

An Introduction to Impro Mexico’s Investment Casting Process Capabilities

June 22nd, 2023

If you’re looking for a North American source of investment castings, Impro can help. We started investment casting at our plant in Mexico in late 2022, and with extensive precision machining services on site, we’re able to finish as well

Inconel® Investment Casting

June 6th, 2023

Engineers turn to nickel-based superalloys when stainless steel can’t provide enough corrosion resistance or high temperature strength. The downside of alloys like Inconel® though, is that they are hard to machine. This makes investment casting the most practical manufacturing route.

An Introduction to Making Gas Turbine Nozzle Assemblies

June 1st, 2023

The combustion gases expelled from a gas turbine will quickly erode and can even melt most steels. For internal components to survive in such an environment, they are investment cast in nickel-based superalloys, precision machined and carefully inspected. Here’s an

Quality Control in Investment Casting

May 19th, 2023

Investment casting is ideal for producing parts that will be highly loaded, subjected to high temperatures and pressures, or require precise geometry that minimizes secondary operations. This is especially true when the alloys used are expensive and hard to machine.