MANUFACTURING A COMPONENT OF SINGLE CRYSTAL OR DIRECTIONALLY SOLIDIFIED MATERIAL

1 .- 15 . (canceled)

16 . A method for manufacturing a component of a single crystal or a directionally solidified material, said component being manufactured having a predefined shape, comprising:

superimposing at least a powder layer of a powder of a first material onto at least a surface of a substrate out of a second, single crystal or directionally solidified, material;

transforming the powder layer into a substrate layer with a new surface of the substrate by altering at least a physical condition of the first material of the powder by applying energy to the powder layer;

wherein said substrate layer is becoming a part of the substrate;

wherein the second, single crystal or directionally solidified, material of the substrate has a grain orientation and the material of the substrate layer has a grain orientation;

wherein the material of the substrate layer adopts the same grain orientation as the grain orientation of the substrate during the transforming process;

detecting the grain orientation of the material of the substrate layer in situ and when the grain orientation of the material of at least a section of the substrate layer is different from the grain orientation of the substrate, said section of the substrate layer is transformed by altering a physical condition of the material of the section by applying energy to correct the grain orientation of the section of the substrate layer in situ; and

wherein the steps are repeated till the component has grown layer by layer into the predefined shape while a process temperature is maintained below a melting temperature of at least the first material.

17 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the transforming of the powder layer comprises an altering of a state of aggregation of the powder.

18 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the transforming of the powder layer comprises a method selected out of the group consisting of a sintering, a melting or a cladding and/or a method using as energy source a source selected out of the group consisting of a laser beam, an electron beam, an infra-red beam, a sonic beam or a microwave.

19 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the application of energy is performed via an energetic beam.

20 . The method according to claim 19 , wherein the energetic beam has a power between 50 watt and 2500 watt, preferably of 200 watt.

21 . The method according to claim 19 , wherein an amount of energy of the energetic beam is used to control heating, melting and/or solidifying of at least the first material of the powder layer.

22 . The method according to claim 19 , wherein the energetic beam is used as a low focus beam which has a power per area between 50 watt/cm 2 and 150 watt/cm 2 , preferably of 75 watt/cm 2 .

23 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the process temperature is maintained below the melting temperature of the first and second material.

24 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the first material of the powder and the second, single crystal or directionally solidified, material of the substrate are the same single crystal or directionally solidified material.

25 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the material of the first material and/or the second, single crystal or directionally solidified, material is a Ni-alloy.

26 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein a thickness of the powder layer of the powder of the first material is between 0.05 mm to 5 mm.

27 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the component is a blade and/or a vane for a turbine assembly.

28 . The method according to claim 25 , wherein one material is selected out of the group consisting of CMSX-4, CMSX-10, CMSX-12, CM186DS, Inconel DS6203, Mar M 247 or SCA427.

29 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein a thickness of the powder layer of the powder of the first material is 2 mm.