# US 11,028,923 B2 · High vibration pneumatic piston assembly made from additive manufacturing > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,028,923 B2 - Document ID: US11028923B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/736,799 - Filed: 2015-06-11 - Published: 2016-12-15 - Granted: 2021-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2015-06-11 - Assignees: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation - Applicants: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation - Inventors: Josh Kamp; Donald E. Army - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11028923B2 ## CPC - F15B 15/066: {the motor being of the scotch yoke type} - B22F 5/008: {of engine cylinder parts or of piston parts other than piston rings (of piston rings B22F5/02)} - F15B 15/1447: {Pistons; Piston to piston rod assemblies} - F15B 15/1457: {Piston rods (F15B15/1447 takes precedence)} - F16H 21/44: for conveying or interconverting oscillating or reciprocating motions - F16J 1/001: {One-piece pistons} - F16J 1/14: with connecting-rods, i.e. pivotal connections - F16K 31/122: the fluid acting on a piston (F16K31/143, F16K31/163, F16K31/363, F16K31/383 take precedence) - B22F 10/28: Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] - B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing - B33Y 80/00: Products made by additive manufacturing - Y02P 10/25: Process efficiency - F15B: SYSTEMS ACTING BY MEANS OF FLUIDS IN GENERAL; FLUID-PRESSURE ACTUATORS, e.g. SERVOMOTORS; DETAILS OF FLUID-PRESSURE SYSTEMS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - B22F: WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER (making alloys by powder metallurgy C22C); APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER - F16H: GEARING - F16J: PISTONS {(specially adapted for dampers F16F9/32)}; CYLINDERS; SEALINGS - F16K: VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING {(devices for emptying and evacuating the excess liquid in valves or conduits F16L55/07)} - B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract A piston assembly includes a piston with a first cap disposed on a first end of the piston and a second cap disposed on a second end of the piston. A piston cross-member is in between the first cap and the second cap. A cover is formed with the piston cross-member and extends between the first cap and second cap. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A piston assembly comprising: a piston including a first cap disposed on a first end of the piston and a second cap disposed on a second end of the piston; a piston cross-member in between the first cap and the second cap, wherein the piston cross-member comprises a hollowed out portion defining a webbing that is a sheet of solid material extending across a portion of the piston cross-member, wherein the webbing does not form a hole or holes passing through the piston cross-member, wherein a thickness of the webbing is less than a thickness of other portions of the piston cross-member so as to provide weight reduction; a cover formed with the piston cross-member, wherein the cover extends between the first cap and second cap, wherein the cover is hollow and is in a shape of a hollow tube that extends an entire length of the cover, and further wherein the piston, piston cross-member, and cover form a single piece of additively manufactured material; and a crank mechanism including a shaft and a crank, wherein the piston cross-member is attached to the crank mechanism, and wherein a rotational axis of the shaft is disposed externally of the cover. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The piston assembly of claim 1 further including a cutout in the cover. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The piston assembly of claim 2, wherein a first end of the crank is affixed to the shaft, and a second end of the crank is slidably and rotationally engaged with a slot in the piston cross-member. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The piston assembly of claim 1, wherein the piston includes a natural frequency of at least 2,000 hz. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The piston assembly of claim 4, wherein the piston includes a natural frequency of at least 2,300 hz. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The piston assembly of claim 1, wherein the crank mechanism includes a Scotch yoke crank mechanism. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A method of additively manufacturing the piston assembly of claim 1, the method comprising: reading build instructions from a file stored in an electronic database; depositing material in accordance with the file; forming layers of solid material in accordance with the file; and forming the piston assembly. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 further including attaching a Scotch yoke crank mechanism including a shaft and a crank to the piston cross-member. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein attaching the Scotch yoke crank mechanism includes slidably and rotationally engaging a first end of the crank with a slot in the piston cross-member and affixing a second end of the crank to the shaft. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 further including setting a natural frequency of the piston assembly to at least 2,000 hz. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 further including setting a natural frequency of the piston assembly to at least 2,300 hz. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 further including forming the piston assembly through direct metal laser sintering. ### Claim 13 A piston assembly comprising: a piston including a first cap disposed on a first end of the piston and a second cap disposed on a second end of the piston; a piston cross-member in between the first cap and the second cap; wherein the piston cross-member comprises a hollowed out portion defining a webbing that is a sheet of solid material extending across a portion of the piston cross-member, wherein the webbing does not form a hole or holes passing through the piston cross-member, wherein a thickness of the webbing is less than a thickness of other portions of the piston cross-member so as to provide weight reduction; a cover integrally formed with the piston cross-member, the cover including a cutout with a first notch and a second notch disposed along top and bottom edges respectively of the cutout, and a first slot and a second slot, wherein the cover is hollow and is in a shape of a hollow tube that extends the entire length of the cover between the first cap and second cap, and further wherein the piston, piston cross-member, and cover form a single piece of additively manufactured material; and a crank mechanism including a shaft and a crank, wherein a first end of the crank is affixed to the shaft, and a second end of the crank is slidably and rotationally engaged with a third slot in the piston cross-member, and wherein a rotational axis of the shaft is disposed externally of the cover. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The piston assembly of claim 13, wherein the piston includes a natural frequency of at least 2,000 hz. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The piston assembly of claim 14, wherein the piston includes a natural frequency of at least 2,300 hz.