Additively manufactured hydraulic valve components
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorsKevin L. Martin, Paul A. Zwart, Michael Charles Marstall, Mikhail A. Sorokin, Lonnie James Devier
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of manufacturing a hydraulic valve component using additive manufacturing includes laying successive layers to form a flow aperture for a hydraulic valve component, and creating a lattice or mesh structure that at least partially defines the flow aperture of the hydraulic valve component, or a feature that forms an undercut along a direction that is parallel to a flow direction of the flow aperture, or a flow aperture having a size varying along a circumferential direction of the valve component.
Claims11
A spool for use with a hydraulic assembly, the spool comprising:
- an elongated body defining a longitudinal axis, a first outer diameter portion and a second outer diameter portion spaced longitudinally away from the first out diameter portion;
- and
- a first necked down portion disposed longitudinally between the first outer diameter portion, and the second outer diameter portion;
- wherein the elongated body includes at least one of the following:
- a lattice structure that extends from the first outer diameter portion diameter portion to the first necked down portion, and a cross-section of the first necked down portion that is asymmetrical about a plane that passes through the longitudinal axis,
- wherein the elongated body is at least partially cylindrical defining a radial direction, and a circumferential direction, and the longitudinal axis is a cylindrical axis, and includes the plane that contains the radial direction and the cylindrical axis,
- wherein the elongated body includes the lattice structure that extends radially to the first necked down portion, and
- wherein the elongated body defines a first longitudinal end that is disposed along the cylindrical axis, a second longitudinal end that is disposed along the cylindrical axis, and a midplane that is disposed at the midpoint longitudinally between first longitudinal end, and the second longitudinal end, and the first longitudinal end includes a first end face that defines a first tapped hole extending longitudinally from the first end face.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.