# US 12,217,880 B2 · Radiation shielding overlay and method of manufacture > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,217,880 B2 - Document ID: US12217880B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/100,159 - Filed: 2020-11-20 - Published: 2022-05-26 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2020-11-20 - Assignees: Fisher Controls International LLC - Applicants: Fisher Controls International LLC - Inventors: Tyler M. Abbs; Kyle Thomas McNulty - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12217880B2 ## CPC - B22F 10/20: Direct sintering or melting - G21F 1/08: Metals; Alloys; Cermets, i.e. sintered mixtures of ceramics and metals - B22F 10/10: Formation of a green body - B22F 10/38: to achieve specific product aspects, e.g. surface smoothness, density, porosity or hollow structures - B22F 12/53: Nozzles - B22F 12/58: for changing the material composition, e.g. by mixing - B28B 1/001: {Rapid manufacturing of 3D objects by additive depositing, agglomerating or laminating of material (selective deposition modelling of metallic powder B22F10/00; rapid manufacturing of 3D objects in general and in particular of plastics B29C64/00)} - B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing - B33Y 40/00: Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling - B33Y 70/10: Composites of different types of material, e.g. mixtures of ceramics and polymers or mixtures of metals and biomaterials - B33Y 80/00: Products made by additive manufacturing - F16K 27/00: Construction of housing (methods for welding housings B23K); Use of materials therefor - F16K 51/00: Other details not peculiar to particular types of valves or cut-off apparatus - G21F 1/125: {comprising metals} - G21F 3/00: Shielding characterised by its physical form, e.g. granules, or shape of the material - Y02P 10/25: Process efficiency - 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 - G21F: PROTECTION AGAINST X-RADIATION, GAMMA RADIATION, CORPUSCULAR RADIATION OR PARTICLE BOMBARDMENT; TREATING RADIOACTIVELY CONTAMINATED MATERIAL; DECONTAMINATION ARRANGEMENTS THEREFOR (radiation protection by pharmaceutical means A61K8/00, A61Q17/04; in cosmonautic vehicles B64G1/54; combined with a reactor G21C11/00; combined with X-ray tubes H01J35/16; combined with X-ray apparatus H05G1/02) - B28B: SHAPING CLAY OR OTHER CERAMIC COMPOSITIONS; SHAPING SLAG; SHAPING MIXTURES CONTAINING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER (foundry moulding B22C; working stone or stone-like material B28D; shaping of substances in a plastic state, in general B29C; making layered products not composed wholly of these substances B32B) - 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 - 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)} - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract A radiation shielding overlay for a portion of a valve controller or a valve assembly. The radiation shielding overlay includes a layer including a base material and a second material infused within the base material. The base material has a first density and the second material has a second density higher than the first density, increasing a density of the layer. The layer is adapted to be disposed over a surface of a housing of a valve controller or a valve assembly, such that the layer blocks radiation from reaching a component disposed within the housing. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A radiation shielding overlay for a valve controller or a valve assembly, the radiation shielding overlay comprising: a first layer consisting of a base material and a second material infused within the base material, the base material having a first density and the second material having a second density higher than the first density, increasing a density of the first layer; a second layer consisting of the base material, and a third layer consisting of the base material and the second material infused within the base material, wherein the base material and the second material infused within the base material of the third layer is the same as the base material and the second material infused within the base material of the first layer, the second layer is disposed between the first layer and the third layer; the first layer is disposed over a surface of a housing of the valve controller or the valve assembly and a surface of a cover coupled to a base assembly disposed between the housing and the cover, the housing and the cover forming an enclosure, such that one or more of the first layer, the second layer and the third layers block radiation from reaching a component disposed within the enclosure. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The radiation shielding overlay of claim 1, wherein the second layer is a pure metallic void including a radiation trap. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The radiation shielding overlay of claim 1, wherein the second material includes one of tantalum or tungsten, the first layer, the second layer and the third layer increase a radiation resistance of a material of the surface of the housing and a thickness of the surface of the housing. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The radiation shielding overlay of claim 1, wherein the base material includes one of a metal binder or a stainless steel material, and the second material includes one of a plurality of ceramic particles, a plurality of particles of tantalum, or a plurality of particles of tungsten. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The radiation shielding overlay of claim 1, wherein the base material includes a metal binder, and the second material includes a plurality of ceramic particles. ### Claim 6 A valve controller comprising: a housing having an exterior surface; a cover having an exterior surface and coupled to a base assembly disposed between the housing and the cover, the housing and the cover forming an enclosure; a radiation shielding overlay disposed on the exterior surface of the housing and the exterior surface of the cover, the radiation shielding overlay comprising: a first layer consisting of a metallic base material and a second material infused within the metallic base material, the metal base material having a first density and the second material having a second density higher than the first density, increasing a density of the first layer; a second layer consisting of the metallic base material, and a third layer consisting of the base material and the second material infused within the base material, wherein the metallic base material and the second material infused within the metallic base material of the third layer is the same as the metallic base material and the second material infused within the metallic base material of the first layer; where the radiation shielding overlay blocks radiation from reaching a component disposed within the enclosure, and the metallic base material includes a metal binder, and the second material consists of a plurality of ceramic particles. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The valve controller of claim 6, wherein the radiation shielding overlay is disposed on the exterior surface of the cover, preventing radiation from reaching an electronic component disposed within the enclosure. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The valve controller of claim 6, further comprising a lateral X-axis, a longitudinal Y-axis, and a Z-axis perpendicular to both the lateral X-axis and the longitudinal Y-axis, the radiation shielding overlay penetrating throughout one or more of the housing and the cover along the Z-axis. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The valve controller of claim 6, wherein the second density of the second material is higher than the first density of the metallic base material, and the second layer is disposed on the first layer between the first layer and the third layer. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The valve controller of claim 9, wherein the second layer is a pure metallic void including a radiation trap. ### Claim 11 (depends on 6) The valve controller of claim 6, wherein the second material increases a radiation resistance of a material of the external surface of the housing.