Creation of laser-defined structures on pressure relief devices via tiling method
AssigneeFike Corporation
InventorsBon F. Shaw, Joe Walker, Michael D. Krebill
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods of creating various laser-defined control structures on pressure relief devices are provided that utilize a laser having a field of view that is smaller than the overall dimensions of the laser-defined structure to be milled into the pressure relief device. The methods generally involve partitioning the working surface of the device into a plurality of tiles within which a particular segment of the control structure will be milled. Upon milling of a control structure segment in one tile, the pressure relief device and/or laser is repositioned so that a control structure segment in another tile may be created.
Claims24
A method of creating a laser-defined control structure in a pressure relief device, said control structure comprising a plurality of control structure segments, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a pressure relief device comprising a pair of opposed faces, a central section and an outer flange section in surrounding relationship to said central section;
- partitioning at least a portion of one of said faces of said pressure relief device into a plurality of tiles, at least two of said tiles corresponding to areas of said one face in which said control structure segments are to be located;
- passing a laser beam generated by a scanning laser over the area of said one face corresponding to one of said tiles thereby forming one of said control structure segments;
- and
- shifting the relative position of said laser and said pressure relief device;
- passing said laser beam over the area of said one face corresponding to another of said tiles thereby forming another of said control structure segments.
A method of creating a laser-defined control structure in a pressure relief device, said control structure comprising a plurality of control structure segments, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a pressure relief device comprising a pair of opposed faces, a central section and an outer flange section in surrounding relationship to said central section;
- partitioning at least a portion of one of said faces of said pressure relief device into a plurality of tiles, at least two of said tiles corresponding to areas of said one face in which said control structure segments are to be located;
- and
- passing a laser beam generated by a scanning laser over the area of said at least two tiles thereby forming said control structure segments,
- said scanning laser having a field of view that is less than the distance between the two most distant points on said control structure,
- said passing step resulting in the formation of a intermediate region between adjacent control structure segments, said intermediate region corresponding to a boundary between adjacent tiles and having a pressure relief device material thickness that is greater than the pressure relief device material thickness at the deepest point of either of said adjacent control structures.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.