Gas regulator for thermal energy machining

A method of deburring and/or deflashing parts comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a TEM machine having a fluid-controlled pressure regulation subsystem for controlling the dispensing of at least one of the TEM process gases, the fluid-controlled pressure regulation subsystem comprising:
• 1) a pressure regulator having:
• i) a gas inlet and a gas outlet;
• ii) a valve adapted to control process gas flow between the gas inlet and the gas outlet;
• iii) a diaphragm in mechanical communication with the valve;
• and
• iv) a fluid-controlled cylinder having a piston movably disposed therein in mechanical communication with the diaphragm;
• 2) a pressure transducer in fluid communication with the gas outlet for monitoring the process gas pressure;
• and
• 3) a digital controller adapted to receive a signal from the pressure transducer;
• wherein the digital controller uses the pressure transducer signal to control the position of the piston within the cylinder thereby controlling the flexure state of the diaphragm, the flexure state of the diaphragm controlling the openness state of the valve, the openness state of the valve controlling the process gas pressure exiting the gas outlet;
• b) loading parts having burrs and/or flashings into the TEM machine;
• c) operating the TEM machine to remove the burrs and/or flashing from the parts;
• and
• d) unloading the parts from the TEM machine.

A TEM machine having a gas handling system in which the improvement is a fluid-controlled pressure regulation subsystem for controlling the dispensing of at least one of the TEM process gases, the fluid-controlled pressure regulation subsystem comprising:

• a) a pressure regulator having:
• 1) a gas inlet and a gas outlet;
• 2) a valve adapted to control process gas flow between the gas inlet and the gas outlet;
• 3) a diaphragm in mechanical communication with the valve;
• and
• 4) a fluid-controlled cylinder having a piston movably disposed therein in mechanical communication with the diaphragm;
• b) a pressure transducer in fluid communication with the gas outlet for monitoring the process gas pressure;
• and
• c) a digital controller adapted to receive a signal from the pressure transducer;
• wherein the digital controller uses the pressure transducer signal to control the position of the piston within the cylinder thereby controlling the flexure state of the diaphragm, the flexure state of the diaphragm controlling the openness state of the valve, the openness state of the valve controlling the process gas pressure exiting the gas outlet.