Filtration media packs produced using additive manufacturing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10981335-B2
Application number	US-201916268930-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2019
Priority date	Feb 6, 2019
Publication date	Apr 20, 2021
Grant date	Apr 20, 2021

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a filter medium includes providing a computer-readable three-dimensional model of the filter medium including a plurality of segments, each segment of the three-dimensional model being configured to be converted into a plurality of slices that each define a cross-sectional layer of the filter medium, each segment including an undulating layer extending along a predetermined direction that is different than the predetermined direction of the undulating layer of the other segment; and successively forming each layer of the filter medium by additive manufacturing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A filter comprising:
a housing defining a Cartesian coordinate system including an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis, and a plurality of X and Y planes that are spaced sequentially along the Z-axis; and
a filter medium including a plurality of layers of solidified material that are spaced along the Z-axis in a different X and Y plane of the plurality of X and Y planes;
wherein at least one of the plurality of layers of solidified material includes an undulating strip of solidified material extending in a first predetermined direction forming a first angle with the X-axis, and the first angle ranges from 10 degrees to 80 degrees, and the filter medium includes an annular configuration and is split into a plurality of segments including a first segment including the at least one of the plurality of layers of solidified material defining the first angle with the X-axis, and a second segment arranged circumferentially adjacent the first segment including another of the plurality of layers of solidified material including an undulating strip of solidified material extending in a different predetermined direction than the first predetermined direction, forming a second angle with the X-axis that is different than the first angle, and each segment defines a faceted exterior.

2. The filter of claim 1 wherein the first angle is 45 degrees.

3. The filter of claim 1 wherein each segment defines a cylindrical interior aperture.

4. A filter medium defining a Cartesian coordinate system including an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis, comprising:
a first segment including a first plurality of layers, wherein at least one layer of the first plurality of layers includes an undulating strip of solidified material extending in a first predetermined direction forming a first angle with the X-axis; and
a second segment including a second plurality of layers, wherein at least one layer of the second plurality of layers includes an undulating strip of solidified material extending in a different predetermined direction than the first predetermined direction, forming a second angle with the X-axis that is different than first angle;
wherein the filter medium includes an annular shape defining a circumferential direction and including a cylindrical interior, and the filter medium includes a plurality of identically configured segments arranged circumferentially adjacent each other, each defining an undulating strip of solidified material extending along a predetermined direction that forms an angle with the X-axis that is evenly divisible by the quotient of 360 degrees divided by the number of identically configured segments, each angle of each segment being different from each other and defining a faceted exterior.

5. The filter medium of claim 4 wherein the first angle is 18 degrees and the second angle is 54 degrees.

6. The filter medium of claim 4 wherein the filter medium includes a cylindrical exterior.

7. The filter medium of claim 4 wherein the undulating strip of the first plurality of layers includes a trapezoidal configuration and the undulating strip of the second plurality of layers includes a square configuration.

8. The filter medium of claim 4 wherein the filter medium is manufactured using the infill settings of a 3D printing software.

Assignees

• Caterpillar Inc

Inventors

• Rodriguez Javier A
• Morehouse Iii Darrell Lee
• Spengler Philip Carl

Classifications

• B01D46/2411 Primary

  Filter cartridges · CPC title

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B01D29/333

  with corrugated, folded filtering elements · CPC title

• G06F2119/18

  Manufacturability analysis or optimisation for manufacturability · CPC title

• B01D29/33

  arranged for inward flow filtration · CPC title