Additively manufactured part with fastener supports

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12209606-B2
Application number	US-202217950326-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2022
Priority date	Sep 22, 2022
Publication date	Jan 28, 2025
Grant date	Jan 28, 2025

Abstract

A structural assembly includes a fastener and an additively manufactured component. The additively manufactured component includes a base, a void defined in the base, and a support disposed across the void. The fastener is secured to the base within the void, and the support is captured within a distal end portion of the fastener.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A structural assembly, comprising:
a fastener; and
an additively manufactured component comprising:
a base;
a void defined in the base; and
a support disposed across the void,

wherein the fastener is secured to the base within the void, and the support is captured within a distal end portion of the fastener.

2. The structural assembly of claim 1 , wherein the support is contiguous with a periphery of the void.

3. The structural assembly of claim 1 , wherein a distal end portion of the fastener includes a flange extending along a rear surface of the base.

4. The structural assembly of claim 3 , wherein the base includes a stop extending around the void on the rear surface, wherein the flange of the fastener abuts the stop.

5. The structural assembly of claim 1 , wherein the distal end portion of the fastener defines a cavity, and the support is captured within in the cavity.

6. The structural assembly of claim 1 , wherein the support has a convex exterior profile including a dome and sloped sides extending from the dome.

7. The structural assembly of claim 1 , wherein the fastener is a threaded stud.

8. The structural assembly of claim 1 , wherein the fastener is a ball stud.

9. The structural assembly of claim 1 , wherein the support includes a peripheral lip.

10. A method for forming a structural assembly, the method comprising:
additively manufacturing a base of the structural assembly, the base including a void;
additively manufacturing a support across the void;
locating a fastener onto the support; and
staking the fastener to the base through the support.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein staking the fastener further comprises punching the fastener between the support and the base and deforming a distal end portion of the fastener into a flange along a rear surface of the base.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein staking the fastener further comprises capturing the support in a cavity of the fastener.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the support is removed from the cavity.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein additively manufacturing the base and the support further comprises applying metal powder and a liquid adhesive into a plurality of layers and heating the plurality of layers to remove the adhesive.

15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising deforming the distal end portion of the fastener along a rear surface of the base and engaging a stop disposed on the rear surface of the base.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein additively manufacturing the support further comprises additively manufacturing a slug and a peripheral lip extending from the slug to the base.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein staking the fastener further comprises separating the peripheral lip from the base and securing the slug in a cavity of the fastener.

18. The method of claim 10 , further comprising additively manufacturing the base and the support in a metal jet binding process.

19. An additively manufactured component configured to join structural components together, the additively manufactured component comprising:
a base;
a void defined in the base; and
a support disposed across the void, the support defining a convex exterior profile including a central dome, sloped sides extending from the central dome, and a peripheral lip.

20. The additively manufactured component of claim 19 , further comprising a stop extending around the void.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Forsmark Joy Hines
• Hosking Niamh
• Koch Raphael
• Freeman Michael James

Classifications

• B33Y80/00 Primary

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• F16B5/02 Primary

  by means of fastening members using screw-thread ({F16B5/0004 takes precedence}; construction of screw-threaded connections F16B25/00 - F16B39/00) · CPC title