Actuator Housing Assembly for Precise Piston Running Surfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing valve drives with multipart outer housings face challenges in achieving high precision and low costs while maintaining stability and tightness of the piston space.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a two-part outer housing where the first housing part is produced through metal forming with a circumferential rim and attached to a second housing part with a centering collar, ensuring the roundness and geometry of the running surface without machining, and optionally connected via press fit, welding, soldering, or gluing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a thin-walled first housing part is used to reduce material cost and weight, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but the stability and roundness of the running surface deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
A centering collar is introduced as an intermediary component between the thin-walled first housing part and the second housing part. The centering collar provides the necessary stability and roundness for the running surface, allowing the first housing part to be thin-walled while maintaining precision. The centering collar acts as a mediator that compensates for the insufficient stiffness of the thin-walled structure.
2Ease of manufacture
If the first housing part is produced by plastic deformation (chipless metal forming) to reduce manufacturing cost, then production cost is reduced, but the precision and roundness of the running surface deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The first housing part is pre-formed by plastic deformation to achieve the basic shape and reduce manufacturing cost. The subsequent mounting onto the centering collar performs the preliminary action of correcting and refining the roundness and geometry of the running surface, ensuring precision is achieved after the low-cost forming process.
Solution Approach 2:
The centering collar serves as a mediator that transfers the precise circular geometry to the thin-walled first housing part during mounting. This allows the use of low-precision plastic deformation forming while achieving high precision in the final product through the form-fitting connection with the centering collar.
3Productivity
If the running surface is left unmachined after forming to reduce manufacturing steps, then productivity is increased, but the precision and quality of the running surface deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The first housing part's running surface is formed to be self-centering on the centering collar through the form-fitting connection. The plastic deformation forming process creates a geometry that naturally aligns with and centers on the centering collar, allowing the running surface to be unmachined while maintaining precision through the self-centering mechanism.
4Device complexity
If a sharp-edged circumferential rim is used to simplify the housing part geometry, then manufacturing is simplified, but the risk of piston damage during assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The circumferential rim geometry is modified by changing the parameter of edge sharpness to a rounded or chamfered edge. This parameter change simplifies the overall geometry while eliminating the harmful sharp edge that could damage the piston during assembly, thus maintaining manufacturing simplicity while improving reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach results in a cost-effective actuator with high precision and reduced risk of piston damage during assembly, maintaining stability and ensuring the required roundness and geometry of the running surface.
Implementation Method 1
producing the first housing part by plastically deformation of a metal part due to exertion of outer pressure
Data Source
AI summary
An method for producing an actuator comprising an outer housing which includes at least one first housing part and one second housing part, wherein the first housing part has an inner side with a running surface for a hydraulically or pneumatically drivable piston coupled with a valve tappet and has a circumferential rim, wherein the second housing part comprises a circumferential centering collar having a radial outside, comprises the steps of producing the first housing part by plastically deformation of a metal part due to exertion of outer pressure, and attaching the first housing part to the second housing part by mounting the circumferential rim onto the outside of the circumferential centering collar.