Additive Burner Module Design for Complex Gas Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional burner manufacturing is complex, time-consuming, and costly, requiring customized designs and intricate machining, which limits flexibility and efficiency in producing burners with desired geometries and characteristics.
Innovation Solution
A modular burner system comprising additive manufactured burner modules with multiple functional walls and gas passage openings, allowing for customizable designs and rapid production of complex geometries without the need for extensive machining or support structures, using materials like brass, bronze, and heat-resistant steels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional manufacturing methods are used for burners, then manufacturing precision and reliability can be achieved, but production complexity and time consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The burner is divided into modular components (burner head, distributor strip, mounting elements) that can be manufactured separately using additive technology and then assembled. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while simplifying the overall manufacturing process and reducing tooling complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies additive manufacturing technology which fundamentally changes the manufacturing parameters from traditional subtractive or formative methods. This parameter change enables complex geometries to be produced directly from digital models without requiring complex fixtures, tooling, or multiple machining operations, thereby reducing process complexity while maintaining precision.
2Adaptability or versatility
If customized burner designs are produced using conventional methods, then specific geometric requirements can be met, but production time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Standardized modular components are pre-designed and can be stored as digital models for rapid reproduction. When customization is needed, only the specific modules requiring variation need to be reprinted, while other standard modules can be produced simultaneously or pre-positioned, thereby maintaining high productivity while enabling customization.
Solution Approach 2:
Additive manufacturing allows direct digital-to-physical fabrication, changing the production parameter from batch manufacturing to on-demand layer-by-layer construction. This enables rapid prototyping and customization without the setup time and tooling changes required by conventional methods, significantly improving productivity for customized designs.
3Manufacturing precision
If intricate machining is performed on burner components, then manufacturing precision is achieved, but production cost and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical machining operations with additive manufacturing technology. Instead of removing material through cutting, drilling, or milling operations that require complex toolpaths and multiple setup steps, the burner components are built layer-by-layer directly from digital models, achieving complex geometries and precise dimensions in a single fabrication process, thereby dramatically reducing machining time.
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturing parameter changes from material removal (subtractive) to material deposition (additive). This fundamental parameter change eliminates the need for time-consuming machining operations while maintaining or improving dimensional accuracy, as the final geometry is created directly through controlled material placement rather than through multiple sequential cutting operations.
4Reliability
If support structures are used in additive manufacturing, then structural integrity during printing is maintained, but post-processing time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic support structures that are strategically designed to provide maximum stability during critical printing phases while being easily removable afterward. The support geometry and placement are optimized to minimize interference with the final component and facilitate simple post-processing, balancing print reliability with manufacturing ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes porous or lattice-based support structures that provide structural integrity during printing but allow for easy removal through dissolution or mechanical separation. These porous supports maintain the necessary rigidity during the printing process while their reduced material density and interconnected structure enable simple post-processing, thereby maintaining reliability without significantly increasing manufacturing complexity.
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 reduces production costs by 50%, design effort by 75%, and accelerates quoting times, enabling rapid production of customized burners with improved efficiency and flexibility, while allowing for simple replacement parts and cost-effective manufacturing.
Implementation Method 1
a laser beam, electron beam, or plasma or an arc which introduce energy at a specific point of a layer or ply of a component to be produced
Implementation Method 2
selective laser melting and electron beam melting for metals and selective laser sintering for polymers, ceramics, and metals
Implementation Method 3
electron beam melting (EBM), the process flow essentially corresponds to that of the laser-based methods. Loose metal powder, in the powder bed or via a nozzle, or wire is melted point by point
Implementation Method 4
a laser beam, electron beam, or plasma or an arc which introduce energy at a specific point of a layer or ply of a component to be produced
Implementation Method 5
a laser beam, electron beam, or plasma or an arc which introduce energy at a specific point of a layer or ply of a component to be produced
Implementation Method 6
the production of metallic components via a combination of SLS of plastic-sheathed metal powder with subsequent thermal treatment (IMLS)
Data Source
AI summary
A burner module according to the invention comprises at least three or four or five or six or seven or eight functional walls which delimit at least one first functional space and form a module body, wherein the module body has at least three or four or five or six or six or seven gas passage openings and at least two of these gas passage openings are connected to one another communicatively via the first functional space, and wherein at least one nozzle device having a fuel gas opening is formed in an upper wall of the burner module, which fuel gas opening is connected communicatively to the first functional space via a gas channel. The burner module is produced in an additive manner.