Extruded Hollow Valve Body for Lower-Cost Electric Drive Valves
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing manufacturing methods for electric drive valves, such as solenoid valves, are costly due to the material usage and processing requirements, particularly when forming valve main bodies from raw material blocks through cutting operations.
Innovation Solution
The electric drive valve is constructed using a hollow extruded material with a through hole extending in the axial direction, reducing material usage and manufacturing costs, and featuring planar portions on the outer surface for easier handling and alignment during assembly, allowing for the omission of cutting processes for these features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If the valve main body is formed by cutting out from a raw material block, then the structural strength and integrity are ensured, but the material usage increases and manufacturing cost rises
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of removing material from a solid block to create the valve main body, the invention inverts the approach by forming the body through extrusion of a hollow shape directly. This eliminates the need for cutting operations and significantly reduces material waste while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the manufacturing parameter from subtractive cutting to additive/extrusive forming. By using extrusion molding to directly create the hollow valve main body, the process achieves both material efficiency and manufacturing simplicity that cutting methods cannot provide.
2Productivity
If cutting operations are used to form the valve main body, then precise dimensions and shapes can be achieved, but the manufacturing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hollow shape and basic dimensions of the valve main body are predetermined in the extrusion mold design. This preliminary action ensures that the final product achieves the required dimensional accuracy directly from the extrusion process, eliminating the need for subsequent cutting and finishing operations.
3Quantity of substance
If a hollow extruded material with through hole is used, then material usage is reduced and cost is lowered, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hollow extruded structure with through hole serves multiple functions simultaneously: it reduces material usage, provides the necessary flow passage for the valve, and creates the structural framework. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate components, actually simplifying the overall device structure.
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 significantly reduces material usage and manufacturing costs while enhancing the durability of the valve seat and simplifying the attachment process by utilizing the inherent properties of the extruded material, such as refined metal crystal grains for improved mechanical strength and ease of assembly.
Implementation Method 1
the valve main body is formed by a hollow extruded material which has a through hole extending in an axial direction
Implementation Method 2
a mechanical strength is generally enlarged in an outer peripheral surface portion and an inner peripheral surface portion of the hollow extruded material since a metal crystal grain is refined in the outer peripheral surface portion and the inner peripheral surface portion of the hollow extruded material due to a shear stress caused by friction between a raw material metal flowing in metal mold and a metal mold surface when molding
Data Source
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Figure 5~6
AI summary
In an electric drive valve (11) including a valve main body (12) which has a valve chamber (13) in an inner portion thereof, a first flow channel port (14) which is formed in the valve main body and communicates with the valve chamber, a second flow channel port (15) which is formed in the valve main body and communicates with the valve chamber, a valve port (16) which has a valve seat (17) and is disposed between the first flow channel port or the second flow channel port and the valve chamber in such a manner as to be open to the valve chamber, a valve body (18) which moves in a direction of a center axis, and an actuator (31) which drives the valve body, the valve main body is formed by a hollow extruded material which has a through hole extending in an axial direction. The valve seat is preferably formed in an inner peripheral surface portion of the through hole. Purpose of this configuration is to reduce a used amount of material forming a valve main body and reduce manufacturing cost of the electric drive valve.