Additively Manufactured Metallic Coupling for Torque and Flexibility

The patent changes the manufacturing parameters from traditional high-precision fabrication and welding to additive manufacturing processes. This allows the coupling to achieve the required torque stiffness and strength while significantly reducing manufacturing cost and complexity. The additive manufacturing process enables direct fabrication of complex geometries without expensive tooling or assembly operations.

The patent employs additive manufacturing to create couplings that are more cost-effective than traditional precision-fabricated couplings. The process eliminates expensive welding operations and high-precision machining, replacing them with a more economical direct fabrication approach that maintains structural integrity while reducing overall manufacturing cost.

The coupling is segmented into multiple struts arranged in a polyhedral geometry, creating discrete load paths that can independently deform. This segmentation allows the coupling to transmit torque through the structured arrangement of struts while accommodating axial and bending deformations through the relative movement and elastic deformation of individual strut elements.

The coupling transitions from a rigid static structure to a dynamic structure that can adapt its stiffness characteristics. The polyhedral geometry with multiple struts allows the coupling to maintain torque transmission capability while dynamically adjusting to axial and bending loads, providing the required flexibility without sacrificing torque transmission performance.

The patent replaces traditional mechanical fabrication processes (machining, welding, assembly) with additive manufacturing technology. This substitution eliminates multiple sequential operations including precision machining, welding procedures, and quality inspection steps, dramatically reducing manufacturing time while maintaining or improving coupling performance through the ability to directly fabricate complex geometries with high precision.

The additive manufacturing process merges multiple manufacturing operations into a single fabrication step. The coupling geometry, including all structural details and features, is created in one continuous process without the need for separate machining, welding, or assembly operations, thereby reducing both manufacturing time and process complexity while maintaining high precision.