Fuel Injector Nozzle Microstructure Replication
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for manufacturing fuel injector nozzles lack efficiency and flexibility in producing varying sizes and shapes required for optimal fuel injection, leading to suboptimal performance under stringent environmental standards.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the creation of a microstructured pattern in a first material, followed by replication with a second material, and planarization to expose microstructures, resulting in a nozzle with a plurality of holes, utilizing techniques such as cast and cure, extrusion, and electroplating to achieve precise internal geometry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional manufacturing methods are used for fuel injector nozzles, then production is simpler, but manufacturing precision and flexibility in producing varying sizes and shapes are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a master mold with precisely engineered internal geometry to create replicas through molding processes. The master mold serves as a template that is copied multiple times to produce nozzles with consistent precise geometry, eliminating the need to recreate the complex internal shapes from scratch for each nozzle.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a multi-layer molding process where a first material is molded with microstructures, then a second material is molded over it, and finally the first material is removed to create hollow channels. This nested approach allows complex internal geometries to be formed by sequentially adding and removing materials in nested layers.
2Productivity
If conventional manufacturing methods are used, then production process is less complex, but productivity and efficiency in producing optimized nozzles are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a master mold with the final desired nozzle geometry beforehand, then uses this pre-prepared tool to efficiently produce multiple nozzles through repetitive molding cycles. This preliminary preparation of the master mold enables high-volume production without repeatedly performing complex machining operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes changes in material states (liquid to solid during curing, removal of sacrificial material) to transform the nozzle structure. By controlling the physical and chemical parameters of materials during the molding process, complex internal geometries are formed efficiently without manual intervention for each feature.
3Adaptability or versatility
If varying sizes and shapes are produced for optimal fuel injection, then fuel efficiency and emissions performance are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal master mold that can produce nozzles of varying sizes and shapes by changing the molding parameters or using different master molds for different applications. The same basic molding process and material system can accommodate different nozzle geometries, making the manufacturing system versatile without requiring fundamentally different processes for each variant.
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 enables the production of highly efficient fuel injector nozzles with precise internal geometries, enhancing fuel efficiency and reducing emissions by optimizing the atomization process.
Implementation Method 1
a first material is provided having a first microstructured pattern
Implementation Method 2
this pattern is then covered, so as to to replicate the pattern, by a second material
Data Source
Figure 1A~1D
Figure 1E~2B
Figure 3~4
AI summary
Methods of making nozzles are disclosed. More specifically, methods of making nozzles that may be used as components of a fuel injection system are disclosed.