Systems for large area micro mechanical systems

• US 7,785,098 B1
• Filed: 12/14/2007
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rtx Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mikro Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Appleby, Michael P., Klinger, Jill E., Randolph, William T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Khanh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel; Vishal I
• Application Number:
  US11/956,610
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: 425/470, 264/319
• US Class Current: 425/470
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/302 Assembling a large number of mould elements to constitute one cavity
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/3842 Manufacturing moulds, e.g. shaping the mould surface by machining
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/42 characterised by the shape of the moulding surface, e.g. ribs or grooves
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 39/34 for undercut articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2083/00 Use of polymers having silicon, with or without sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, or carbon only, in the main chain, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 1/02 using diaphragms, collimators
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 1/025 using multiple collimators, e.g. Bucky screens; other devices for eliminating undesired or dispersed radiation

Abstract

Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a first isogrid defining a first plurality of zones, each zone from said first plurality of zones comprising a plurality of ligaments, each zone from said first plurality of zones defining a plurality of spaces, each space bounded by a first sub-plurality of ligaments from said plurality of ligaments, each of said ligaments comprising a plurality of ligament surfaces.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first cast monolithic isogrid defining a first plurality of zones, each zone from said first plurality of zones comprising a plurality of cast ligaments, each zone from said first plurality of zones defining a plurality of triangular spaces, each triangular space bounded by a first sub-plurality of cast ligaments from said plurality of cast ligaments, an isogrid tiling positioner defined at an intersection of a second sub-plurality of cast ligaments from said plurality of cast ligaments, each of said cast ligaments comprising a plurality of ligament surfaces, for each of said ligaments, a ligament surface from said plurality of ligament surfaces comprising a plurality of 3-dimensional micro-features that substantially spatially invertedly replicate a mold surface formed by a plurality of layers of a metallic foil stack lamination parent mold, said plurality of 3-dimensional micro-features comprising at least one protruding undercut, said plurality of ligament surfaces for each of said ligaments defining a periphery of a layer-less volume.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

a first zone from said first plurality of zones comprises a first plurality of cast ligaments and defines a first plurality of triangular spaces, each of said first plurality of triangular spaces having a first maximum dimension measured between two or more of said first plurality of cast ligaments, and a second zone from said first plurality of zones comprises a second plurality of cast ligaments and defines a second plurality of triangular spaces, each of said second plurality of triangular spaces having a second maximum dimension measured between two or more of said second plurality of cast ligaments, said second maximum dimension differing from said first maximum dimension by at least 30 percent.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

a first zone from said first plurality of zones comprises a first plurality of cast ligaments and defines a first plurality of triangular spaces, each of said first plurality of triangular spaces having a first maximum dimension measured between two or more of said first plurality of cast ligaments, and a second zone from said first plurality of zones comprises a second plurality of cast ligaments and defines a second plurality of triangular spaces, each of said second plurality of triangular spaces having a second maximum dimension measured between two or more of said second plurality of cast ligaments, said second maximum dimension differing from said first maximum dimension by at least 30 percent, said first zone adjacent said second zone.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

a first zone from said first plurality of zones comprises a first plurality of cast ligaments, each of said first plurality of cast ligaments having a first thickness, and a second zone from said first plurality of zones comprises a second plurality of cast ligaments, each of said second plurality of cast ligaments having a second thickness that differs from said first thickness by at least 30 percent.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

a first zone from said first plurality of zones comprises a first plurality of cast ligaments, each of said first plurality of cast ligaments having a first thickness variance of less than 10 percent from an average thickness of all of said first plurality of cast ligaments.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

a first zone from said first plurality of zones defines a first plurality of triangular spaces, each of said first plurality of triangular spaces having a first maximum dimension, and a second zone from said first plurality of zones defines a second plurality of triangular spaces, each of said second plurality of triangular spaces having a second maximum dimension that differs from said first maximum dimension by at least 30 percent.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second cast monolithic isogrid attached to said first cast monolithic isogrid.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

a first zone from said first plurality of zones comprises a first plurality of cast ligaments, each of said first plurality of cast ligaments terminating via a corresponding fillet at a node, each of said fillets one of a first plurality of fillets comprised by said first zone;

a second zone from said first plurality of zones comprises a second plurality of cast ligaments, each of said second plurality of cast ligaments terminating via a corresponding fillet at a node, each of said fillets one of a second plurality of fillets comprised by said first zone; and

an average fillet radius of all of said second plurality of fillets differing from an average fillet radius of all of said first plurality of fillets by at least 30 percent.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein:

a first zone from said first plurality of zones comprises a first plurality of cast ligaments, each of said first plurality of cast ligaments terminating via a corresponding fillet at a substantially circular node, each of said substantially circular nodes one of a plurality of first substantially circular nodes comprised by said first zone;

a second zone from said first plurality of zones comprises a second plurality of cast ligaments, each of said second plurality of cast ligaments terminating via a corresponding fillet at a substantially circular node, each of said substantially circular nodes one of a second plurality of substantially circular nodes comprised by said second zone; and

an average node radius of all of said second plurality of nodes differing from an average node radius of all of said first plurality of nodes by at least 30 percent.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein:

a first zone from said first plurality of zones comprises a first plurality of cast ligaments, each of said first plurality of cast ligaments characterized by a first shear strength measured in a first direction and a second shear strength measured in a second direction, said first direction orthogonal to said second direction, said first shear strength within 10 percent of said second shear strength for each of said ligaments.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein:

said first cast monolithic isogrid comprises a sensor.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein:

said first cast monolithic isogrid comprises an electrical conductor.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein:

said first cast monolithic isogrid comprises an interlock defined at said intersection of said second sub-plurality of cast ligaments from said plurality of cast ligaments.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein:

said first cast monolithic isogrid comprises one or more of a;

filter, sorter, membrane, heater, heat exchanger, heating channel, cooling channel, mass exchanger, reactor, fuel cell, regulator, valve, orifice, pump, actuator, attenuator, mirror, fuse, detector, electrode, antenna, coil, inductor, capacitor, resistor, switch, integrated circuit, acoustic damping element, mechanical vibration damping feature, stiffener, accelerometer, electromagnetic shielding, fastener, barrier, and microwell.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein:

said first cast monolithic isogrid comprises a cooling channel.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein:

said first cast monolithic isogrid comprises a detector.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein:

said first cast monolithic isogrid comprises a heat exchanger.