Springs and methods of forming same
First Claim
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1. A method of forming a seal, the method comprising:
- providing a ribbon of sheet material having a thickness of not greater than 10 mils;
cutting with a fiber laser device a plurality of spring elements distributedlongitudinally along the ribbon to form a spring work piece, the fiber laser devicecomprises a fiber laser including an optical fiber active gain medium; and
folding the spring work piece to form a spring.
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Abstract
A seal includes a polymeric jacket defining a seal surface and an inner cavity extending within the polymeric jacket along a length of the polymeric jacket. The seal further includes a spring extending within the inner cavity and including a plurality of laser cut spring elements. The seal can be disposed between a static component and a rotatable component.
33 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of forming a seal, the method comprising:
- providing a ribbon of sheet material having a thickness of not greater than 10 mils;
cutting with a fiber laser device a plurality of spring elements distributedlongitudinally along the ribbon to form a spring work piece, the fiber laser device comprises a fiber laser including an optical fiber active gain medium; and
folding the spring work piece to form a spring. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
- providing a ribbon of sheet material having a thickness of not greater than 10 mils;
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12. A method of forming a seal, the method comprising:
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dispensing a ribbon of sheet metal having a thickness of not greater than 8 mils; forming with a fiber laser device a plurality of spring elements distributed along a length of the ribbon and extending latitudinally across the ribbon, wherein the fiber laser device comprises a fiber laser including an optical fiber active gain medium; cutting the ribbon with the fiber laser device to form a spring work piece; and folding the spring work piece along a longitudinal length of the ribbon. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of forming a seal, the method comprising:
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dispensing a tube having a thickness of not greater than 10 mils; cutting the tube with a fiber laser device to form a pattern of spring elements distributed longitudinally along the length of the tube, wherein the fiber laser device comprises a fiber laser including an optical fiber active gain medium. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification