Page 26 - 3D Metal Printing Fall 2018

3D Valve Industry Transforms Using Metal AM
Flow Coefficient (Cv) vs Valve Opening
Standard Smooth Honeycomb
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Valve Opening (Deg.)
Fig. 4—Comparative flow coefficient (Cv) test results vs. valve-opening position.
Conclusions
Metal AM no longer is a technology reserved for academic research facilities and extremely specialized industries, though it may be underutilized. Specific to the valve industry, metal AM creates a pathway toward innovative solutions to common performance desires such as higher flow capacities and decreased cav- itation likelihood, as demonstrated through Bray and Renishaw’s case study.
Furthermore, metal AM can dramati- cally reduce functional-prototype lead times and speed the product-develop- ment process, resulting in faster time-to- market for new products. As long as prop- er design for AM and adapt-for-AM principles are applied, the valve industry can experience thriving innovation result- ing in performance gains once thought impossible. 3DMP
This is an edited version of an article published on ValveMagazine.com, reprint- ed with the permission of the Valve Man- ufacturers Association, www.vma.org.
the valve at full opening, as compared to the standard V-port ball valve.
Additionally, this valve also exhibited better cavitation performance. The hon- eycomb ball did demonstrate an increased flow capacity—about 4 percent at full
opening—but that trend was not consis- tent through the full stroke of the valve. The cavitation performance of this valve was indecisive as improvements were noted, but not consistently throughout the valve stroke.
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24 | 3D METAL PRINTING • FALL 2018
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Flow Coefficient (Cv)