DESC:FORM 2

THE PATENTS ACT, 1970

(39 of 1970)

&

THE PATENT RULES, 2003

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

[See Section 10 and Rule 13]

TITLE:

“A DEVICE FOR UNIDIRECTIONAL CONTROLLED AIRFLOW THROUGH POROUS THREE-DIMENSIONAL STACK OF MATERIALS”

APPLICANT:

E-TRNL ENERGY PRIVATE LIMITED
a company incorporated under the Indian Companies Act, 2013
having address at
Plot No. 08, SY No. 75, Sadaramangala lndustrial Area,
M.D. Pura White Field, Mahadevapura, Bengaluru,
Bengaluru Urban, Pin Code – 560048, Karnataka, India

PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION:
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is performed:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a unidirectional airflow device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device for unidirectional controlled airflow through a porous three-dimensional stack of materials.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Unidirectional airflow, also known as laminar airflow, is a type of controlled airflow that moves in a single direction with a steady velocity and parallel streamlines. It is defined as the controlled airflow through the entire cross-section with a steady velocity and approximately parallel streamlines.
A lot of industrial applications imply stack of materials such as manufacture of electrode, cutting tool inserts and filters in chemical industry where there is also need to introduce porosity to these stack of materials. In some manufacturing industries, the stack of material is required to be held and air is dragged for drying and introducing porosity. However, this technique has greater chance of error in part manufacture due to uncontrolled air sucking through the stack of material.
WO2007045981A1, discloses a sucking device comprises motor means arranged for sucking up air flows; filtering means of said air flows located downstream of said motor means, said motor means and said filtering means being connected together with piping means designed to transform turbulent air flows into laminar air flows.
JP2018532434A, discloses a work chamber containing a workbench and a first heating means, wherein heated air is circulated in the workstation and a heated and temperature-controlled air flow is provided on the workbench. A laminar airflow workstation, configured to direct toward the airflow system, wherein the work chamber has access to the workbench from the ambient environment. A laminar airflow workstation is disclosed that includes a front manipulation opening in fluid communication with an ambient environment configured to allow.
The drawback related to these conventional devices are that these conventional devices are limited to producing a unidirectional airflow without ensuring the generation of unidirectional air flow via difference in air pressure and is not capable of generating a vacuum condition in sealed area, which limits the uses of these conventional devices.
Therefore, there is need for a unidirectional controlled airflow device for producing a unidirectional airflow ensuring the generation of unidirectional airflow via difference in air pressure and is also capable of generating a vacuum condition in a sealed area.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The main object of the invention is to provide a device for generating a unidirectional controlled airflow and generating a vacuum condition through porous three-dimensional stack of materials.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device for generating a unidirectional controlled airflow device for uniform drying through porous three-dimensional stack of materials.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a device for generating a unidirectional controlled airflow device that ensures no air entrapment in the three-dimensional stack of the material.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a device for generating a unidirectional controlled airflow device that ensures unidirectional airflow via difference in positive air pressure or negative air pressure.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a device for generating a unidirectional controlled airflow device that creates vacuum suction in a three-dimensional stack of materials.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a device for generating a unidirectional controlled airflow device that creates vacuum suction in a three-dimensional stack of materials having porosity 15% to 70%.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a device for generating a unidirectional controlled airflow device which is portable and easily operable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for unidirectional controlled airflow through a porous three-dimensional stack of materials ensuring the generation of unidirectional airflow via difference in air pressure and is also capable of generating a vacuum condition in a sealed area.
In an embodiment, the present invention provides a device for unidirectional controlled airflow through a porous three-dimensional stack of materials, comprising of a vacuum cup, a base plate, a vacuum cup gasket, a die, a die gasket, a plurality of fasteners. The base plate is mounted on said vacuum cup through the plurality of fasteners. The vacuum cup gasket is provided between the base plate and the vacuum cup to make airtight contact between the base plate and the vacuum cup. The base plate has a protrusion on the top centre portion of the base plate having a pattern of micro holes to facilitate unidirectional airflow from three-dimensional stack of materials. The die is mounted on the base plate with the help of an alignment pin. The die gasket is provided between the base plate and the die to make airtight contact between the base plate and the die.
The above objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the hereinafter set forth brief description of the drawings and detailed description of the invention appended herewith.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
An understanding of a device for unidirectional controlled airflow through a porous three-dimensional stack of materials of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the following drawings:
Figure 1 is an exploded view of a device for unidirectional controlled airflow through a porous three-dimensional stack of materials, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is an isometric view of a device for unidirectional controlled airflow through a porous three-dimensional stack of materials, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a top view of a device for unidirectional controlled airflow through a porous three-dimensional stack of materials, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a top view of a base plate of a device for unidirectional controlled airflow through a porous three-dimensional stack of materials, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a top view of a die of a device for unidirectional controlled airflow through a porous three-dimensional stack of materials, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of shapes of die of a device for unidirectional controlled airflow through a porous three-dimensional stack of materials, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention will now be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiment set forth herein. Rather, the embodiment is provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
Many aspects of the invention can be better understood with references made to the drawings below. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Instead, emphasis is placed upon clearly illustrating the components of the present invention. Moreover, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts through the several views in the drawings. Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention are not limited in their application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The embodiments of the invention are capable of being practiced and carried out in various ways. In addition, the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
The present invention relates to a device for generating a unidirectional controlled airflow for producing a unidirectional airflow through a porous three-dimensional stack of materials ensuring the generation of unidirectional airflow via difference in air pressure and is also capable of generating a vacuum condition in a sealed area.
In an embodiment, the present invention provides a device for unidirectional controlled airflow through a porous three-dimensional stack of materials, comprising of a vacuum cup, a base plate, a vacuum cup gasket, a die, a die gasket, and a plurality of fasteners. The base plate is mounted on the vacuum cup through the plurality of fasteners. The vacuum cup gasket is provided between the base plate and the vacuum cup to make airtight contact between the base plate and the vacuum cup. The base plate has a protrusion on the top centre portion of the base plate having a pattern of micro holes to facilitate unidirectional air flow from porous three-dimensional stack of materials. The said die is mounted on the base plate with the help of an alignment pin. The die gasket is provided between said base plate and the die to make airtight contact between the base plate and the die.
Figure 1 shows an exploded view of a device for unidirectional controlled airflow through a porous three-dimensional stack of materials according to an embodiment of the present invention. A device (100) for unidirectional controlled airflow through a porous three-dimensional stack of materials includes a vacuum cup (1), a base plate (2), a vacuum cup gasket (3), a die (4), a die gasket (5), and a plurality of fasteners (7). The base plate (2) is mounted on the vacuum cup (1) through the plurality of fasteners (7). The vacuum cup gasket (3) is provided between the base plate (2) and the vacuum cup (1) to make airtight contact between the base plate (2) and the vacuum cup (1). The base plate (2) has a protrusion on the top centre portion of the base plate (2) having a pattern of micro holes (8) to facilitate unidirectional airflow from porous three-dimensional stack of material. The three-dimensional stack of material have porosity of 15%-70%. The die (4) is mounted on the base plate (2) with the help of a plurality of alignment pin (11). The die gasket (5) is provided between the base plate (2) and said die (4) to make airtight contact between said base plate (2) and said die (4). The vacuum cup (1) has a nozzle (9) either connected to a compressor pump, to facilitate the unidirectional air flow from the porous three-dimensional stack of materials or connected to vacuum pump which is provided to draw the air and gas molecules from a sealed area. The die (4) has a central slot (10) provided to hold porous three-dimensional stack of materials. The porous three-dimensional stack of materials is made of material for example ceramics, carbon and composite.
Figure 2 shows an isometric view of a device for unidirectional controlled airflow through a porous three-dimensional stack of materials according to an embodiment of the present invention. The die (4) is mounted on the base plate (2) with the help of an alignment pin (11). The vacuum cup (1) has a nozzle (9) connected to a compressor pump to facilitate the unidirectional air flow from the porous three-dimensional stack of material, or connected to vacuum pump provided to draw the air and gas molecules from a sealed area.
Figure 3 shows a top view of a device for unidirectional controlled airflow through a porous three-dimensional stack of materials according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vacuum cup (1) has a mounting to fit a vacuum pipe which is connected to the vacuum pump. The centre diameter of a vacuum cup (1) is of x dimension, where, x is the diameter (mm) of the circumscribed circle of the porous material cross-sectional shape. The pitch circle diameter (PCD) for the mounting fasteners is described as X/2+9.5 mm.
Figure 4 shows a top view of a base plate of a device for unidirectional controlled airflow through a porous three-dimensional stack of materials according to an embodiment of the present invention. The base plate (2) has alignment pins (11) where the die (4) is kept. Preferably, porous material is placed in the die (4). The base plate (2) is mounted on the vacuum cup (1) through the plurality of fasteners (7). The pitch circle diameter (PCD) for alignment pins are X/2+7.5 mm on base plate (2).
Figure 5 shows a top view of an die of a device for unidirectional controlled airflow through a porous three-dimensional stack of materials according to an embodiment of the present invention. The die (4) is having the center slot for holding the porous material. The die (4) is capable of holding porous material and mold the porous material in exact same shape and size of the cavity of the die (4). The die (4) is preferable made of a shape including circle or any polygonal shape as depicted in Figure 6. The holes for alignments are also at pitch circle diameter (PCD) of x/2+7.5 mm and thickness is y+45 mm in the die (4).
Example 1
3D Electrode Architecture Cell
In an implementation, manufacturing a three dimensional architecture cell stack comprises preparing a semi solid material followed by shaping of electrode. Said shaped electrode is then dried using the unidirectional controlled airflow device given in the present invention. The shaped electrode after drying is then coated with a separator slurry and again dried using the unidirectional controlled airflow device as given in the present invention. After separator coating, the electrode is integrated with counter electrode and then electrolyte is filled and the cell stack is finally sealed. Using unidirectional controlled airflow device enables fast drying and reduces time consumed in drying.
Example 1
Cutting tool insert manufacture
Manufacturing of cutting tool inserts also involves three dimensional stack of material such as ceramic or metal powder stacks. For manufacturing said cutting tool inserts, the ceramic/metal and abrasive particles are mixed and a slurry is prepared. This prepared slurry is then shaped as per requirement of tool and hence requires drying. For drying, the unidirectional controlled airflow device is used for fast drying and then the shaped structure goes for final compaction under a load of 10-15 tons. Then, this compacted structure is sintered to result in the required cutting tool insert. In this process, the compacted ceramic/metal powder stack is dried before sintering using the unidirectional controlled airflow device which enables fast drying.
Example 3
Ceramic filter manufacturing
In various applications in the field of chemistry, ceramic filters are often used. Ceramic water filter uses the tiny pores on the ceramic surface to filter bacteria, dirt and sediment from drinking water. In one such implementation, for manufacturing ceramic filter, initially a sponge having desired porosity is selected. Then this sponge is dipped in ceramic slurry and excess slurry is removed. Now, this infiltrated sponge is dried using the unidirectional controlled airflow device for fast drying. After, drying the sponge is burnt out and the remaining ceramic structure is fired/sintered to result in the three dimensional ceramic filter stack of desired porosity.
Therefore, the present invention provides a unidirectional controlled airflow device for producing a unidirectional airflow through a porous three-dimensional stack of materials ensuring the generation of unidirectional air flow via difference in air pressure and is also capable of generating a vacuum condition in a sealed area.
Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention set forth herein will readily occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
The foregoing description of embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principals of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

,CLAIMS:CLAIMS
We claim:
1. A device (100) for unidirectional controlled airflow through porous three-dimensional stack of materials comprising of:
a vacuum cup (1); a base plate (2); a vacuum cup gasket (3); a die (4); a die gasket (5); and a plurality of fasteners (7);
wherein,
said base plate (2) is mounted on said vacuum cup (1) through the plurality of fasteners (7);
said vacuum cup gasket (3) is provided between the base plate (2) and the vacuum cup (1) to make airtight contact between the base plate (2) and the vacuum cup (1);
said base plate (2) has a protrusion on top centre portion of the base plate (2) having a pattern of micro holes (8) to facilitate unidirectional airflow from three-dimensional stack of materials;
said die (4) is mounted on the base plate (2) using a plurality of alignment pin (11); and
said die gasket (5) is provided between the base plate (2) and the die (4) to make airtight contact between the base plate (2) and the die (4).
2. The device (100) for unidirectional controlled airflow through porous three-dimensional stack of materials as claimed in claim 1, wherein said vacuum cup (1) has a nozzle (9) either connected to a compressor pump, to facilitate the unidirectional air flow from the porous three-dimensional stack of materials or connected to vacuum pump which is provided to draw the air and gas molecules from a sealed area.
3. The device (100) for unidirectional controlled airflow through porous three-dimensional stack of materials as claimed in claim 1, wherein said die (4) has a central slot (10) provided to hold porous three-dimensional stack of materials.
4. The device (100) for unidirectional controlled airflow through porous three-dimensional stack of materials as claimed in claim 1, wherein porous three-dimensional stack of materials is made of a material including but not limited to ceramics, carbon and composite.
5. The device (100) for unidirectional controlled airflow through porous three-dimensional stack of materials as claimed in claim 1, wherein said die (4) is in a shape including but not limited to circle or any polygonal shape.