US Patent 11397062 Self-supporting additively-manufactured heat exchanger header

An additively-manufactured heat exchanger header defines a build plane and a vertical axis defining a build direction that is orthogonal to the build plane. The additively-manufactured heat exchanger header includes a header body that at least partially contains a working fluid, and an upper support structure on the header body. The upper support structure defines an interior edge and includes a branchwork of gussets rising upward and outward from a root point located in the middle region on the header body. The header body defines a middle region, an upper region, and a top extension. The branchwork of gussets forms a number of top vanes, each supporting the top extension. The upper region is oriented over the middle region relative to the vertical axis, and the top extension partially defines the fluid boundary and is oriented over the upper region.