Control valve for a gas burner

1. A control valve for a gas burner, the control valve defining a transverse direction and a lateral direction perpendicular to the transverse direction, the control valve comprising:

a valve body defining an inlet conduit and a valve chamber, the inlet conduit having a width along the lateral direction and a non-circular shape in a plane that is perpendicular to the transverse direction; and

a plug positioned within the valve chamber of the valve body, the plug defining a slot on an outer surface of the plug, the slot including a width along the lateral direction, the plug also defining a flow chamber within the plug, the plug further defining an aperture that has a non-circular shape, includes a width along the lateral direction, and extends perpendicular to the lateral direction between the slot of the plug and the flow chamber of the plug, the plug configured to rotate about the lateral direction within the valve chamber of the valve body in order adjust a position of the slot of the plug relative to the inlet conduit of the valve body,

wherein the slot extends between a first end portion and a second end portion on the outer surface of the plug, a height of the slot decreasing from the first end portion of the slot to the second end portion of the slot,

wherein the width of the inlet conduit, the width of the slot, and the width of the aperture are about equal, and

wherein a cross-sectional area of the inlet conduit is constant along the transverse direction.

2. The control valve of claim 1 , wherein the aperture is positioned at the first end portion of the slot.

3. The control valve of claim 1 , further comprising a mounting bracket mounted to the valve body at an entrance of the inlet conduit.

4. The control valve of claim 3 , wherein the mounting bracket defines a fastener hole above the entrance of the inlet conduit, the mounting bracket also defining a manifold opening sized and positioned for receiving a manifold of a gas supply, the manifold opening positioned between the fastener hole and the entrance of the inlet conduit along the transverse direction.

5. The control valve of claim 3 , wherein the mounting bracket is integrally formed with the valve body.

6. The control valve of claim 1 , wherein the inlet conduit has a rectangular shape in a plane that is perpendicular to the transverse direction.

7. The control valve of claim 6 , wherein the aperture of the plug has a rectangular shape.

8. A method for forming a valve body and a plug of a control valve for a gas burner, comprising:

establishing three-dimensional information of the valve body and the plug of the control valve, including information defining a transverse direction and a lateral direction perpendicular to the transverse direction;

converting the three-dimensional information of the valve body and the plug of the control valve from said step of establishing three dimensional information of the valve body and the plug of the control valve into a plurality of individual three dimensional cross sectional layer slices of portions of the valve body and the plug, each slice of the plurality of slices defining a respective cross-sectional layer of the valve body and the plug of the control valve; and

successively forming each cross-sectional layer of the valve body and the plug of the control valve with an additive process;

wherein, after said step of successively forming: (1) the valve body of the control valve defines an inlet conduit and a valve chamber, the inlet conduit including a width along the lateral direction; (2) the inlet conduit has a non-circular shape in a plane that is perpendicular to the transverse direction; (3) the plug is positioned within the valve chamber of the valve body; (4) the plug defines a slot on an outer surface of the plug, the slot including a width along the lateral direction; (5) the plug also defines a flow chamber within the plug; and (6) the plug further defines an aperture that has a non-circular shape, includes a width along the lateral direction, and extends between the slot of the plug and the flow chamber of the plug, wherein the slot extends between a first end portion and a second end portion on the outer surface of the plug, a height of the slot decreasing from the first end portion of the slot to the second end portion of the slot, wherein the width of the inlet conduit, the width of the slot, and the width of the aperture are about equal and wherein the a cross-sectional area of the inlet conduit is constant along the transverse direction.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the additive process comprises at least one of fused deposition modeling, selective laser sintering and direct metal laser sintering.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the aperture is positioned at the first end portion of the slot after said step of successively forming.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein a mounting bracket is mounted to the valve body at an entrance of the inlet conduit after said step of successively forming.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein, after said step of successively forming: (1) the mounting bracket defines a fastener hole above the entrance of the inlet conduit; (2) the mounting bracket also defines a manifold opening sized and positioned for receiving a manifold of a gas supply; and (3) the manifold opening is positioned between the fastener hole and the entrance of the inlet conduit along the transverse direction.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the mounting bracket and the valve body comprises a single continuous piece of material after said step of successively forming.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the inlet conduit and the aperture of the plug have common cross-sectional shapes after said step of successively forming.