Patent ID: 7178237

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a piston for a shock absorber, comprising: pressing a first and a second element from a sinterable metallurgical powder, the first and second elements each having a web projecting from a peripheral surface thereof; assembling the first and second elements to form a piston body that defines a notch located between the webs of the first and second elements; providing a substantially circular sleeve formed from a thermoplastic material and having a width greater than a thickness of the piston body in the axial direction of the piston body; heat forming the sleeve onto a peripheral surface of the piston body so that the thermoplastic material flows freely into the notch without being squeezed, the webs extend into the sleeve over only a portion of a height of the webs and an amount of free space remains between an inwardly-facing surface of the sleeve and the peripheral surface of the piston body; and calibrating a dimension of an exterior surface of the sleeve while heat forming the sleeve.