Adjustable Guide Rail Assembly for Precision Bore Cutting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing cutting tools face challenges in quickly and precisely adjusting guide bars due to complex and time-consuming setting processes, with stable fastening leading to less precise adjustments and tools often requiring significant downtime for maintenance.

Innovation Solution

A cutting tool design featuring a guide bar support connected via a material joint, allowing for micrometer-range adjustability and orientation adjustments without deformation, using adjustable actuators and differential thread screws to ensure precise positioning and stabilization, enabling quick and precise repositioning of the guide bar.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If guide bars are firmly fastened to the tool body, then stability and resistance to contamination are improved, but adjustment precision and ease of repositioning deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovestabilityVSAvoidadjustment precision
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The guide bar assembly is segmented into a guide bar, a guide bar support, and a tool body, connected through a material joint. This segmentation allows the guide bar to be adjusted relative to the tool body while maintaining firm fastening, resolving the contradiction between stability and adjustability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The material joint between the guide bar support and tool body is designed to be elastically deformable, allowing dynamic adjustment of the guide bar position. The joint can be blocked in adjusted positions, providing both adjustability and stability when locked, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of repositioning and stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Manufacturing precision

If complex adjusting mechanisms are used, then adjustment precision is improved, but device complexity and time consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadjustment precisionVSAvoidadjusting mechanism complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The adjusting device is extracted as a separate, simple mechanism from the main tool structure. It consists of basic components that can block the material joint without requiring complex mechanisms, thus achieving micrometer-range adjustment precision while keeping the device simple and quick to operate.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The material joint acts as an intermediary element between the guide bar support and tool body. It provides the necessary compliance for adjustment while maintaining structural integrity, enabling precise positioning without requiring complex adjusting mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If stable fastening of guide bars is prioritized, then reliability is improved, but adjustment speed and productivity deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefastening stabilityVSAvoidadjustment speed
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The material joint is pre-designed with blocking capability, allowing the guide bar to be quickly adjusted and locked into position without requiring complex fastening operations. The adjusting device can rapidly block the joint in the desired position, achieving both stable fastening and quick adjustment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The material joint and adjusting device work together in a self-contained manner, where the joint can be blocked directly by the adjusting device without requiring additional fastening steps. This self-service mechanism enables rapid adjustment while maintaining stable fastening, improving productivity without sacrificing reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This solution allows for rapid and precise adjustment of guide bars, enhancing manufacturing accuracy and reducing downtime, while maintaining stability and resistance to contamination and extreme operating conditions.

Implementation Method 1

a guide bar support (56) which is connected via a material joint (GM) to a section fixed to the tool (30), in particular to the tool carrier section (36), in such a way that the material joint (GM) allows a blocked, essentially radial displacement movement and a pivoting movement of the guide bar support (56)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElastic deformation: Elasticity

Implementation Method 2

the adjusting device (72, 74) has at least one rod-like actuator (72, 74), in particular a differential thread screw, whose length is changeable

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThreaded engagement: Screw

Data Source

PatentEP4257271A1Chip removing tool with adjustable guide strip
Publication Date: 2023.10.11 GUEHRING KG
  • EP4257271A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4257271A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4257271A1 patent drawingFigure 3~5

AI summary

A cutting tool (30) for producing or machining bores with high positional and/or surface quality is described, comprising a tool axis (A) and a tool carrier section (36) which carries at least one cutting edge (44) and at least one guide rail (46) that radially supports the tool carrier section against a bore wall. The guide rail is adjustable with respect to its radial position and its inclination relative to the tool axis (A) by means of an adjusting device acting on a guide rail carrier (56).In order to assemble a high-precision tool with at least one guide rail with minimal effort, which can be quickly and accurately brought into an optimal position and precisely readjusted in case of wear, the guide rail carrier (56) is connected via a material joint (GM) to a tool-fixed section, i.e. either to the tool carrier section (36) or a component that can be firmly connected to it, such as a cassette section (58), and the material joint can be locked by means of the adjusting device (72, 74, 76).