Air Valve Coupling with Pre-Clean Airflow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air coupling devices in machining centers face difficulties in maintaining cleanliness, particularly in preventing debris from entering the air turbine, which complicates the tool-changing process.
Innovation Solution
The air valve system utilizes airflow to pre-clean the sealing surfaces of the air valves before engagement, ensuring debris removal and secure sealing by using extendable and biased cups with O-rings and springs, facilitated by controlled air pressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If air coupling devices are used to connect air-driven tools to machining centers, then high-speed rotation of cutting tools is achieved, but debris enters the air turbine and contaminates the system
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by introducing a cleaning airflow that removes debris from the sealing surfaces of the air valve before the valve closes and seals the connection. This preliminary cleaning action prevents contamination from entering the air turbine, resolving the contradiction between achieving high-speed rotation and preventing debris contamination.
2Reliability
If air valves are coupled to seal the connection between machining head and air-driven tool, then airflow is contained, but debris accumulates on sealing surfaces causing leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of debris accumulation on sealing surfaces into a beneficial outcome by using a controlled airflow to remove the debris. The same airflow that could potentially carry debris now serves to clean the sealing surfaces, improving sealing effectiveness and preventing leakage.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning airflow acts as a preliminary action that prepares the sealing surfaces by removing debris before the air valve closes to seal the connection. This ensures that the sealing surfaces are clean and free of contaminants that would compromise sealing effectiveness.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If manual cleaning of air valve coupling devices is performed, then debris removal is achieved, but the process becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies self-service by using the existing airflow that is already present in the air-driven tool connection to automatically clean the air valve coupling devices. This eliminates the need for separate manual cleaning operations, reducing complexity and making the cleaning process automatic and integrated into the normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses pneumatic principles by introducing a cleaning airflow through the air valve system to remove debris. This pneumatic cleaning method replaces complex manual cleaning procedures with a simple airflow-based solution that is already inherent in the air-driven tool operation.
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 method allows for efficient and automatic debris removal from the sealing surfaces, ensuring reliable and clean coupling of air-driven tools, enhancing the tool-changing process by maintaining airflow across the connection before sealing, thus preventing contamination and ensuring proper sealing.
Implementation Method 1
an airflow across the connection before the connection seals
Implementation Method 2
one valve assembly is extended by the removal of an opposing air pressure
Data Source
AI summary
A machining center including a machining head, a tool changer, an air driven tool and an air valve system. The air driven tool is connectable to the machine head by action of the tool changer. The air valve system has a first portion associated with the machining head and a second portion associated with the air driven tool. The first portion and the second portion include a connection therebetween having an airflow across the connection before the connection seals.