Bayonet Coupler for Quick Cutter Replacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current quick release couplers for rotary cutting tools require undercuts, which complicate manufacturing and limit access, making the process cumbersome and costly due to the need for intricate machining.
Innovation Solution
A bayonet type coupler design featuring a cylindrical portion with a transversal groove and angularly offset recesses allows for quick and releasable coupling of the cutter to the shank, eliminating the need for undercuts and simplifying the manufacturing process by providing easy access for machining.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If a bayonet type rotative coupler with undercuts is used for quick release, then cutter replacement time is reduced, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase due to intricate machining requirements
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of creating undercuts in the coupler socket (which requires complex internal machining), the invention inverts the approach by providing protruding locking lugs on the coupler that engage with recesses in the cutter. This allows the locking features to be formed on the external surface of the coupler, which is much easier to machine and access.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from radial undercut features (requiring axial access) to axial protruding lugs (accessible from the side). By moving the locking feature geometry to a different dimensional orientation, the machining process becomes significantly simpler and more accessible.
2Ease of manufacture
If a plain thread coupler is used for joining cutter to shank, then manufacturing is simpler, but cutter replacement time increases requiring at least three turns to withdraw
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the threading function with the bayonet locking function in a single coupler component. The coupler has both external threads for engagement with the shank and protruding locking lugs for bayonet action with the cutter, combining two previously separate mechanisms into one integrated solution.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupler incorporates a dynamic bayonet locking mechanism that allows rapid engagement and disengagement through rotational motion. The locking lugs engage with recesses during rotation, providing a quick mechanical lock that eliminates the need for multiple threading turns, reducing replacement time while maintaining secure attachment.
Data Source
AI summary
A coupler for a quick change rotary cutting tool assembly allowing a cutter to be quickly and releasably coupled to a shank wherein the coupler has a cylindrical portion with a threaded portion to engage the shank and a portion with a transverse groove with undercut walls to form recesses. The cutter has an anchor made as a disk with parallel flats which engage the recesses of the cylindrical portion to releasably secure the cutter to the shank.