Chilled Workpiece Machining to Prevent Adhesive Curing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for producing shims in manufacturing, such as using moldable plastic or film adhesives, are messy, time-consuming, and prone to errors due to the need for multiple cuts and separate handling of materials, which increases manufacturing costs and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a chilled workpiece with an adhesive coupled to its surfaces, supported by a machining apparatus with a cooling system that prevents the adhesive from curing during machining, allowing the workpiece and adhesive to be machined simultaneously, reducing waste and the need for separate material handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If film adhesive is used to bond sacrificial material, then mess and clean-up are reduced, but the adhesive must be kept chilled and cut separately from the sacrificial material, increasing time and error potential
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the film adhesive and sacrificial material into a single integrated workpiece by bonding them together before machining. This eliminates the need for separate cutting operations and handling, directly resolving the time loss while maintaining the clean-up benefits of film adhesive.
Solution Approach 2:
The adhesive is applied and bonded to the sacrificial material in advance, creating a pre-assembled workpiece. This preliminary bonding action allows both materials to be machined together in a single operation, eliminating subsequent separate handling steps.
2Ease of operation
If the adhesive is kept at ambient temperature, then handling is easier, but the adhesive may cure during machining, ruining the workpiece
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the temperature parameter of the adhesive from ambient to chilled (below curing temperature). This allows the adhesive to remain stable during machining while still being handleable, and the workpiece can be warmed after machining to activate the adhesive bond.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic temperature control, chilling the adhesive during machining to prevent curing, then warming the workpiece after machining to activate the adhesive. This dynamic adjustment of temperature resolves the contradiction between ease of handling and prevention of premature curing.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional machining is used on adhesive-bonded workpieces, then standard equipment can be used, but the adhesive temperature rises and causes curing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a fluid cooling system that circulates chilled fluid through channels in the machining fixture or directly onto the workpiece. This hydraulic cooling method effectively removes heat generated during machining, preventing adhesive curing while allowing the use of standard machining equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the phase transition properties of the cooling fluid (circulating chilled liquid) to absorb and remove heat from the machining zone. This thermal management approach prevents the adhesive from reaching its curing temperature despite the heat generated by conventional machining.
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 approach reduces manufacturing costs and time by enabling simultaneous machining of film adhesives and workpieces, minimizing waste, and eliminating the need for HVAC cooling systems, while ensuring precise application of shims in assemblies like aircraft wing assemblies.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling system operatively coupled to the support surface, wherein the cooling system comprises a cooling fluid that radiantly cools the chilled workpiece via the support surface
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Machining apparatus for machining a chilled workpiece include a support surface that supports the chilled workpiece during machining by a machining tool of the machining apparatus, and further include a cooling system operatively coupled to the support surface. The cooling system prevents a machining temperature of an adhesive coupled to the chilled workpiece from rising beyond a predetermined threshold temperature during machining of the chilled workpiece, such that the cooling system prevents curing of the adhesive during machining of the chilled workpiece. The cooling system includes a cooling fluid that radiantly cools the chilled workpiece via the support surface while the chilled workpiece is supported by the support surface, such that the cooling system maintains the machining temperature of the adhesive (and of the chilled workpiece) below an ambient temperature. Related methods include machining the chilled workpiece using such machining apparatus.