Clamping Tool Holder with Inclined Ramp for Simplified Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tool holder mechanisms are difficult to manufacture due to tight tolerances required for conical bores, which affect the tilting of locking pins, making them complex and prone to manufacturing errors.
Innovation Solution
A tool holder design featuring a clamp with a nose portion and a clamp screw that engages the insert at specific angles, allowing for improved manufacturing tolerances and simplified assembly, with inclined surfaces acting as ramps to facilitate the clamping and unclamping process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conical bore with offset axis is used to tilt the locking pin into abutment with the cutting insert, then the locking pin achieves proper engagement with the insert, but the manufacturing complexity and difficulty increase due to tight tolerance requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the tilting function from the locking pin mechanism itself and relocates it to the clamp assembly. The clamp includes an inclined surface that forces the locking pin to tilt as the clamp is tightened, rather than relying on a pre-machined offset conical bore. This separates the engagement function from the complex geometric constraint, allowing standard cylindrical bores to be used instead of precision conical bores with offset axes.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of tilting the locking pin through a complex offset conical bore geometry, the patent inverts the approach by using a clamp with an inclined surface to force the pin to tilt during clamping. The tilting action is generated by the clamping process itself rather than by the static geometry of the bore, reversing the cause-and-effect relationship.
2Manufacturing precision
If a conical bore with tight tolerances is used to achieve desired tilting of the locking pin, then proper engagement is achieved, but the manufacturing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The precise tilting angle is extracted from the locking pin bore geometry and relocated to the clamp's inclined surface. The clamp's incline angle can be easily machined and adjusted without affecting the pin bore tolerances, allowing standard machining practices to achieve the required precision without time-consuming precision bore machining.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameter from a fixed offset conical bore angle to an adjustable clamp incline angle. This allows the tilting angle to be optimized for different insert and pin configurations without re-machining the tool holder body, improving manufacturing flexibility and efficiency.
3Reliability
If a complex offset conical bore design is used, then the locking pin tilts into proper abutment, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the clamping and locking functions into separate components: the clamp assembly (with inclined surface) handles the tilting and clamping action, while the locking pin handles the securing function. This modular approach simplifies each component's geometry and reduces overall system complexity compared to a monolithic offset conical bore design.
Solution Approach 2:
The clamp acts as an intermediary between the screw and the locking pin. Instead of the screw directly controlling pin tilt through complex bore geometry, the clamp mediates the force transmission through its inclined surface, converting linear screw motion into the tilting motion needed for pin engagement.
Data Source
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AI summary
A clamping tool holder (10) includes a tool holder body (12) and a clamp (10) for clamping a cutting insert (22). The clamp (40) causes the cutting insert (22) to press against the bottom and the side walls of an insert-receiving pocket (14) of the tool holder body (12). The tool holder body (12) has an inclined surface (34) sloping inward in a direction away from the insert-receiving pocket (14) . The clamp (40) has an inclined surface (50) that acts as a ramp with the inclined surface (34) of the tool holder body (12). A guide pin (60) prevents the clamp (40) from twisting during tightening or loosening of the clamp. When a clamp screw (52) is tightened, a nub (48) of the clamp (40) engages only an inside rearward surface of a mounting bore (24) of the insert and the top surface (22a) of the cutting insert (22). In addition, only a forward lower face (46a) of a head portion of the clamp screw (52) engages a top surface (22a) of the clamp (40).