Cutting Blade Teeth Forming for Acute, Robust Cutting Edges
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for manufacturing cutting edges for hair cutting systems, such as trimmers and shavers, fail to produce sharp and acute angles efficiently, with techniques like stamping resulting in angles greater than 90 degrees and forging leading to blunt edges, while more complex methods are costly.
Innovation Solution
A cutting and bending process using a cutting device with a first and second die to form teeth with edge portions that protrude below a plane, followed by a bending process to shape these edges into sharp, robust cutting edges with angles less than 90 degrees, utilizing a bending device to bend the edge portions back into the plane of the cutting blade or guard.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional stamping is used to form cutting edges, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the cutting edge angle becomes greater than 90 degrees and is not sharp
Solution Approach 1:
The method performs preliminary cutting to create protruding edge portions before the final forming step. The cutting device cuts the blank to form teeth with edge portions that protrude below the plane of the blank, preparing the material in advance for the subsequent bending operation that will create the sharp acute-angle cutting edges.
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturing process is divided into two distinct stages: a cutting stage that creates protruding edge portions, and a bending stage that forms the final cutting edges. This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized independently - the cutting stage creates the necessary material geometry while the bending stage forms the precise acute-angle cutting edges.
2Strength
If conventional forging is used to form cutting edges, then the cutting edge becomes robust, but the angle becomes blunt and not sharp
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting device performs preliminary action by cutting the blank to form teeth with edge portions that protrude below the plane of the blank. This preliminary cutting creates the necessary material geometry that will subsequently be formed into sharp acute-angle cutting edges through bending, avoiding the blunt edges produced by conventional forging.
Solution Approach 2:
The method changes the geometric parameters of the cutting edge by creating protruding edge portions that extend below the blank plane, then bending them to achieve acute angles less than 90 degrees. This parameter change enables both sharp cutting edges and robustness without relying on conventional forging.
3Manufacturing precision
If complex manufacturing techniques are used to achieve sharp cutting edges, then the cutting edge angle becomes acute and sharp, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The method merges cutting and bending operations into a unified two-stage process that achieves sharp acute-angle cutting edges using only metal forming techniques. By combining these operations and eliminating the need for separate expensive finishing processes like etching, the method reduces manufacturing cost while maintaining high precision cutting edge geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The method achieves precise acute-angle cutting edges by changing material parameters through controlled bending of protruding edge portions. This parameter change approach using metal forming techniques eliminates the need for complex and costly finishing processes, reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining manufacturing precision.
4Ease of manufacture
If metal forming techniques are used alone, then the manufacturing cost is reduced, but the cutting edge geometry cannot achieve acute angles with conventional methods
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting device performs preliminary action by cutting the blank to form teeth with edge portions that protrude below the plane of the blank. This preliminary cutting prepares the material geometry necessary for the subsequent bending operation to successfully create acute-angle cutting edges using only metal forming techniques, overcoming the limitations of conventional metal forming.
Solution Approach 2:
The process segments the formation of cutting edges into cutting and bending stages, allowing metal forming techniques to achieve acute angles that would be impossible with conventional single-stage metal forming. The segmentation enables each stage to contribute specifically to the final acute-angle geometry while maintaining cost-effectiveness.
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
The method achieves sharp and robust cutting edges with a wedge angle smaller than 90 degrees, reducing costs by using only metal forming techniques and eliminating the need for expensive finishing processes, applicable to both linear and rotary cutting systems.
Implementation Method 1
utilizing a cutting device comprising a first die and a second die... moving the first die and second die with respect to each other such that the first plane is moved toward and passes through the second plane
Implementation Method 2
utilizing a bending device to bend edge portions of the teeth of the cutting blade or guard that extend below the plane of the blank after step d) back toward the plane of the blank
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method (200) of forming a plurality of teeth of a cutting blade or guard, the method comprises: a) taking (210) a blank of material, the blank having an upper outer surface and a lower outer surface, wherein at least a portion of the lower outer surface is substantially planar and forms a plane of the blank; b) utilizing (220) a cutting device (20) In comprising a first die (40) and a second die (50), wherein the first die comprises a plurality of first elements (42) and the second die comprises a plurality of second elements (52), wherein a first plane (60) is defined with respect to upper surfaces of the plurality of first elements and a second plane (70) is defined with respect to lower surfaces of the plurality of second elements, and wherein each upper surface of the plurality of first elements has a centre part (44) that lies in the first plane and edge parts (46) that are below the first plane; c) placing (230) the blank in the cutting device, such that the portion of the lower outer surface faces the upper surfaces of the plurality of first elements and the portion of the upper outer surface faces the lower surfaces of the plurality of second elements; d) moving (240) the first die and second die with respect to each other such that the first plane is moved toward and passes through the second plane, such that each element of the plurality of first elements passes at least partially between adjacent elements of the plurality of second elements, and wherein teeth (80) of the cutting blade or guard are formed that correspond to the positions of the plurality of first elements and wherein the teeth have a lower outer surface formed from the lower outer surface of the blank; and e) utilizing (250) a bending device (30) to bend edge portions (82) of the teeth of the cutting blade or guard that extend below the plane of the blank after step d) back toward the plane of the blank.