Cutting Insert With Three Usable Corners for Endmill Productivity

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing multifunctional endmills capable of drilling face challenges in increasing machining efficiency and managing tool costs when transitioning from two-cutting-edge to three-cutting-edge types, as they require multiple types of cutting inserts and result in wasted corners and inefficient tool management.

Innovation Solution

A cutting insert with a plate-like shape featuring a top surface and bottom surface of a substantially polygonal shape, with four side surfaces where two short sides and two long sides are non-parallel and different in length, allowing for three effective cutting corners that can be used without waste, and an endmill with three seat portions for attaching these inserts, enabling efficient cutting with a single type of cutting insert.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the number of cutting inserts is increased from two to three to improve machining efficiency, then the feed rate per rotation increases by 1.5 times, but the tool management complexity and manufacturing costs increase due to requiring multiple types of cutting inserts

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefeed rate per rotationVSAvoidtool management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cutting insert is designed with three usable corners (two on the top surface and one on the bottom surface) that can all perform cutting functions. This universal design allows a single type of cutting insert to be used for all three cutting positions on the endmill, eliminating the need for multiple insert types and simplifying tool management while maintaining the productivity benefits of having three cutting edges

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention utilizes the bottom surface of the cutting insert to provide an additional usable corner for cutting. By extending the functionality from the traditional top-surface-only corners to include bottom-surface corners, the design enables three effective cutting edges using identical inserts, resolving the complexity issue while achieving the desired productivity increase

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Reliability

If different types of cutting inserts are used for each cutting edge to optimize performance, then the cutting performance is improved, but the manufacturing cost and tool management become a big burden

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecutting performanceVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The cutting insert is designed with three usable corners (two on the top surface and one on the bottom surface) that can all perform cutting functions. This universal design allows a single type of cutting insert to be used for all three cutting positions on the endmill, eliminating the need for multiple insert types and simplifying tool management while maintaining the productivity benefits of having three cutting edges

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention employs identical cutting inserts for all three cutting positions on the endmill. By ensuring that all corners of the insert are geometrically equivalent and can perform the same cutting function, the design achieves homogeneity in the cutting system, reducing manufacturing costs and simplifying inventory management while maintaining consistent cutting performance across all edges

Inventive Principle:

Principle #33Homogeneity

3Ease of manufacture

If only two corners of the cutting insert are used as in prior art, then the manufacturing cost is reduced, but the machining efficiency cannot be further improved when transitioning to three-cutting-edge type

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing costVSAvoidmachining efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention utilizes the bottom surface of the cutting insert to provide an additional usable corner for cutting. By extending the functionality from the traditional top-surface-only corners to include bottom-surface corners, the design enables three effective cutting edges using identical inserts, resolving the complexity issue while achieving the desired productivity increase

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention recovers the previously unused bottom corner of the cutting insert by designing it as a functional cutting surface. Instead of discarding the bottom corner as non-functional, the design activates it as a third cutting edge, thereby increasing machining efficiency without requiring additional inserts or increasing manufacturing complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #34Discarding and recovering

Data Source

PatentUS9144850B2Cutting insert and indexable endmill

Publication Date: 2015.09.29 TUNGALOY CORP

AI summary

A cutting insert for a multifunctional endmill is capable of using three corners. The cutting insert includes a top surface and a bottom surface having an outer shape of a substantially polygonal shape and four side surfaces extending between the top surface and the bottom surface, a first side surface has a positive flank angle, a second side surface has a positive flank angle, a third side surface has the positive flank angle, the first side surface includes a first and a second component surfaces connected with each other so that the first side surface protrudes outward from a peripheral surface of the cutting insert, and a connection portion between a first and a second component surface extends between the top surface and the bottom surface.