Fine Blanking Lubrication Through the Blanking Gap

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing fine blanking processes require excessive lubricant application over large areas, leading to high lubricant consumption and inefficient distribution, as lubricant is applied to regions outside the active zone during the fine blanking operation.

Innovation Solution

The lubricant is fed directly into the active zone through the blanking gap between the blanking plate and the counter holder, using grooves or slots in the surfaces of the blanking plate and counter holder to create channels for lubricant distribution, ensuring precise application only where needed.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If lubricant is applied over large areas by spraying before fine blanking, then the active zone receives sufficient lubricant, but lubricant consumption increases and distribution becomes inefficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelubricant supply to active zoneVSAvoidlubricant consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies lubricant locally only to the active zone through grooves and slots in the blanking plate and counter holder, rather than spraying over large areas. This localized application ensures sufficient lubricant supply to where it is needed while reducing overall lubricant consumption and eliminating waste on non-active regions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces grooves and slots as intermediary structures in the blanking plate and counter holder that serve as channels to transport lubricant directly to the active zone. These intermediary features enable precise lubricant delivery without requiring broad-area application, resolving the contradiction between reliable supply and efficient distribution.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If lubricant is applied over large areas, then the active zone is covered, but distribution efficiency decreases and non-active regions receive excess lubricant

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelubricant coverage of active zoneVSAvoidlubricant distribution efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The lubricant application system is designed to deliver lubricant specifically to the active zone through grooves and slots, providing local quality enhancement where needed. This ensures reliable coverage of the active zone while improving distribution efficiency by eliminating unnecessary application to non-active regions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The lubricant delivery system is segmented into specific channels (grooves and slots) that direct lubricant flow precisely to the active zone. This segmentation of the lubricant application process into targeted pathways improves distribution efficiency while maintaining reliable coverage where required.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Object-affected harmful factors

If lubricant is applied before fine blanking operation, then friction is reduced during cutting, but application complexity and material waste increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefriction during fine blankingVSAvoidlubricant application system

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The blanking plate and counter holder serve themselves by incorporating grooves and slots that automatically channel lubricant to the active zone during the fine blanking operation. This self-service approach reduces friction effectively while simplifying the overall application system, eliminating the need for complex external spraying mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The lubricant delivery function is merged with the structural components (blanking plate and counter holder) by integrating grooves and slots directly into these parts. This merging eliminates the need for separate complex application systems while still achieving effective friction reduction during the fine blanking process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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 significantly reduces lubricant consumption by applying it only where required, minimizing friction and improving surface quality during the fine blanking process, while preventing excess lubricant distribution on non-active regions.

Implementation Method 1

lubricant is applied into the active zone between the blanking plate and the workpiece

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectLubrication: Lubrication

Data Source

PatentUS20250128312A1Process for the fine blanking of workpieces and fine blanking press

Publication Date: 2025.04.24 FEINTOOL INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AG

AI summary

Workpieces are fine blanked from a starting material, wherein the starting material is clamped between a punch guiding plate and a blanking plate and also between a punch guided in the punch guiding plate and a counter holder guided in the blanking plate and the unit comprising the punch and the counter holder is moved relative to the unit comprising the punch guiding plate and the blanking plate whereby the workpiece is displaced with respect to the starting material along the blanking gap formed between the blanking plate and the counter holder, in particular is cut out from the starting material, while lubricant is applied into the active zone between the blanking plate and the workpiece, the lubricant being fed to the active zone through the blanking gap between the blanking plate and the counter holder.