Flexible Pivot Crossed Blades Manufacturing Method
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manufacturing mechanical components with flexible pivots having separate crossed blades in one piece is challenging due to difficulties in separating the blades during machining, especially in materials like metal, which requires specialized and expensive techniques like deep reactive ion etching.
Innovation Solution
A method involving machining a block of material to form through openings for blades in perpendicular planes, followed by using a milling cutter with a disc cutting surface to separate the blades without additional openings, allowing for the creation of a one-piece mechanical component with a flexible pivot.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional machining methods are used to manufacture one-piece mechanical components with flexible pivots and crossed blades, then manufacturing precision can be maintained, but the blades cannot be separated and the process becomes extremely complex or impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the cutting process into two distinct phases: first machining the blades while connected, then separating them through a through-opening. This allows the component to be manufactured as a one-piece structure with precise blade geometry, followed by clean separation to achieve the final flexible pivot configuration with separated crossed blades
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a through-opening that passes through the component in a direction perpendicular to the blade planes. This dimensional approach allows access to the connecting material from the opposite side, enabling separation of the crossed blades without compromising the precision of the blade geometry already machined in parallel planes
2Ease of manufacture
If specialized techniques like deep reactive ion etching are used to separate the blades, then the blades can be separated, but the manufacturing cost increases and the process becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces complex specialized techniques like deep reactive ion etching with a straightforward mechanical milling process. By using a conventional milling cutter accessed through a through-opening, the separation of blades is achieved through simple mechanical removal of connecting material, eliminating the need for specialized equipment and complex process steps
3Ease of manufacture
If additional openings are made in the block of material to access connecting material for separation, then the blades can be separated, but the structural integrity is compromised and the process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The through-opening serves multiple functions: it provides access for the milling cutter to separate the blades, maintains structural integrity by being positioned strategically, and allows the entire process to be completed in a single manufacturing setup. The opening is designed to be minimal and positioned to connect the blades without compromising overall component strength
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
Enables the simple and cost-effective manufacture of one-piece mechanical components with flexible pivots in various materials, including metals, by successfully separating the blades without requiring specialized techniques, facilitating their use in horological applications like watch movements.
Implementation Method 1
to remove the material connecting the blades by means of a milling cutter comprising an axis carrying a disc whose peripheral surface is a cutting surface
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a mechanical component (1) with a flexible pivot and separate crossed blades (4a, 4b), characterized in that it comprises the following steps: a) obtaining a block of material (5); b) machining the block of material (5) to form a through opening (6) in a predetermined direction (A) and first and second blades (7, 8) extending in the through opening (6) in two different planes substantially perpendicular to the predetermined direction (A), the first and second blades (7, 8) crossing in plan view from above and being, in their crossing zone, connected by material (9) from the block of material (5); c) remove the material (9) connecting the blades (7, 8) by means of a milling cutter comprising an axis (10) carrying a disc (11) whose peripheral surface (12) is a cutting surface, the axis (10) being oriented substantially parallel to the predetermined direction (A).