Articulated Grinding Tool Air Duct Self-Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing machine tools, such as hand-held grinders, face issues with contamination and dirt accumulation in the articulation joints due to the lack of effective self-cleaning mechanisms, leading to reduced suction efficiency and increased susceptibility to external damage.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an air duct that extends through the articulation joint, allowing outside air to be drawn in and creating a self-cleaning effect, combined with a flexible and cost-effective articulated connection made of plastic, which enables fluid communication between the hood space and the suction device, preventing dirt accumulation and enhancing suction efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If an articulated connection is used to enable tool unit movement, then adaptability and ease of operation are improved, but dirt accumulation occurs in the joint leading to reduced suction efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The air duct is extracted from the hood and extended through the articulated connection joints, creating a separate suction pathway that runs through the articulation points. This extraction allows the suction system to directly access and clean the joint areas, preventing dirt accumulation while maintaining the mobility benefits of the articulated connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The air duct acts as an intermediary element that mediates between the hood space and the suction device, passing through the articulated connection. This intermediary structure enables the suction air to flow through the joints and remove dirt particles, resolving the contradiction between joint mobility and suction efficiency by providing a dedicated cleaning pathway.
2Productivity
If the air duct is extended through the articulation joint to enable self-cleaning, then suction efficiency is maintained, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The air duct is merged with the articulated connection structure, integrating the suction pathway directly into the joint assembly. This merging eliminates the need for separate cleaning mechanisms or additional components, as the air duct itself serves both the suction function and the self-cleaning function, thereby maintaining suction efficiency without significantly increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The air duct extended through the articulation joint performs multiple functions: it serves as the suction pathway for removing abrasion particles from the hood space, and simultaneously acts as a self-cleaning mechanism for the articulated connection joints. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by achieving suction efficiency maintenance without requiring additional dedicated components.
3Ease of operation
If a flexible tube element is used for articulated connection, then ease of operation is improved, but dirt particles can accumulate inside the flexible tube
Solution Approach 1:
The air duct is configured to continuously draw suction air through the flexible tube element and the articulated connection joints. This continuous airflow action prevents dirt particles from accumulating inside the flexible tube by constantly removing them, thereby maintaining the flexibility and ease of operation while eliminating the harmful effect of dirt accumulation.
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 solution effectively prevents dirt accumulation within the articulation joint, maintains high suction efficiency, and reduces the machine tool's susceptibility to external damage, while being simple and inexpensive to produce.
Implementation Method 1
the at least one articulated connection also draws in outside air into the air duct, creating a quasi self-cleaning joint, since no dirt particles can accumulate inside the articulated connection as a result of the outside air that has been sucked in
Implementation Method 2
a suction device is provided in order to be able to remove the abraded material from the tool head during the grinding operation of the grinding machine. This includes a suction channel which fluidly connects the hood space to a suction device
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The invention relates to a machine tool (10), in particular a grinding machine, comprising a drive unit for driving a connectable tool (36), a tool unit (12) having a tool holder (34b) to which the connectable tool (36) can be attached, and a hood-shaped dust cover (14) in the area of the tool holder (34b), wherein the tool unit (12) is attached to the machine tool by means of a support structure (20), and an air duct extending from the dust cover (14) to an extraction device for the purpose of removing exhaust air and dust particles contained therein. According to the invention, the air duct (40, 42, 44, 46) is fully integrated into the support structure (20).