Grooved Drill Flutes for Low-Friction Chip Evacuation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing drills face challenges in manufacturing simplicity, effective chip removal, and coolant usage, with complex geometries and high friction surfaces hindering efficiency.

Innovation Solution

The drill features grooved flutes with intersecting concave surfaces forming a ridge, allowing for simpler manufacturing and reduced friction during chip evacuation, achieved by milling grooves along the flute length with depths of 0.01 to 0.05 of the drill body diameter.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If complex flute geometry is used to improve chip removal, then chip evacuation is enhanced, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvechip removal efficiencyVSAvoidflute geometry complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The flute surface is segmented into multiple grooves that divide the continuous surface into discrete channels. This segmentation creates multiple pathways for chip evacuation while maintaining a relatively simple overall flute geometry that can be manufactured using standard milling processes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The groove cross-sectional geometry is designed with intersecting concave surfaces that create a three-dimensional ridge structure. This dimensional approach to groove design enables effective chip removal through the groove configuration rather than through complex flute shaping.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Productivity

If large groove depth is used to improve chip flow, then chip evacuation is enhanced, but drill rigidity decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvechip evacuation efficiencyVSAvoiddrill rigidity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The groove depth is optimized to a specific parameter range (0.01 to 0.05 of the drill body diameter) that balances chip evacuation effectiveness with drill rigidity. This parameter optimization ensures sufficient groove depth for chip flow while maintaining adequate material in the flute walls for structural strength.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Ease of manufacture

If simple flute geometry is used to ease manufacturing, then manufacturing is simplified, but chip removal efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveflute manufacturing simplicityVSAvoidchip removal efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of creating complex flute geometries, the invention segments the flute surface into grooves that can be manufactured using simple milling operations. The groove pattern provides effective chip removal while the individual groove shapes remain geometrically simple for manufacturing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The groove cross-section is designed with repeating geometric patterns of intersecting concave surfaces that can be efficiently generated through copying operations during milling, simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining effective chip evacuation geometry.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS11358229B2Drill with grooved flute and method of making drill with grooved flute

Publication Date: 2022.06.14 SECO TOOLS AB

AI summary

A drill includes a drill body having a longitudinal axis, a front end, and a frontend portion and at least one flute in the front end portion. A cutting insert is mounted to the drill body in each flute of the at least one flute at the front end of the drill body. The at least one flute includes a plurality of grooves, concave surfaces of adjacent ones of the grooves intersecting to define a ridge separating the grooves.