Exchangeable Guide Plate Geometry for Small-Diameter Drilling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing indexable guide plates for drilling tools face challenges in providing reliable and repeatable fastening, efficient force transmission, and extended service life, especially when used with small drilling diameters and requiring easy exchange under industrial production conditions.
Innovation Solution
The design of an indexable guide plate with a flat support surface, multiple curved guide surfaces, and a central fastening hole, featuring rotational symmetry and radially extending depressions to separate guide surfaces, allowing for direct force transmission and easy rotation to activate new guide surfaces, thereby extending the service life and enabling use with small drilling diameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If the guide plate is designed with multiple guide surfaces and rotational symmetry, then the service life is extended through rotation and exchange, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide plate is divided into multiple guide surfaces (at least two) separated by radially extending depressions, allowing the plate to be rotated to activate different guide surfaces as wear progresses, thereby extending service life without requiring multiple separate components
Solution Approach 2:
The guide plate employs rotational symmetry with guide surfaces arranged at specific angular intervals (e.g., 120° or 180° apart), enabling systematic rotation to access unused guide surfaces while maintaining balanced mechanical performance
2Force
If the guide plate uses a flat support surface with direct force transmission, then the force transmission efficiency improves, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The guide surfaces are designed as curved surfaces (cylindrical or conical) rather than flat surfaces, which naturally accommodate small manufacturing variations and wear while maintaining effective force transmission along the curved contact path
3Ease of operation
If the guide plate is designed for easy exchange and rotation, then the ease of operation improves, but the reliability of fastening may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The guide plate incorporates a central fastening hole that serves multiple functions: securing the plate to the drilling tool, enabling rotational movement to activate different guide surfaces, and providing alignment during exchange operations, thereby combining ease of operation with reliable fastening in a single feature
4Ease of manufacture
If the guide plate uses radially extending depressions to separate guide surfaces, then the ease of manufacture improves, but the strength of the guide plate may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Radially extending depressions divide the guide plate into separate guide surface zones, allowing each surface to be ground and manufactured independently with standard tools, while the plate's overall circular geometry and material continuity maintain sufficient structural strength
Data Source
AI summary
An indexable guide plate and an associated drilling tool are described in which the indexable guide plates have very small dimensions but, despite these small dimensions, have a large number of guide surfaces. As a result, the indexable guide plate according to the invention can be used for a long time, even with drilling tools having a small drilling diameter.