Hollow Thread Cutting Tap for Coolant Flow and Chip Removal
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Thread cutting taps face challenges with coolant and lubricant supply difficulties due to their enclosed design, leading to increased friction, vibrations, heat development, chip jamming, and mechanical stress, which can cause breakage or wear, and are heavy to transport.
Innovation Solution
A thread cutting tap with a hollow interior and grid structure, manufactured via 3D printing, allows for optimal lubricant and coolant flow through nozzles in the sidewall, enhancing cooling and lubrication, and features a lightweight design with optimized chip removal flutes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a traditional solid thread cutting tap is used, then the structure is simple and manufacturing is easy, but the weight is high and coolant/lubricant supply is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The tap body is divided into a solid outer shell and a hollow inner chamber, creating a segmented structure that reduces weight while maintaining external dimensions. The hollow interior is further segmented into multiple cooling channels that can be independently configured for optimal coolant flow.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a solid three-dimensional structure to a hollow three-dimensional structure with internal channels. This dimensional reconfiguration allows coolant to flow through the interior space, adding a functional dimension (coolant flow path) without increasing external dimensions.
2Ease of manufacture
If a traditional solid thread cutting tap is used, then manufacturing is straightforward, but coolant and lubricant supply is insufficient leading to increased friction and heat
Solution Approach 1:
The hollow interior is configured as a fluid conduit system that delivers coolant and/or lubricant directly to the cutting zone. The channels are designed to optimize fluid flow dynamics, ensuring adequate pressure and distribution of lubricant to reduce friction and cooling to manage heat generation during threading operations.
Solution Approach 2:
Coolant and lubricant are delivered through the hollow interior channels to the cutting edges before the actual cutting action occurs. This preliminary application of lubricant ensures that the cutting zone is pre-lubricated, reducing friction and heat development from the outset of the threading operation.
3Device complexity
If a traditional solid thread cutting tap is used, then the structure is simple, but chip removal efficiency is poor causing chip jamming
Solution Approach 1:
The hollow interior structure extracts material from the solid tap body, creating internal void space that can be utilized for chip storage and removal. The channels that would traditionally be considered empty space are instead configured as functional pathways for extracting chips from the cutting zone, improving chip removal efficiency without adding external complexity.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the tap is made with adequate lubricant pressure to reduce friction, then friction and heat are reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hollow interior structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a structural element defining the tap geometry, a coolant delivery system for lubrication and cooling, and a chip removal pathway. This multi-functionality reduces device complexity compared to having separate systems for each function, as the same hollow structure accomplishes all three tasks.
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 reduces friction and vibrations, minimizes chip jamming, extends tool life, and reduces weight, making it suitable for demanding applications like space stations and wind turbine maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
enables a possibility to supply lubricant and coolant through the tap. A hollow interior also has a cooling effect on the tap
Implementation Method 2
a coolant or a cooling lubricant which is intended to reduce the friction between tool and workpiece
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a lightweight thread cutting tap having a body, comprising at a first end a connector portion, and, at a second end, a threaded portion for cutting a thread of an opening in which said threaded portion is to be introduced, said threaded portion terminating in a bottom end, said threaded portion having at least two cutting edges in the circumferential direction of said body, each of said cutting edges being an integral peripheral part of a flank portion extending substantially radially from the longitudinal extension of said body; and a plurality of chip removal flutes between said flanks, said flutes extending in the longitudinal direction from said bottom end, said thread cutting tap having a hollow interior, wherein the body forms a sidewall and the hollow interior extends into the threaded portion.