Milling Head for Spot Welding Electrodes with Segmented Chip Passages

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Solution Overview

Problem

Milling heads for spot welding electrodes often experience clogging due to chips produced during the welding process, which can impede the milling process and lead to incomplete machining of the central and flank areas, especially when chips from different cutting edges collide and accumulate within the same passage.

Innovation Solution

The milling head design features passages delimited by either flank or central cutting edges on one side, ensuring that chips from different cutting edges move in opposite directions and accumulate in spatially separated passages, preventing collisions and interference.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If chips are removed from the milling head during operation, then the milling process continues efficiently, but manual intervention increases downtime and reduces productivity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemilling process efficiencyVSAvoiddowntime for manual chip removal
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The milling head design enables automatic chip ejection through spring-loaded pistons that periodically push chips out of the passages. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for manual intervention to remove chips, allowing the milling process to continue uninterrupted and maintaining high productivity without downtime for manual chip removal

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple cutting edges are used on the same side of the milling head, then the machining capability is improved, but chip collision and accumulation increase causing blockages

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemachining capabilityVSAvoidchip flow reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The milling head is divided into multiple independent passages, with each passage assigned to a specific cutting edge. This segmentation prevents chips from different cutting edges from colliding and mixing, as each chip flows through its dedicated passage. The spring-loaded pistons in each passage further ensure independent chip ejection, maintaining reliable chip flow even when multiple cutting edges are actively machining different areas of the electrode

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Device complexity

If passages are shared between cutting edges on opposite sides, then the device structure is simplified, but chip accumulation occurs when chips from different sides collide

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepassage structureVSAvoidchip collision and blockage
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The harmful interaction between chips from opposite sides is eliminated by extracting the chip flow paths into completely separate, independent passages. Each passage is dedicated to chips from a specific side and cutting edge, preventing any collision or mixing. The spring-loaded piston mechanisms are also separated into individual passages, ensuring that chip ejection from one side does not interfere with chip flow from the other side

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP2332685B1Cutting head for two spot welding electrodes of a welding gun
Publication Date: 2012.05.09 AEG SVS SCHWEISTECHN
  • EP2332685B1 patent drawingFigure 1~4
  • EP2332685B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6
  • EP2332685B1 patent drawingFigure 7~9

AI summary

The milling head for two point welding electrodes of a welding tong, where the welding electrode has a central area and a rotating flank, comprises an upper side, a lower side and two openings (50, 52), which combine the upper side and the lower side to each other. The upper side and the lower side have a flank cut (30) for the processing of flank of point welding electrode, and a central cut (36) for the processing of central area of the associated point welding electrode. Each passage partially limit the central cut and/or the flank cut. The milling head for two point welding electrodes of a welding tong, where the welding electrode has a central area and a rotating flank, comprises an upper side, a lower side and two openings (50, 52), which combine the upper side and the lower side to each other. The upper side and the lower side have a flank cut (30) for the processing of flank of point welding electrode, and a central cut (36) for the processing of central area of the associated point welding electrode. Each passage partially limit the central cut and/or the flank cut. Each single passage is limited only by the flank cut and/or only by the central cut of the top side or by the flank cut and/or the central cut of the lower side. The upper side and the lower side have flank cut and/or central cut. The central cut of the upper side and the central cut of the lower side are arranged on a cutter bar (34). The flank cut of the upper side continuously passes over in the central cut of the upper side, and the flank cut of the lower side continuously passes over in the central cut of the lower side. The cuts are rotation symmetrically arranged to 180[deg] . The milling head comprises two central cuts around 180[deg] . The cuts of the upper side and the lower side are identical in construction, where a milling insert (22) is formed in single-piece manner. The milling insert has a parallel displacement in the area of the cutter blade. The measure of the parallel displacement corresponds to the material thickness of the edge area of the milling insert.