Shoulder Milling Insert Geometry to Prevent Chip Entrapment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cutting inserts for shoulder milling tools face issues with chip flow causing unnecessary wear and the risk of chips getting caught between the workpiece and the tool, particularly at small cutting depths, leading to inefficient chip evacuation.
Innovation Solution
A cutting insert with a surface-wiping secondary cutting edge inclined relative to the median plane and a concave curve on the corner edge portion, directing chips away from the central surface and parallel to the main cutting edge, preventing wear and chip entrapment, while maintaining effective chip evacuation at both small and large cutting depths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional cutting inserts are used for shoulder milling, then cutting operation can be performed, but chip flow causes unnecessary wear of the cutting insert and risks chip entrapment between workpiece and tool
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting insert incorporates a surface-wiping secondary cutting edge with specific inclination (1-15 degrees relative to the median plane) and a concave curve on the corner edge portion. These localized geometric modifications create specific force components that direct chips away from the central surface and prevent entrapment, addressing the chip flow problem at specific locations without altering the entire insert design.
Solution Approach 2:
The concave curve on the corner edge portion of the cutting insert creates a curved cutting path that modifies chip flow direction. This curvature generates centrifugal force components that push chips away from the central surface and toward safe evacuation paths, preventing chip entrapment between the workpiece and tool while reducing wear on the cutting insert.
2Manufacturing precision
If cutting depth is reduced to achieve precise shoulder milling, then surface quality improves, but chip evacuation becomes problematic causing wear and entrapment
Solution Approach 1:
The surface-wiping secondary cutting edge with inclination of 1-15 degrees creates a localized chip directing mechanism that is particularly effective at small cutting depths. This localized geometric feature ensures that even when the main cutting edge operates at shallow depths for precise shoulder milling, chips are still directed away from the central surface and evacuated efficiently, maintaining both precision and chip flow control.
3Reliability
If the cutting insert design is modified to control chip flow, then wear and chip entrapment are prevented, but insert complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than redesigning the entire cutting insert, the invention applies localized geometric modifications: a surface-wiping secondary cutting edge with 1-15 degree inclination and a concave curve on the corner edge portion. These targeted changes control chip flow and prevent wear without requiring complete redesign of the insert, thus limiting the increase in complexity to only the necessary functional areas.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 1c~1d
Figure 2a~2b
AI summary
Herein a cutting insert (2) and a shoulder milling tool (60) are disclosed. The cutting insert (2) comprises a surface-wiping secondary cutting edge (28) inclined in relation to a median plane of the cutting insert (2) such that a distance to the median plane (4) decreases in a direction toward a corner cutting edge (26). The corner cutting edge (26), as seen in a side view along the median plane (4) and towards a main cutting edge (24), comprises a concave curve.