Coolant-Passage Milling Insert for Swarf Blockage Prevention

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Solution Overview

Problem

In conventional milling tools, the coolant supplying passage is often blocked by swarf, which hampers the efficient cooling and cutting process.

Innovation Solution

The cutting insert features a coolant supplying passage with strategically designed openings and a step structure on its side surfaces, redirecting swarf away from the coolant passage and facilitating its curling and effective division, ensuring the coolant passage remains unblocked.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If the coolant supplying passage opens in the swarf guide surface, then coolant can be supplied to the cutting edge, but the coolant supplying passage is blocked by swarf

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecoolant supply to cutting edgeVSAvoidcoolant passage blockage by swarf
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the coolant discharge function from the swarf guide surface and relocates it to the side surface of the mounting portion. The coolant supplying passage now opens at a position away from the swarf flow path, separating the coolant discharge function from the area where swarf accumulates, thereby preventing blockage while maintaining cooling effectiveness

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The coolant discharge opening is moved from the top surface (swarf guide surface) to the side surface of the mounting portion. This spatial relocation in a different dimension allows coolant to be discharged into a region not occupied by swarf, eliminating the blockage problem while preserving the cooling function

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Reliability

If swarf is redirected away from coolant passage, then coolant passage remains unblocked, but swarf must be effectively divided and curled

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecoolant passage unblockedVSAvoidswarf division efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the potentially harmful effect of swarf into a beneficial swarf control mechanism. The step structure on the side surface, which initially might seem to complicate the geometry, actually serves to curl and redirect swarf away from the coolant passage, transforming what could be a blocking hazard into an effective swarf management feature

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

The step structure creates localized geometric features on the side surface that specifically target swarf behavior in the discharge region. By modifying only the local geometry where swarf interacts with the coolant passage area, the patent achieves effective swarf curling and redirection without affecting the overall cutting performance or requiring changes to the cutting edge itself

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3593929B1Cutting insert and milling tool
Publication Date: 2023.03.01 SUMITOMO ELECTRIC HARDMETAL CORP
  • EP3593929B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3593929B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3593929B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

A cutting insert has a cutting edge member and a mounting portion. The mounting portion includes: a mounting surface on which the cutting edge member is mounted; a first side surface; and a second side surface. The mounting portion is provided with an introduction opening and a discharging opening of the coolant supplying passage. The first side surface is provided with a step constituted of a rising portion and a flat portion. In a cross section that is perpendicular to the rake face and that crosses each of the introduction opening and the discharging opening, a second distance is longer than a first distance and a value obtained by dividing the third distance by the fourth distance is more than or equal to 0.5 and less than or equal to 0.8 when it is assumed that the first distance represents a distance between the cutting edge and the mounting surface in a direction perpendicular to the rake face, the second distance represents a distance between the mounting surface and a boundary portion between the rising portion and the flat portion in the direction perpendicular to the rake face, the third distance represents a distance between the boundary portion and a tip of the cutting edge in a direction parallel to the rake face, and the fourth distance represents a distance between the second discharging opening portion and the tip of the cutting edge in the direction parallel to the rake face.