Movable Footstool Layout for Cleaner Machine Tool Setup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Footstools in machining areas are exposed to lubricants and workpiece chips, leading to floor contamination and cumbersome manual handling during setup, which affects cleanliness and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A machine tool with a splash guard and a door that allows the footstool to be mounted on the machine body, enabling it to be stored outside the machining area when not in use and brought inside for setup, with mechanisms for orientation and positioning changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the footstool is placed in the machining area during setup, then the operator can easily access it for setup operations, but the footstool becomes contaminated with lubricant and workpiece chips requiring cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The footstool is designed to be movable between two positions: stored outside the machining area during normal operation and moved inside during setup operations. This dynamic repositioning allows the footstool to be accessible when needed while protecting it from contamination when not in use, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and protection from harmful factors
Solution Approach 2:
The footstool is extracted from the machining area during normal operation and placed in a storage position outside the splash guard. This separation removes the footstool from the contaminated environment while maintaining quick access capability when setup operations are required
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the footstool is carried from outside the machine into the machining area before setup and then carried back outside after setup, then the footstool remains clean, but the operator experiences cumbersome manual handling
Solution Approach 1:
The footstool is integrated with the machine tool structure through a mounting mechanism that allows it to be securely attached when needed and easily removed when not needed. This merging of the footstool with the machine structure eliminates the need for completely separate manual carrying operations while maintaining cleanliness benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The footstool mounting mechanism provides dynamic attachment and detachment capabilities, allowing the footstool to be quickly coupled to or decoupled from the machine body. This reduces the manual handling effort compared to carrying the footstool completely in and out, while still maintaining cleanliness by keeping it outside during non-setup operations
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3
AI summary
A machine tool capable of restraining dirt on the footstool and improving setup efficiency. The machine tool (1) includes a machine body 10 having a splash guard 20 surrounding a machining area 21 and a door 25 capable of closing an opening 22 of the splash guard 20. A footstool 50 is kept mounted on the machine body 10 changeably in place with respect to the machine body 10. The footstool 50 kept mounted on the machine body 10 is capable of being in a place on an outside O1 of the machine body 10 when the door 25 is closed. The footstool 50 kept mounted on the machine body 10 is capable of being brought to a setup place 52 inside the machining area 21 from the outside O1 of the machine body 10 through the opening 22 when the door 25 is open.