Ripping Plate Material With Guide Face Punch
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for separating head suspensions from frames in disk drives often result in burrs due to oblique tension and varying pitches caused by heat during welding, increasing costs and inefficiencies, particularly when narrowing the clearance between the punch and die.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that utilize an easily breaking part with a configuration of through holes and narrow parts, or alternations of thin and narrow parts, to apply tension in a surface direction without bending forces, using a ripping apparatus with a punch having a guide face to ensure precise alignment and minimize burr formation, allowing for a rougher clearance setting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the clearance between the punch and die is narrowed to prevent burrs during shearing, then the manufacturing precision of the separation edge is improved, but the cost of the shearing apparatus increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the problematic bending force component from the separation process by introducing a guide face that redirects the applied force. The guide face separates the force vector into a beneficial tension component (perpendicular to the easily breaking part) and eliminates the harmful bending component (parallel to the easily breaking part), thereby achieving burr-free separation without requiring narrow clearance
Solution Approach 2:
The guide face acts as an intermediary element between the punch and the easily breaking part. It mediates the force transmission by converting the downward punch force into tensile stress on the easily breaking part, preventing direct bending contact and enabling burr-free separation with larger clearance
2Strength
If heat is used during welding to join components, then the joining strength is improved, but the pitch variation among chained head suspensions increases causing burrs during ripping
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state and properties of the easily breaking part by forming it with through holes and narrow parts, creating a structure with reduced cross-sectional area and altered mechanical properties. This parameter change enables the part to break cleanly under tension while being insensitive to pitch variations caused by welding heat
Solution Approach 2:
The patent removes the sensitivity to pitch variation by designing the easily breaking part with through holes and narrow parts that create a stress concentration point. This extraction of the critical separation function from the overall structure allows the rest of the system to tolerate pitch variations while the easily breaking part ensures consistent clean separation
Data Source
AI summary
A method of ripping a plate material having a resilient part, a frame, and an easily breaking part formed between the resilient part and the frame includes holding the frame between an upper pad and a die on a first side of the easily breaking part, moving a punch toward a lower pad that is retractable against pushing force, to clamp the resilient part between the punch and the lower pad on a second side of the easily breaking part, and driving the punch so that the punch guides the plate material and applies tension to the easily breaking part in a surface direction of the plate material, thereby ripping the plate material along the easily breaking part. The method is capable of ripping the plate material without causing burrs.