Plug-Located Machining of AM Parts for Precise Internal Features
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Aligning tools with additively manufactured parts is challenging due to difficulties in aligning the tool centerline with the part's internal features, leading to vibrations and misalignment, especially when forming threaded surfaces or sealing bodies.
Innovation Solution
The method involves forming plug holes around a landing surface portion on the tool surface, allowing the tool to engage with the plug and cut away material to form a tooled void, which stabilizes the tool and reduces vibrations by ensuring precise alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a rotating tool is directly inserted into an opening in the additively manufactured part, then the tool can engage with the part to form threaded surfaces or sealing bodies, but the intermittent contact creates large vibrations and stress in the tool
Solution Approach 1:
A plug is introduced as an intermediary element between the tool and the additively manufactured part. The plug provides a stable engagement surface for the tool, eliminating intermittent contact and reducing vibrations. The plug is temporarily retained during tool engagement and then removed after machining, serving its mediating function only during the critical tool engagement phase.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug is pre-installed into the opening of the additively manufactured part before tool engagement. This preliminary action creates a prepared, stable engagement surface that ensures consistent tool contact from the beginning of the machining operation, preventing vibrations and misalignment that would occur with direct tool insertion.
2Manufacturing precision
If the centerline of the tool and the centerline of the opening in the part are not perfectly aligned, then the tool may bend, thereby increasing force on the tool and misalignment of the cut surface, but achieving perfect alignment is difficult or impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The plug serves as a mediating alignment element that provides a precise, dedicated engagement surface for the tool. This intermediary structure simplifies the alignment process by creating a clear geometric reference that guides the tool centerline, reducing the complexity of achieving precise alignment without requiring complex positioning systems or procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug introduces a localized feature with specific geometric properties optimized for tool engagement. By concentrating the alignment function in this localized plug structure rather than requiring overall part-feature alignment, the system achieves high manufacturing precision through a simple, focused geometric relationship between the tool and the plug's engagement surface.
3Manufacturing precision
If material is removed around an existing additively manufactured cavity to form a sealing surface, then the sealing body can compress against the machined surface, but the machining process creates vibrations and stress that affect cutting quality
Solution Approach 1:
The plug acts as a mediating structure that supports the machining operation by providing a stable engagement surface. This intermediary element reduces vibrations and stress during the material removal process by ensuring consistent tool contact, thereby improving cutting quality and reducing harmful factors generated during machining of the sealing surface.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~6
AI summary
A method includes forming one or more plug holes (100) into a tool surface (102) of a body. The one or more plug holes are partially formed around a landing surface portion of a plug (310) in the body. The method also includes engaging a tool with the landing surface portion of the plug in the body, and using the tool to cut away the plug from the body and at least part of the body to form a tooled void into the body.