Potter's Wheel Holding Plate With Fish-Shaped Apertures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Potter's wheels face issues with securing workpieces due to loose engagement between apertures and screw caps, leading to chatter and reduced longevity, particularly due to variance in screw cap sizes across different models and manufacturers.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of fish-shaped apertures that engage variably-sized fasteners on the potter's wheel, including ¼ inch and 10 mm screw caps, with a spring-like mechanism to maintain pressure on bat pins, reducing chatter and accommodating different brands and sizes, along with a locking mechanism to secure the tool in place.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If circular apertures are used to fit both 1/4 inch and 10 mm screw caps, then the tool can accommodate different potter's wheel models, but loose engagement causes chatter and reduces longevity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetric aperture shapes (oval, rectangular, or irregular contours) instead of symmetric circular apertures. These asymmetric shapes are specifically designed to match the dimensional characteristics of different screw cap types (1/4 inch vs 10 mm), creating a form-fit engagement that eliminates loose movement and chatter while maintaining compatibility across multiple fastener sizes
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the aperture structure are given different geometric properties to optimize engagement with specific fastener types. For example, certain portions of the aperture may have tapered walls, varying thicknesses, or specific contour features that locally adapt to accommodate either 1/4 inch or 10 mm screw caps, ensuring secure fit without requiring a single generic circular shape
2Ease of manufacture
If clay is used to mount the workpiece to the spinning wheel, then the attachment is simple, but it is not secure and the workpiece may become dislodged
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is divided into distinct functional components: a plate with specialized apertures for secure fastener engagement, and multiple independent holding arms that can be positioned and adjusted separately. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally - the plate provides stable mounting to the wheel while the holding arms provide secure, adjustable workpiece retention
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate mechanical components (screw caps, holding arms with grippers) that mediate between the workpiece and the spinning wheel. These intermediaries transform the simple clay mounting into a multi-stage secure attachment system where the plate and holding arms work together to reliably hold the workpiece during spinning operations
3Reliability
If multiple holding arms are added to engage and hold the workpiece, then the workpiece is securely held, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The holding arms are designed as multi-functional components that can perform multiple operations: they engage the workpiece, position it centrally on the wheel, and can be adjusted radially to accommodate different workpiece sizes. This universal design reduces the need for multiple specialized components, maintaining security while managing complexity through versatile, adaptable elements
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively secures workpieces on the potter's wheel, reducing chatter and extending the tool's longevity by maintaining center alignment and accommodating various fastener sizes, ensuring a stable and secure attachment during spinning.
Implementation Method 1
The tail of the fish-shaped aperture is configured to be press fit over standard sized bat pins such that the tail works like a spring keeping pressure on the bat pin
Data Source
AI summary
An improved tool for use with a potter's wheel is provided, and the tool configured to attach to the spinning potter's wheel and hold a workpiece in the center thereof. The tool comprises an upper plate and a lower plate that are rotatable with respect to each other. A holding arm can extend through an arm slot in the upper plate to engage a spiral ridge of the lower plate. Relative rotation between the upper plate and the lower plate causes the holding arm to move inward or outward in a radial direction to engage a workpiece. The lower plate comprises fish-shaped apertures to engage fasteners on the potter's wheel in a manner to reduce chatter and improve the longevity of the tool.