Machine Tool Probe Mount With Raised Contact Faces for Precise Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing attachment arrangements for machine tool accessories, such as measurement probes, on machine tool shanks often result in insecure attachment and alignment, leading to measurement errors due to non-flat surfaces causing rocking motions.
Innovation Solution
A machine tool accessory with a connector portion featuring one or more raised contact faces that engage the flat surface of the shank, reducing the contact area and preventing misalignment, while maintaining mechanical stability through a reduced load transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a large contact area is provided between the connector portion and the shank surface, then the mechanical stability and load transmission are improved, but the alignment precision and measurement accuracy deteriorate due to surface imperfections causing rocking motions
Solution Approach 1:
The connector portion is designed with a differentiated surface structure where only specific localized areas (raised contact faces) make contact with the shank surface. This local quality approach allows the majority of the surface to be non-contacting, eliminating the harmful effect of surface imperfections while maintaining stable mechanical connection through the strategically positioned contact faces.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact surface is segmented into discrete raised contact faces rather than a continuous large-area contact. This segmentation isolates the contact points to specific locations that can be precisely controlled and manufactured, preventing the propagation of alignment errors across the entire contact area while maintaining sufficient mechanical stability.
2Strength
If the machined flat surface of the connector portion is made completely flat, then the contact area with the shank is increased improving mechanical stability, but the manufacturing precision and alignment accuracy deteriorate due to the difficulty of achieving complete flatness
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of requiring the entire connector surface to be perfectly flat, the design applies local quality by creating raised contact faces that are locally flat and precisely positioned. This approach shifts the manufacturing precision requirement from a large-area flatness specification to localized flatness at specific contact points, which is easier to achieve and maintain.
Solution Approach 2:
The conventional approach of making the entire surface flat is inverted by making most of the surface non-contacting and only the necessary contact areas (raised faces) are precision-finished. This inversion reduces the total area requiring high-precision flatness machining while maintaining or improving the overall attachment strength.
3Measurement precision
If a reduced contact area is provided through raised contact faces, then the alignment precision and measurement accuracy are improved, but the load transmission capacity and mechanical stability worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The design changes the geometric parameters of the contact interface by creating raised contact faces with optimized dimensions, positions, and heights. By carefully controlling these parameters, the contact area is reduced enough to eliminate rocking motions and improve alignment accuracy, while the parameters are tuned to maintain sufficient load transmission capacity for the intended application.
Solution Approach 2:
The raised contact faces are designed to make initial contact and establish precise alignment before full clamping force is applied. This preliminary action ensures accurate positioning and alignment is achieved first, and then the clamping mechanism secures this alignment while distributing loads through the optimized contact faces.
Data Source
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AI summary
A machine tool accessory (40), such as a measurement probe, for attachment to a machine tool shank (20) is described. The accessory comprises a housing (42) having a connector portion (44) that enables the housing (42) to be secured to a machine tool shank (20). The connector portion (44) comprises a surface (48; 81) having one or more raised contact faces (50,52; 82, 84) for engaging with a substantially flat surface (28) of the machine tool shank (20). In one example, the first and second raised contact faces (50,52; 82, 84) are provided in the form of concentric annuli.