Quick Change Tool Holder Dovetail Interface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cutting tool holders require manual and time-consuming changes, leading to reduced productivity and increased processing costs due to the need for skilled operators and frequent tool changes, especially in metal cutting machines.
Innovation Solution
A quick change tool holder with a base member, main body, and cutting tool cartridge featuring a dovetail and channel interface, six-point alignment system, and a blade clamp for secure and precise one-handed installation and adjustment, allowing for off-line adjustments and minimizing misalignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual screw-based cutting member fixation is used, then the cutting member can be securely held in place, but the tool change process becomes time-consuming and requires skilled operators
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting tool holder is divided into separate modular components: a base member that remains on the machine, and a cutting head with cutting insert that can be quickly removed and replaced. This segmentation allows the cutting insert to be changed independently without removing the entire tool holder, dramatically reducing tool change time while maintaining secure fixation through the modular interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting head incorporates a dynamic quick-change mechanism with movable clamping elements that can rapidly transition between locked and unlocked states. The clamping arms can be quickly released and repositioned to secure a new cutting insert, enabling tool changes to be performed in seconds rather than minutes, thus improving productivity and reducing operator skill requirements.
2Adaptability or versatility
If frequent cutting member changes are performed, then different cutting edges can be utilized, but productivity decreases due to repeated manual intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting head is designed as a universal quick-change component that can accommodate multiple different cutting inserts with various cutting edges. The standardized interface and clamping mechanism allow operators to quickly swap between different cutting inserts depending on the specific cutting task, maximizing the utilization of multiple cutting edges without requiring separate tool holders for each insert type.
3Manufacturing precision
If skilled operators perform cutting member changes, then proper alignment and installation can be achieved, but labor costs and processing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The quick-change mechanism incorporates self-aligning features and self-latching components that automatically ensure proper positioning and secure fixation of the cutting insert during the change process. The design includes alignment guides, tapered surfaces, and automatic clamping actions that eliminate the need for operator skill in achieving precise alignment, allowing unskilled operators to perform tool changes while maintaining manufacturing precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A quick change tool holder having a base member, a body, a quick change head member, and a cutting tool cartridge. The base member includes an upper surface, bottom surface, and mating surface and is adapted to removably mount to an associated cutting machine carriage. The body includes an end wall and an inner surface, where the end wall includes a dovetail portion. The body is adapted to engage the base member in an interlocking fashion. The quick change head includes a top surface, a bottom surface, an interface wall having a channel disposed therein, and an outer wall having a plurality of longitudinal grooves, wherein said channel is adapted to receive said dovetail portion. The cutting tool cartridge is adapted to engage the longitudinal grooves of the quick change head.