Repositionable Clamp Assembly for Workpiece Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Clamping multiple workpieces using standard C-clamps and carpentry squares can be cumbersome and difficult, especially for a single operator, as it requires significant effort and coordination to maintain the desired relationship between workpieces during operations like gluing and fastening.
Innovation Solution
A clamping assembly comprising a frame with mating portions and a clamp with movable jaws, allowing the clamp to be securely attached to the frame and repositioned along its axis, enabling easy alignment and clamping of workpieces without the need for extensive manual effort, with features like sliding dovetail or T-shaped joints and rail-grasping mechanisms for secure engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If standard C-clamps and carpentry squares are used to clamp multiple workpieces, then the workpieces can be secured in a fixed mutual relationship, but the operation becomes cumbersome and difficult especially for a single operator
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple clamping functions into a single integrated clamp assembly that can secure multiple workpieces simultaneously. The clamp includes a frame with multiple jaws that can engage different workpieces at once, eliminating the need for multiple separate clamps and reducing operator coordination requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The clamp assembly is designed to perform multiple clamping operations with a single device. The frame structure with multiple adjustable jaws allows the same clamp to secure different combinations of workpieces in various configurations, making it a universal clamping solution that replaces multiple specialized tools.
2Reliability
If multiple separate clamps are used to secure workpieces, then each workpiece can be individually clamped, but the device complexity and number of components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple clamping functions into a single clamp assembly with a frame that includes multiple jaws. This unified structure can engage and secure multiple workpieces simultaneously, reducing the total number of separate clamp components needed while maintaining individual clamping capability for each workpiece.
3Device complexity
If standard clamping tools are used, then the setup can be simple in structure, but the repositioning and adjustment of clamps requires significant manual effort
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp assembly incorporates movable jaws that can be selectively adjusted along the frame structure. This dynamic capability allows the jaws to be repositioned easily to accommodate different workpiece sizes and positions without requiring significant manual effort, while maintaining a relatively simple overall frame structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The clamp is divided into separate functional components including the frame, multiple jaws, and adjustment mechanisms. This segmentation allows individual jaws to be moved and adjusted independently while the frame remains stable, reducing the effort needed for repositioning compared to moving the entire clamp structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A clamping system may include one or more clamps configured to be placed in travelling engagement with respective legs of a frame. Workpieces such as wood panels may be clamped against the frame by jaws of the one or more clamps. The one or more clamps may be easily repositionable along the legs of the frame.