Rotary Tool Holder With Helical Chip Evacuation Cavity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cutting tools face issues with chip removal, leading to blockages, reduced performance, and potential damage due to incomplete evacuation, which affects machining precision and safety.
Innovation Solution
A rotating carrier tool with an additively manufactured main body featuring a helically wound open cavity around the tool axis, designed to efficiently remove chips by dissipating their kinetic energy and optimizing flow behavior, combined with a conventionally manufactured holder for secure attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a straight chip removal channel is used between cutting inserts, then the tool structure is simple and manufacturing is easy, but chips become wedged together blocking the channel causing incomplete removal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a helical (curved) chip removal channel instead of a straight channel. The helical path allows chips to be guided smoothly around the tool axis, preventing them from becoming wedged together and blocking the channel. This curved geometry maintains ease of manufacture through additive manufacturing while significantly improving chip removal reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a linear (one-dimensional) chip removal path to a helical three-dimensional path. By winding the chip removal channel around the tool axis in a helical pattern, chips are guided through a multi-dimensional path that prevents blockages while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through additive processes.
2Device complexity
If chip removal is incomplete, then the tool structure remains simple, but machining performance is reduced and tool damage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The helical curvature of the chip removal channel enables complete chip evacuation by guiding chips along a winding path that prevents accumulation. This improves machining performance and prevents tool damage while maintaining relatively simple tool structure through additive manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The helical chip removal channel design allows the tool to evacuate its own chips efficiently without requiring external intervention. The self-contained helical path ensures complete chip removal, maintaining high productivity and preventing tool damage while keeping the overall device complexity low.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional manufacturing methods are used for the tool body, then manufacturing cost is low, but geometric complexity and chip removal optimization are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs additive manufacturing to create complex helical geometries that would be difficult or impossible to achieve with conventional manufacturing methods. This manufacturing approach enables optimized chip removal paths and complex tool body designs while remaining cost-effective, particularly for lower production volumes and highly customized tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines additively manufactured tool bodies with conventionally manufactured cutting inserts. This composite approach leverages the geometric flexibility of additive manufacturing for the main body while utilizing the precision and proven performance of conventional manufacturing for the cutting elements, achieving both geometric adaptability and manufacturing efficiency.
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
Ensures optimal chip removal, preventing blockages and enhancing machining efficiency and safety by adapting to various machining tasks with durable and reliable performance.
Implementation Method 1
designed to efficiently remove chips by dissipating their kinetic energy and optimizing flow behavior
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a rotating tool holder (1) for receiving indexable inserts (5) with a conventionally manufactured holder (2) and an additively manufactured main body (3). The main body (3) has at least two segments (4). Between each pair of segments (4) an open cavity (6) is formed for the removal of cutting material. The cavity (6) has a winding path around the tool axis (7).