Rotary Tool Clamping Rod Access for In-Place Insert Changes
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing modular rotary tools require elaborate and often manual processes for attaching and detaching cutting inserts, which can compromise stability and require removal from the bracket, limiting automation and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A rotary tool design with a clamping rod that can be actuated through an access hole while the tool is clamped, allowing for automatic attachment and detachment of cutting inserts using a tool, such as a screwdriver, without compromising stability, and featuring a mechanism that includes a transverse pin and axial pin for efficient operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the cutting insert is attached and detached manually using a separate tool, then the process is simple to understand, but the operation is elaborate and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The clamping rod is designed to be actuated directly by a tool through the access hole, allowing the cutting insert to be attached and detached automatically without manual intervention. The system serves itself by integrating the actuation mechanism within the existing structure, eliminating the need for separate manual operations.
2Extent of automation
If the clamping rod extends through the body, then automatic attachment and detachment is enabled, but the stability of the rotary tool front-facing end may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The actuation mechanism is extracted and positioned in the rear-facing end of the shank, separate from the front-facing working section. This allows the clamping rod to extend through the body for automatic operation while the stability-critical front-facing end remains undisturbed by access holes or additional components.
Solution Approach 2:
The clamping rod is nested within the body structure, extending through the working section but being actuated from the rear-facing end of the shank. This nesting allows the rod to pass through without compromising the structural integrity of the front-facing end, as the actuation points are located in the more robust rear section.
3Ease of operation
If the clamping rod is actuated from the front-facing end, then the cutting insert can be changed, but the rotary tool must be removed from the bracket
Solution Approach 1:
The actuation access is provided through the rear-facing end of the shank, which is a different spatial dimension relative to the front-facing working section. This allows the tool to remain clamped in the bracket while the clamping rod is actuated from the rear, enabling continuous operation without removal from the bracket.
4Ease of operation
If a lateral screw is used to actuate the clamping rod, then the cutting insert can be attached and detached, but holes are formed in the body affecting stability
Solution Approach 1:
The actuation mechanism is extracted from the front-facing working section and positioned in the rear-facing end of the shank. This eliminates the need for lateral access holes in the body that would compromise structural strength, while still enabling effective actuation of the clamping rod through the more robust rear section.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus is specified that comprises a rotary tool, wherein the rotary tool extends along a longitudinal axis and in an axial direction, wherein the rotary tool comprises a body, a cutting insert and a clamping rod, wherein the body has a shank on the rear-facing end, for clamping into a bracket, wherein the clamping rod extends through the body in the axial direction, wherein the clamping rod is adapted on the front-facing end to attach the cutting insert, wherein the clamping rod extends rearward towards the shank and can be actuated by means of a tool to attach the cutting insert to, or to detach the latter from, the body, wherein the clamping rod comprises an access hole arranged such that the clamping rod can be actuated while the rotary tool is clamped in the bracket. Further, a method for attaching or detaching a cutting insert on such an apparatus is specified.