Shape Adaptive Grinding Tool for Glass Moulds
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shaping and surface finishing technologies achieve high material removal rates but often result in rough surfaces that require subsequent polishing, and have low grinding ratios leading to poor accuracy and the need for additional processing steps.
Innovation Solution
The Shape Adaptive Grinding (SAG) process employs a flexible tool with rigid, abrasive pellets that conform to free-form surfaces, allowing for high material removal rates while maintaining a smooth finish, using a machine with advanced motion control and fluid pressure to control the tool's interaction with the workpiece.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If rigid grinding wheels or flexible abrasive sheets are used for rapid material removal, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to low grinding ratio and poor surface finish
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a composite tool structure combining a flexible polymer matrix with embedded rigid abrasive particles. This composite approach allows the tool to conform to complex workpiece geometries while maintaining rigid cutting edges for high material removal rates and smooth surface finishes, eliminating the need for separate polishing operations
Solution Approach 2:
The abrasive particles are distributed throughout the flexible tool matrix, creating local rigid cutting zones within a globally flexible structure. This allows different regions of the tool to adapt to local surface geometries while maintaining consistent high-quality material removal and surface finish across the entire workpiece surface
2Productivity
If conventional grinding processes are used to achieve high material removal rates, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to rough surface finish requiring subsequent polishing
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the shaping and surface finishing functions into a single grinding operation. The flexible tool with distributed abrasive particles simultaneously achieves high material removal rates and produces polished-like surface finishes, eliminating the need for separate polishing operations and reducing total process time
3Manufacturing precision
If flexible polishing tools are used to conform to free-form surfaces, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to low material removal rates
Solution Approach 1:
The tool employs a flexible polymer matrix that provides global conformity to complex workpiece surfaces, while embedded rigid abrasive particles provide local rigid cutting zones. This dual nature enables the tool to adapt to free-form geometries while maintaining high material removal rates comparable to rigid grinding wheels
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
SAG achieves rapid material removal with a smooth surface finish, eliminating the need for further polishing and improving shaping accuracy, as demonstrated by achieving surface microtopography with low micro-roughness and ductile grinding marks.
Implementation Method 1
Pressure of the abrasive particles against the workpiece removes material from the workpiece to bring the workpiece to the required shape
Implementation Method 2
a flexible tool with rigid, abrasive pellets that conform to free-form surfaces
Data Source
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Figure 5~5b
AI summary
There is described a method, apparatus and shaping tool for shaping a workpiece. The tool comprises a flexible support surface on which are mounted a number of rigid pellets (84) carrying abrasive material. The tool is driven, in contact with the workpiece surface (S), to perform a ductile grinding operation which results in a finished surface of reduced roughness as compared to conventional grinding operations, while achieving significantly higher material removal rates than comparable ultra-precision grinding techniques. A procedure for preparing the tool for operation by conditioning the tool against a conditioning surface is also described. An exemplary application for the method and apparatus is in the preparation of moulds for moulding curved glass components for use in display screens, in which process a silicon carbide mould cavity surface is shaped using the method to produce a mould cavity surface with a smooth surface finish.