Additive Manufactured Tool Body With Lattice Core
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional metal cutting tools manufactured using additive manufacturing often face challenges in achieving a balance between weight reduction and maintaining strength and stiffness, particularly in demanding applications, where partly hollow tools may compromise on strength and stiffness.
Innovation Solution
A tool body with a core structure comprising a three-dimensional open lattice structure surrounded by a solid phase filling material, which provides additional strength and tailored properties such as damping, thermal conduction, and thermal expansion, while maintaining a reduced weight by using materials like ceramics, metals, or viscoelastic materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If a partly hollow tool body with lattice structure core is used, then weight is reduced, but strength and stiffness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining the lattice structure material (e.g., tool steel) with a filling material (e.g., cemented carbide, ceramic, or polymer) to create a core structure that achieves both weight reduction and enhanced strength. The filling material is introduced into the voids of the lattice structure and solidified to form a composite core that maintains structural integrity while being lighter than solid tool steel.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes porous materials by employing a lattice structure with controlled porosity as the core framework. The lattice structure provides a lightweight skeleton that can be subsequently filled with additional material. This porous framework approach allows the tool to achieve reduced weight while maintaining sufficient strength through the combination of the lattice framework and filling material.
2Strength
If filling material is added to lattice structure, then strength is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by strategically placing filling material within the voids of the lattice structure rather than using solid material throughout. This allows different regions of the core structure to have different material properties - the lattice framework provides structural support while the localized filling material enhances strength in specific areas where needed, optimizing the strength-to-weight ratio.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by varying the filling factor (the proportion of void space filled with material) to optimize the balance between strength and weight. By controlling the amount and distribution of filling material, the tool can achieve the minimum required strength while minimizing weight increase. The filling material density and lattice structure geometry can also be adjusted as parameters to fine-tune the strength-weight relationship.
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
The tool body achieves improved strength and stiffness at a lower weight compared to solid tools, with enhanced dynamic properties and reduced vibration, making it suitable for demanding applications without significant weight penalties.
Implementation Method 1
Selective Laser Melting (SLM). In SLM, a 3D CAD model of the required geometry is first sliced into a number of finite layers. For each layer, a laser scan path is calculated... Each layer is thereafter sequentially recreated by depositing powder layers, one on top of the other, and locally melting the powder layers by scanning a laser beam.
Implementation Method 2
Individual powder particles may for example melt with or sinter with one another layer by layer to form a solid body.
Implementation Method 3
adding said at least one filling material in the form of a powder or a liquid to the lattice structure via an opening in the solid outer jacket, and solidifying said at least one filling material
Data Source
AI summary
A tool body and a tool for cutting machining, wherein the tool body extends in an axial direction and at least a portion of the tool body is formed with a solid outer jacket encasing a core structure. The core structure includes a three-dimensional open lattice structure attached to the outer jacket and made of a lattice structure material. The core structure further includes a filling structure of a solid phase filling material that is different from the lattice structure material, wherein the filling structure surrounds the lattice structure. The lattice structure and the outer jacket are manufactured using additive manufacturing and the filling material is added to the lattice structure in the form of a liquid or a powder, which is thereafter solidified.