Tool Slide Wedge Drive Adjustable Play

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wedge drives in metalworking tools suffer from short service life, high wear, and poor stability due to their structural design, leading to unacceptable tolerances and increased tool wear, especially under heating conditions, and require complex and time-consuming assembly and disassembly processes.

Innovation Solution

A tool slide with a prismatic or dovetail guide design featuring adjustable guide play through inclined surfaces and sliding elements, allowing for external adjustment via screws or wedge-shaped components, which reduces wear and enhances stability without the need for precise grinding or screw-based connections.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional wedge drives with screw-based connections and angle bars are used, then assembly is possible, but wear increases and stability decreases due to impaired running clearance under heating conditions

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovestabilityVSAvoidwear
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention removes the angle bars and screw connections from the system entirely. The slide element is directly guided by the guide clips on the driver element, eliminating the intermediate connection elements that caused wear and stability problems. This extraction of harmful components resolves the contradiction between reliability and wear.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The guide clips act as intermediary elements that provide precise guidance between the driver element and slide element. These clips maintain running clearance through their elastic deformation capability, mediating the interaction between moving parts to prevent direct metal-to-metal contact and reduce wear while maintaining stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Stability of the object's composition

If angle bars with retaining screws are used to connect slide element and slide guide element, then guidance is provided, but running clearance is impaired leading to increased tool wear

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveguidanceVSAvoidtool wear
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the angle bars and retaining screws from the guidance system. Instead, guide clips are integrated directly onto the driver element, providing guidance without the need for separate connection components. This eliminates the source of running clearance impairment and associated tool wear.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The guide clips are merged with the driver element structure, combining the functions of guidance and structural support into a single integrated component. This merging eliminates the need for separate angle bars and screws, reducing the number of interfaces where running clearance can be impaired and thus reducing tool wear.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Measurement precision

If the slide element is constricted by angle bars, then positioning is possible, but lateral expansion during heating is prevented leading to increased tool wear

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovepositioningVSAvoidtool wear
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The guide clips are designed with elastic deformation capability, allowing them to dynamically adapt to thermal expansion of the slide element. The clips can flex laterally to accommodate heating-induced expansion while maintaining guiding function, preventing the constriction that leads to tool wear while preserving positioning accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the mechanical parameters of the guidance system by using elastic guide clips instead of rigid angle bars. This allows the system to accommodate parameter changes in the slide element (such as thermal expansion) without compromising positioning or causing harmful wear effects.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

4Strength

If screws are used to fasten slide element to slide guide element, then connection is achieved, but tensile forces are introduced impairing running clearance and increasing wear

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveconnectionVSAvoidwear
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention removes all screw connections between the slide element and slide guide element. The guide clips are integrated into the driver element structure, eliminating the need for fastening screws. This extraction eliminates the introduction of tensile forces that would impair running clearance and increase wear.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The guide clips are designed with an asymmetric cross-section optimized for their specific function of providing guidance and accommodating thermal expansion. This asymmetric design allows the clips to provide strong guiding action without requiring symmetric fastening screws, avoiding the harmful effects of screw-induced tensile forces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

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 solution provides optimized installation space, improved power transmission, and enhanced assembly capabilities, leading to increased stability, reduced wear, and precise guidance with adjustable tolerances, thus extending the service life of the tool slide.

Implementation Method 1

wedge drives are used in metalworking tools... A vertical force acts on the top of the slide mount, pushing the slide mount down. The driver is firmly anchored in the tool, so that when the slide seat is pressed, the slide anchored in the slide seat is pushed in any direction outside of the vertical working direction.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectWedge: Wedge

Implementation Method 2

DE 26 40 318 B2 discloses a wedge drive for diverting a vertical pressing force into a force acting at an angle thereto for the forming process.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMechanical Advantage: Mechanical Advantage

Data Source

PatentEP3113941B1Tool slide
Publication Date: 2018.05.09 VOESTALPINE CAMTEC GMBH
  • EP3113941B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3113941B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3113941B1 patent drawingFigure 3~6

AI summary

The invention relates to a tool slide, in particular a wedge drive, at least comprising a slide bed (2) and a slide part, wherein the slide part (3) is arranged on the slide bed (2) in a sliding manner by way of a prism guide, and a groove and a rib (15) projecting into the groove are provided, wherein at least one sliding element (8) is provided between the rib (15) and the groove (5), wherein a driver (4) that is removable from the slide part (3) is provided and a prism guide made of inclined elements (17) of the slide body (3) and corresponding oblique faces (18) of the driver (4) likewise exists between the slide part (3) and the driver in the fitted state, wherein a prism guide or flat guide is formed between the slide bed (2) and the slide body (3) such that sliding elements (8) of the slide bed (2) and corresponding sliding elements (14) of the slide body (3) are arranged in an inclined manner with respect to an x axis (13) in the case of a prism guide or in a perpendicular manner in the case of a flat guide, wherein the sliding element (8) has, in the direction of the groove (5), a wedge-like bevelled face (22) by way of which it bears against a corresponding face (19) of the groove wall (5), and the corresponding groove wall (19) has a corresponding wedge-like bevel such that axial movement of the sliding element (8) corresponding to a longitudinal axis direction (23) reduces or increases the size of a gap (25) between the rib (15) and sliding element (8).