Abrasive Water Jet Nozzle Self-Centering Collet Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current abrasive water jet cutting nozzles face challenges in aligning the jewel element, mixing chamber, and focusing tube, leading to increased wear and reduced cutting efficiency due to misalignment, which is time-consuming and costly to correct, and requires skilled personnel with high tolerance components.
Innovation Solution
The abrasive water jet cutting nozzle design features a self-centering mechanism with a collet and frusto conical recesses to ensure axial alignment of the focusing tube, mixing chamber, and jewel element holder, allowing for easy replacement and reduced manufacturing costs by minimizing misalignment wear and using fewer tolerance components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If tight tolerance components are used to ensure axial alignment of jewel element, mixing chamber and focusing tube, then alignment precision is improved, but manufacturing cost and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The collet is designed with a conical outer surface that fits into a corresponding conical recess in the focusing tube, creating a self-centering mechanism. This self-service alignment feature automatically ensures axial alignment of the jewel element, mixing chamber, and focusing tube without requiring high-precision manual assembly or tight tolerance manufacturing, thereby reducing manufacturing cost and time while maintaining alignment precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If skilled personnel with high alignment skills are used to assemble the nozzle components, then alignment precision is improved, but labor cost and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The self-centering collet mechanism performs the alignment function automatically during assembly. The conical surfaces guide the components into proper axial alignment as they are inserted, eliminating the need for skilled personnel to manually align the jewel element, mixing chamber, and focusing tube. This reduces assembly difficulty and eliminates the need for high-skilled labor while maintaining precise alignment.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the fluid path is made several centimetres long to accommodate all components, then component functionality is improved, but alignment sensitivity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The self-centering collet with conical surfaces provides automatic alignment throughout the several centimetre-long fluid path. As the components are inserted into the collet, the conical geometry ensures they remain axially aligned regardless of the length of the fluid path, thereby reducing alignment sensitivity while maintaining full component functionality.
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
This design maintains accurate alignment, reduces wear, and simplifies assembly, resulting in more efficient manufacturing processes and lower costs by minimizing misalignment wear and allowing the use of less expensive components with looser tolerances.
Implementation Method 1
The collet comprises a first downwardly diverging frusto conical shaped surface adapted to fit in the first downwardly diverging frusto conical shaped recess
Implementation Method 2
A water pump which increases the pressure of the water
Implementation Method 3
abrasive material is added to the water jet... the abrasive material is mixed with the water jet
Implementation Method 4
The water is forced through the jewel element to generate a high-velocity water jet
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a
AI summary
The present invention relates to an abrasive water jet cutting nozzle (44) comprising a first body (66), a second body (82), a collet (60), a jewel element (75). The first body (66) comprises a first downwardly diverging frusto conical shaped recess (78) and the collet (60) comprises a first downwardly diverging frusto conical shaped surface (80) adapted to fit in the first downwardly diverging frusto conical shaped recess (78). The second body (82) comprises a second downwardly diverging frusto conical shaped recess (90). The first body (66) further comprises a second downwardly diverging frusto conical shaped surface (94) adapted to fit into the second downwardly diverging frusto conical shaped recess (90).