Wood Machining Device with Inverted Support for Curved Workpieces
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Dished workpieces, which are curved across their width, face high material waste and processing inefficiencies due to varying curvature, leading to incomplete machining and reduced lamella production when using fixed chip removal settings.
Innovation Solution
A device with adjustable carriers that support workpieces with their bulbous side down, allowing for minimal chip removal and optimal machining of both top and bottom surfaces, enabling the production of a flat underside for further processing with adjustable chip removal settings for different curvatures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If workpieces are placed with convex side facing upwards on the support, then the workpiece can be machined with upper and lower tools, but material waste is relatively high due to the convex shape requiring deeper cuts
Solution Approach 1:
The workpiece is inverted and placed with its convex side facing downwards on the support, allowing the dressing tool to machine the convex surface directly. This inversion enables the tool to follow the natural curvature of the workpiece, removing only the minimum necessary material while maintaining machining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The support is designed with a specific geometric profile that matches the convex shape of the workpiece. This localized adaptation ensures optimal contact between the workpiece and support, enabling precise machining of the convex surface with minimal material removal.
2Manufacturing precision
If the depth of cut on the lower dressing tool is individually adjusted for each workpiece curvature, then workpieces can be machined cleanly, but the process complexity and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The support geometry is designed to automatically compensate for variations in workpiece curvature. By changing the spatial parameters of the support surface to match the workpiece profile, the system achieves consistent machining quality without requiring manual adjustment of the dressing tool for each workpiece.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure self-adjusts to accommodate different workpiece curvatures through its geometric design. The convex-shaped support automatically positions the workpiece in the optimal orientation, eliminating the need for operator intervention to adjust depth of cut settings.
3Productivity
If a fixed depth of cut setting is used on the lower dressing tool, then the machining process is simpler, but workpieces with significant cupping are not planed cleanly and may become scrap
Solution Approach 1:
The support geometry is designed to adapt to varying workpiece curvatures, maintaining optimal machining conditions across different cupping degrees. This geometric parameter adaptation allows a fixed depth of cut setting to effectively process workpieces with varying curvature without compromising quality.
4Reliability
If more material is removed from the workpiece to account for varying curvature, then all workpieces can be machined cleanly, but the amount of wood saved decreases
Solution Approach 1:
By inverting the workpiece and machining the convex surface directly, the dressing tool removes material more efficiently. This approach maintains process reliability for varying curvatures while minimizing material removal, as the tool follows the natural workpiece geometry rather than forcing a flat surface against a curved workpiece.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The device is used for machining workpieces (1) made of wood, plastic, and the like. It has at least one support for the workpieces (1), which can be transported on the support in the transport direction (2). Furthermore, the device has a lower dressing tool (9) which is rotatably driven about a horizontal axis and with which the underside of the workpiece (1) can be machined as it passes through the device. In order to enable the workpieces (1) to be machined with optimal wood savings and process reliability, the support has at least two beams running parallel to each other in the transport direction (2).