Workpiece Support Frame for Clamping Warped CNC Sheets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing workholding apparatuses for CNC routers, such as vacuum table tops and T-slot tables, face challenges in securely holding large or warped flat sheets of material, with vacuum systems being costly and T-slot tables obstructing tool access and failing to securely hold entire sheets.
Innovation Solution
A frame structure with a base element and movable upper and lower frame elements that allow for adjustable clamping and positioning of workpieces along the X, Y, and Z axes, enabling secure holding of planar workpieces with three contact regions and facilitating tool access through a window.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a vacuum table top is used to hold flat sheet material, then the workpiece is held securely in place with uniform force across the entire workpiece, but the cost of buying, running and maintaining the suction pump increases, and the weight and volume of the vacuum infrastructure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the workpiece holding function from a complex vacuum table top system and implements it using a simple frame structure with clamps. Instead of using a vacuum pump and suction infrastructure, the invention uses mechanical clamping forces applied at specific points along the workpiece edges, eliminating the need for vacuum infrastructure while maintaining secure workpiece holding.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces expensive, complex vacuum infrastructure with simple, inexpensive mechanical clamps and frame structures. The clamps are basic mechanical components that can be easily manufactured and replaced, providing the same workholding function without the high cost of vacuum pumps, hoses, and control systems.
2Device complexity
If a T-slot table with clamps is used to hold workpieces, then cost-effectiveness and versatility improve, but the ability to securely hold down the entirety of a flat sheet of material deteriorates, and the working holding devices obstruct the area of the workpiece that can be accessed by the tool bit
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the workpiece holding function into multiple independent clamps distributed along the edges of the workpiece. Each clamp independently secures a portion of the workpiece, and together they provide comprehensive holding security across the entire sheet without requiring a T-slot table infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent positions clamps along the edges of the workpiece rather than on the top surface. This edge-based clamping approach removes the obstruction problem of top-mounted T-slot clamps, allowing full access to the workpiece surface for tool bit operation while maintaining secure holding through side and bottom clamping forces.
3Device complexity
If a T-slot table with clamps is used to hold workpieces, then cost-effectiveness improves, but the ability to properly hold flat a slightly warped sheet of material deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses adjustable clamps that can apply varying forces to different portions of the workpiece. This adjustability allows the clamping system to accommodate warped or non-flat workpieces by applying appropriate forces at different locations, pressing warped areas flat during machining without requiring a complex T-slot table system.
4Reliability
If a frame structure with movable upper and lower frame elements is used to clamp workpieces, then the ability to securely hold large or warped workpieces improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates movable upper frame elements that can be adjusted vertically to accommodate workpieces of different thicknesses and warpage levels. This dynamic adjustability allows the same frame structure to securely hold various workpiece types without requiring multiple fixed-height clamping systems, managing complexity through versatility rather than proliferation of components.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus (101) for supporting a workpiece (201), comprising a frame structure (102) for holding a workpiece (201), a base element (103) for supporting the frame structure (102), and a tool support element (110) for holding a tool. The frame structure (102) comprises lower and upper frame elements (107, 108) between which a workpiece (201) is receivable, and the upper frame element (108) is movable with respect to the lower frame element (107) in a Z-axis direction (106), for clamping a workpiece (102) therebetween. The tool support element (110) is movable with respect to the upper frame element (108) in an X-axis direction (104). The frame structure (102) is movable with respect to the base element (103), and with respect to a workpiece held between the lower and upper frame elements (107, 108), in a Y-axis direction (105). A CNC machine comprising the apparatus (101).