WO2003090961A2 - Shaping metal articles - Google Patents
Shaping metal articles Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2003090961A2 WO2003090961A2 PCT/GB2003/001761 GB0301761W WO03090961A2 WO 2003090961 A2 WO2003090961 A2 WO 2003090961A2 GB 0301761 W GB0301761 W GB 0301761W WO 03090961 A2 WO03090961 A2 WO 03090961A2
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- workpiece
- impact
- mould
- cathode
- moulding
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B23H—WORKING OF METAL BY THE ACTION OF A HIGH CONCENTRATION OF ELECTRIC CURRENT ON A WORKPIECE USING AN ELECTRODE WHICH TAKES THE PLACE OF A TOOL; SUCH WORKING COMBINED WITH OTHER FORMS OF WORKING OF METAL
- B23H9/00—Machining specially adapted for treating particular metal objects or for obtaining special effects or results on metal objects
- B23H9/12—Forming parts of complementary shape, e.g. punch-and-die
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B23H—WORKING OF METAL BY THE ACTION OF A HIGH CONCENTRATION OF ELECTRIC CURRENT ON A WORKPIECE USING AN ELECTRODE WHICH TAKES THE PLACE OF A TOOL; SUCH WORKING COMBINED WITH OTHER FORMS OF WORKING OF METAL
- B23H3/00—Electrochemical machining, i.e. removing metal by passing current between an electrode and a workpiece in the presence of an electrolyte
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B23H—WORKING OF METAL BY THE ACTION OF A HIGH CONCENTRATION OF ELECTRIC CURRENT ON A WORKPIECE USING AN ELECTRODE WHICH TAKES THE PLACE OF A TOOL; SUCH WORKING COMBINED WITH OTHER FORMS OF WORKING OF METAL
- B23H9/00—Machining specially adapted for treating particular metal objects or for obtaining special effects or results on metal objects
Definitions
- the present invention relates mainly to the manufacture of impact moulding punches.
- Tablets are a particular such item but other examples include confectionery and soap bars.
- a single press is normally used to form many tablets simultaneously. This is achieved by having a number of individual impact moulding punches each of which impacts upon a corresponding area of the base plate of the press. Typically these impact areas of the base plate are cavities, Each base plate cavity is filled well with a powder mixed from the various ingredients of the tablet and is formed into a tablet shape by the pressure of impact.
- the tablets shape corresponds to the shape of the base plate cavity and the shape of the impact end of the moulding punch.
- Each impact moulding punch is generally of the form of an elongate rod of circular cross-section, one end of which may be adapted in some manner to be retained by the press mechanism.
- the end of the punch not retained by the press is used to impact with the tablet.
- the impact end is shaped as the negative of one face of the finished tablet and may incorporate intricate features which allow a distinct makers name or other identifying mark to be formed either embossed upon or sunken into the face of the tablet.
- the large forces experienced by impact moulding punches on a regular basis cause damage to both the body of the punch and in particular the impact end on a relatively short time scale. Individual moulding punches therefore need to be replaced regularly.
- the standard process for manufacturing impact moulding punches is wasteful however and might be improved.
- the difficulty of manufacture is in providing an impact end of an accurate shape and a high quality finish.
- Conventional spark erosion does not give the required accuracy 5 of finish without extensive polishing therefore a different method is used to manufacture impact mould punches.
- an impact moulding punch At present the first stage in manufacturing an impact moulding punch is to create a punch with a flat or blank impact end from mild steel. The blank punch end is then impacted upon a tablet template (hob) made from hardened steel. The force of the impact i o is sufficient to force the impact end of the punch to adopt a shape corresponding to that of the hob. The force of the impact may cause damage to the punch which is often irreparable. These production losses add greatly to the expense of the process.
- hob tablet template
- the resulting impact moulding punches which are repairable are re-machined to make them useable.
- the first stage is to straighten the punch if it is not straight. Once 15 this has been achieved the element is checked and if necessary, re-machined to ensure that the centre of the shaped area of the impact end is on the centre line of the punch. A moulding punch that is straight and balanced will survive more impacts than one which is not. This checking and re-machining is intricate and time consuming. It adds greatly to the expense of the process. 0 As a final stage of the manufacturing process once all necessary re-machining is finished the steel of the punch is hardened, to extend its working lifetime. This adds further time and expense to the manufacturing process.
- a method of forming a workpiece in a desired form including the steps of placing the workpiece in a position to expose a surface thereof for forming and subjecting the exposed surface of the workpiece to electrochemical machining to produce the desired form.
- the method is used to make an impact moulding punch of the kind having a supporting body with an exposed shaped impact end for impact with a surface to be moulded wherein the said impact end is shaped by electrochemical machining.
- This process prevents the moulding punch being exposed to very large forces during manufacture and as a consequence production losses are reduced. Additionally the repair and re-machining of damaged moulding punches can then be avoided making the process quicker and cheaper.
- the body of the moulding punch is formed of a rod with an exposed shaped impact end.
- the non-impact end of the rod may be adapted to be retained securely by a press mechanism.
- the impact moulding punch is formed from hardened metal.
- the metal is hardened after it has been worked into a rod shape but before the impact end has been shaped by electrochemical machining.
- a preferred choice of metal to form the moulding punch is steel.
- moulding punches in particular, titanium, titanium alloys, tungsten carbide and stainless steel.
- the impact end is shaped such that its centre is aligned with the centre line of the rod forming the body of the moulding punch.
- the electrochemical machining is carried out by the technique described in our co-pending application WO 01/30526 wherein there is provided an electrochemical machining technique wherein a cathode is advanced towards an anodic work piece in the presence of an electrolyte and a current is passed between the cathode and the work piece through the electrolyte so as to cause material to be removed electronically from the surface of the material characterised in that vibratory movement is imposed on the cathode so as to cause the gap between the cathode and the work piece to vary, and the current is also varied.
- a number of different electrolytes are available for use, the particular electrolyte chosen being dependant on the material to be machined. Most preferably electrolytes containing abrasive particles may be used for machining if desired.
- the cathode, or at least the end portion of the cathode is formed as a master tablet template or hob.
- the hob does not get damaged in the manufacturing process and thereby does not need to be replaced regularly.
- Electrochemical moulding can be used to controllably and accurately remove thin layers of material and hence it can be used to re- machine the work surface of the impact end of a punch by removing a thin layer of material to leave a smooth and sharply defined surface.
- moulding punches may be re-machined in this manner on a regular basis thereby removing the need to manufacture replacement punches.
- a manufacturer of tablets may keep in stock a large number of moulding punches which have not yet had their impact ends shaped and thus shape their impact ends by electrochemical machining on an immediate need basis. As it takes only five to ten minutes to shape an impact end using electrochemical machining production can be rapidly switched from one type or shape of tablet to another.
- the method of the present invention may be easily adapted to making other articles as discussed below.
- the method may be used to produce deep ribs in plastic injection moulds, which are usually produced at present by spark erosion. Additionally the method may be used for the production, of what are known as sub gates, in the plastic injection moulding industry, these are the holes between runner and cavity through which the molten plastic flows. It is possible with the above method to form the gate in shapes other than the traditional round or 'd' shape other forms of mould may also be produced by the above method in particular.
- Other forms of mould may also be produced by the above method in particular plastic moulds from which confectionery is produced or moulds or dies, for manufacturing teeth as used by drill heads used in oil exploration. This drill heads of this type are currently made using a carbide die, but because of the speed of the above method it is viable to make them in hard steel but to replace them more often.
- the method of the present invention may be used to form cooling holes in turbine blades. These holes are at present difficult to machine repetitively in any other shape than round or rounded, but using the above method can be produced with any desired profile.
- Other forms that may be produced include the root commonly known as the fir tree root on air foils or blades.
- the handle and or the blades and times of cutlery may be produced directly using this method rather than utilising moulds or forging dies. If a suitable cathode, having a reversed form to the item, is used.
- the above method may be used to produce any cavity using an electrode that has been produced by sterolithograpy and then electrocoated with a conductive material. Additionally, medals, coins, jewellery, and watchcases may be produced repetitively without the use of a mould with the above process.
- the above method may be applied to the production of rolls of stamps for embossing paper, which are currently etched or engraved or to the forming of extrusion dies, including the lead in.
- the machining of medical prosthesis, and the machining of orthopedic prostheses of patches of detail commonly pegs or posts that bone can graft, to, to increase the strength of any joint can also be carried out using this method.
- the above method may be applied to the forming of special security devices, in which a one off design of peg fits the corresponding hole, thus functioning as a key or to the machining of a nozzle used to extrude material through, in which the nozzle has a complex form that is highly polished on the inner surfaces, in particular a fuel injection nozzle, or to the machining of impellors for pumping equipment.
- Figure 1 shows the main features of an impact moulding punch typical of those to be manufactured by the process of this invention.
- Figure 2 shows how an impact end is shaped in one end of a moulding punch by electrochemical machining.
- a typical impact moulding punch is formed from a metal rod
- One end 2 of the rod 1 impacts upon material when in use to force the material to adopt a shape corresponding to the shape of the impact end 2.
- the shape of the impact end 2 is a simple rimmed cavity however more complicated shapes may be machined into the impact end if desired.
- the overall shape of the impact end may be on average convex rather than concave if required.
- rod 1 is gripped by the press mechanism when the punch is in use. To achieve this any suitable adaptation of the end of the rod 1 may be made. Typically this might take the form of a groove around the surface of the rod 1.
- a rod 1 of circular cross-section is formed on a lathe or by any other suitable technique from mild steel.
- One end of the rod may then be adapted to be retained by a press by for instance cutting a groove around its surface.
- the other end of the rod 1 is the impact end 2.
- the steel forming the rod 1 is now hardened. This allows the rod 1 to withstand both greater instantaneous impact pressures and more impacts than a mild steel rod. As a result the working lifespan of the punch is increased.
- ECM electrochemical machining
- the rod 1 is mounted securely on an ECM apparatus.
- the impact end 2 which is to be shaped is uppermost.
- a power source 6 is electrically connected to the rod 1 and the ECM apparatus.
- the power source 6 holds rod 1 at a positive potential relative to a cathode 4 provided as part of the ECM apparatus.
- To shape the impact end 2 the cathode 4 is advanced toward the impact end 2 of the anodic rod 1 in the presence of a flow of an electrolyte 5 and a current is passed between the cathode 4 and the rod 1 through the electrolyte 5 so as to cause material to be removed electrolytically from the impact end 2 of rod 1.
- the impact end 2 into a shape corresponding to the shape of the end portion 7 of the cathode 4.
- the impact end 2 has been shaped to contain a simple cavity 3.
- the current passed between the rod 1 and the cathode 4 may also be varied, either in correspondence with the vibration of the cathode 4, or otherwise.
- the end portion 7 of cathode 4 is a tablet template or hob. Before the impact end 2 is machined care should be taken to ensure that the centre of the cathode end portion 7 is lined up with the centre line of rod 1. This ensures as far as is possible that the impact end balances the impact forces it experiences during use in the manufacture of a tablet.
- the use of ECM to shape the impact end 2 reduces losses of partly formed punches due to bending or cracking during the impact shaping part of the process. It also thereby eliminates the time and expense required to straighten or to re-centre the impact end 2 of the rod 1.
- a further advantage of this process is that the cathode end portion 7 (the hob) experiences no direct physical pressure during the shaping of the impact end 2. As a result the wear on the hob is negligible. A single hob may thereby be used to shape a large number of impact ends without deterioration in quality. This means that the expense of manufacturing a number of replacement hobs may be avoided. It is of course possible to use this ECM process to form moulding punches from materials other than mild steel, for instance titanium, titanium alloys, tungsten carbide or stainless steel. Normally the electrolyte used for the ECM process depends on the choice of Material to be machined. It is even possible to use an electrolyte containing abrasive particles for the ECM process if desired.
- ECM is ideal for this operation as thin layers may be accurately removed from a surface. It is envisaged that regular re-machining of the impact end 2 of a punch can be used as a standard technique to extend the working lifespan of each individual punch and thereby save expenditure on replacement punches.
- moulding punches have been described herein relation to tablet manufacture but they may be used in other situations including, but not limited to the manufacture of confectionary or soap bars or for embossing paper or leather products.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Thermal Sciences (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
- Electrochemistry (AREA)
- Mounting, Exchange, And Manufacturing Of Dies (AREA)
- Electrical Discharge Machining, Electrochemical Machining, And Combined Machining (AREA)
- Forging (AREA)
- Moulds For Moulding Plastics Or The Like (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (6)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
CA002483479A CA2483479A1 (en) | 2002-04-25 | 2003-04-25 | Shaping metal articles |
AU2003227880A AU2003227880A1 (en) | 2002-04-25 | 2003-04-25 | Shaping metal articles |
JP2003587574A JP2005523172A (en) | 2002-04-25 | 2003-04-25 | Shape processing of metal articles |
EP03725340A EP1509355A2 (en) | 2002-04-25 | 2003-04-25 | Shaping metal articles |
GB0425855A GB2404606B (en) | 2002-04-25 | 2003-04-25 | Shaping metal articles |
IL16484104A IL164841A0 (en) | 2002-04-25 | 2004-10-25 | Shaping metal articles |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GBGB0209416.7A GB0209416D0 (en) | 2002-04-25 | 2002-04-25 | Shaping metal articles |
GB0209416.7 | 2002-04-25 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO2003090961A2 true WO2003090961A2 (en) | 2003-11-06 |
WO2003090961A3 WO2003090961A3 (en) | 2004-02-26 |
Family
ID=9935447
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/GB2003/001761 WO2003090961A2 (en) | 2002-04-25 | 2003-04-25 | Shaping metal articles |
Country Status (8)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP1509355A2 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2005523172A (en) |
AU (1) | AU2003227880A1 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2483479A1 (en) |
GB (2) | GB0209416D0 (en) |
IL (1) | IL164841A0 (en) |
RU (1) | RU2004134578A (en) |
WO (1) | WO2003090961A2 (en) |
Families Citing this family (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN107971593B (en) * | 2017-11-15 | 2019-07-09 | 东莞长盈精密技术有限公司 | Electrospark electrode, spark machine and shell injection mould processing method |
WO2020101180A1 (en) * | 2018-11-13 | 2020-05-22 | 주식회사 애니캐스팅 | Multi-array electrode having protruding electrode portions arranged thereon, method for manufacturing same, and method for manufacturing organic deposition mask by using multi-array electrode |
Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB985334A (en) * | 1962-06-27 | 1965-03-10 | Standard Pressed Steel Co | Improvements in and relating to tool for electrochemical machining |
GB988545A (en) * | 1962-07-11 | 1965-04-07 | Standard Pressed Steel Co | Improvements in and relating to a method of machining at least one of the tools in aset of power press tools |
EP0711640A1 (en) * | 1994-11-10 | 1996-05-15 | Corning Incorporated | Honeycomb extrusion die |
EP0858855A1 (en) * | 1997-02-06 | 1998-08-19 | Corning Incorporated | Method for machining extrusion dies |
-
2002
- 2002-04-25 GB GBGB0209416.7A patent/GB0209416D0/en not_active Ceased
-
2003
- 2003-04-25 WO PCT/GB2003/001761 patent/WO2003090961A2/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 2003-04-25 EP EP03725340A patent/EP1509355A2/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2003-04-25 JP JP2003587574A patent/JP2005523172A/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2003-04-25 AU AU2003227880A patent/AU2003227880A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2003-04-25 CA CA002483479A patent/CA2483479A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2003-04-25 RU RU2004134578/02A patent/RU2004134578A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 2003-04-25 GB GB0425855A patent/GB2404606B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2004
- 2004-10-25 IL IL16484104A patent/IL164841A0/en unknown
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB985334A (en) * | 1962-06-27 | 1965-03-10 | Standard Pressed Steel Co | Improvements in and relating to tool for electrochemical machining |
GB988545A (en) * | 1962-07-11 | 1965-04-07 | Standard Pressed Steel Co | Improvements in and relating to a method of machining at least one of the tools in aset of power press tools |
EP0711640A1 (en) * | 1994-11-10 | 1996-05-15 | Corning Incorporated | Honeycomb extrusion die |
EP0858855A1 (en) * | 1997-02-06 | 1998-08-19 | Corning Incorporated | Method for machining extrusion dies |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CA2483479A1 (en) | 2003-11-06 |
AU2003227880A1 (en) | 2003-11-10 |
GB0209416D0 (en) | 2002-06-05 |
GB2404606B (en) | 2006-04-12 |
GB2404606A (en) | 2005-02-09 |
WO2003090961A3 (en) | 2004-02-26 |
RU2004134578A (en) | 2005-07-10 |
GB0425855D0 (en) | 2004-12-29 |
IL164841A0 (en) | 2005-12-18 |
EP1509355A2 (en) | 2005-03-02 |
JP2005523172A (en) | 2005-08-04 |
AU2003227880A8 (en) | 2003-11-10 |
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