MILLING TOOL HAVING A REPLACEABLE CUTTING RING

Abstract

An inventive milling tool has a tool head that is rotatable about a tool axis and configured for coupling at its rear to a machine spindle. A plurality of cutting elements are distributed around the tool axis on a cutting circle, each cutting element provided with a front plane cutting edge and a peripheral cutting edge extending at an angle thereto. A channel system extends through the tool head and is configured for delivering coolant to the cutting elements. A replaceable ring is releasably fastened on a front end flange of the tool head in an interlocking manner, and the cutting elements are carried by the replaceable ring.

Claims

1. A milling tool, comprising: a tool head rotatable about a tool axis and configured for coupling at its rear to a machine spindle; a plurality of cutting elements distributed around the tool axis on a cutting circle, each cutting element provided with a front plane cutting edge and a peripheral cutting edge extending at an angle thereto; a channel system extending through the tool head configured for delivering coolant to the cutting elements; and a replaceable ring releasably fastened on a front end flange of the tool head in an interlocking manner, wherein the cutting elements are carried by the replaceable ring.

2. The milling tool according to claim 1, wherein the replaceable ring has recesses, each recess receiving a respective one of the cutting elements.

3. The milling tool according to claim 1, wherein the cutting elements are formed as inserts and are inclined at an axial angle of from 20 to +45 as seen in the direction of the tool axis.

4. The milling tool according to claim 3, wherein the cutting elements are formed as inserts and are inclined at an axial angle of from +10 to +20 as seen in the direction of the tool axis.

5. The milling tool according to claim 1, wherein the replaceable ring comprises a large number of flutes individually associated with the cutting elements.

6. The milling tool according to claim 5, wherein the flutes are delimited in the run-out region thereof by a radial surface of the replaceable ring.

7. The milling tool according to claim 1, wherein the replaceable ring comprises a large number of coolant distribution channels which are associated individually with the cutting elements, the distribution channels being curved at least in portions and/or having a variable cross section.

8. The milling tool according to claim 7, wherein the coolant distribution channels branch off from an annular groove in the tool head.

9. The milling tool according to claim 7, wherein the coolant distribution channels each comprise an outlet opening facing rearward in a direction against the tool feed motion.

10. The milling tool according to claim 1, wherein the replaceable ring is formed as a one-piece 3D-printed part.

11. The milling tool according to claim 1, wherein the replaceable ring has threaded bores configured to receive retaining screws mounted in the tool head.

12. The milling tool according to claim 1, wherein the end flange comprises an annular axial groove in which an annular collar of the replaceable ring engages.

13. The milling tool according to claim 1, wherein the replaceable ring has a toothed rim contour having radially outwardly facing teeth, wherein the teeth have one tooth flank that supports the cutting elements and another tooth flank that delimits a flute.

14. The milling tool according to claim 1, wherein the replaceable ring has, opposite each cutting element, a chip-removing surface extending in a curve in radial cross section and comprises an internal concave portion and an external convex portion.

15. The milling tool according to claim 1, wherein the replaceable ring is replaceable with a second replaceable ring having a different number of cutting elements.

16. The milling tool according to claim 1, wherein the cutting elements are soldered directly into the replaceable ring.

17. The milling tool of claim 16, wherein the cutting elements are PCD cutting elements.

18. The milling tool according to claim 1, wherein the axial positional tolerance of the plane cutting edges is less than 0.02 mm.

19. The milling tool according to claim 18, wherein the axial positional tolerance of the plane cutting edges is less than 0.005 mm.

20. The milling tool according to claim 1, wherein more than 22 cutting elements are firmly soldered into the replaceable ring.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The above-mentioned aspects of exemplary embodiments will become more apparent and will be better understood by reference to the following description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0023] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a milling tool including a tool head and a replaceable ring for the cutting inserts;

[0024] FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the milling tool according to FIG. 1;

[0025] FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the replaceable ring;

[0026] FIG. 4 is an axial cross section of the milling tool through the region of bores for retaining screws for fastening the replaceable ring;

[0027] FIG. 5 is an axial cross section of the milling tool through the region of coolant distribution channels;

[0028] FIG. 6 is an enlarged section of FIG. 5 in a flange region of the tool head; and

[0029] FIG. 7 shows a reduced radial cross section through the replaceable ring.

DESCRIPTION

[0030] The embodiments described below are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed in the following description. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may appreciate and understand the principles and practices of this disclosure.

[0031] It shall be understood that terms such as horizontal and vertical are generally used herein to establish positions of individual components relative to one another rather than an absolute angular position in space. Further, regardless of the reference frame, in this disclosure terms such as vertical, parallel, horizontal, right angle, rectangular and the like are not used to connote exact mathematical orientations or geometries, unless explicitly stated, but are instead used as terms of approximation. With this understanding, the term vertical, for example, certainly includes a structure that is positioned exactly 90 degrees from horizontal, but should generally be understood as meaning positioned up and down rather than side to side. Other terms used herein to connote orientation, position or shape should be similarly interpreted. Further, it should be understood that various structural terms used throughout this disclosure and claims should not receive a singular interpretation unless it is made explicit herein. By way of non-limiting example, the terms cutting element, cutting edge, and channel, to name just a few, should be interpreted when appearing in this disclosure and claims to mean one or more or at least one. All other terms used herein should be similarly interpreted unless it is made explicit that a singular interpretation is intended.

[0032] The surface milling tool 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a tool head 14 which is rotatable about its central axis, in the form a tool axis 12, and a replaceable ring 18 which is equipped with a large number of cutting elements or cutting inserts 16 and is placed on a front end flange 20 of the tool head 14 in an interlocking manner and releasably fastened there.

[0033] As can also be seen in FIG. 2, the tool head 14, in the form of a shell end mill 14, has a rear interface 22 for coupling to a milling receptacle (not shown); said head is retained on said receptacle in a rotationally fixed manner by means of an axial screw connection. Alternatively, the replaceable ring 18 can also be screwed directly onto a separate receptacle in a monobloc construction (not shown).

[0034] Stepped bores 26 which are distributed in the circumferential direction on the rear of the annular end flange 20 are arranged so as to support, on the head side, retaining screws 28 for the replaceable ring 18.

[0035] The replaceable ring 18 shown separately in FIG. 3 includes a support disc 30, on the front of which a toothed rim contour 32 for retaining the cutting inserts 16 is formed. Axial threaded bores 34 are introduced at the rear of the support disc 30, which bores are aligned with the stepped bores 26 in the tool head 14 in order to screw in the retaining screws 28. A rearwardly projecting annular collar 36 of the replaceable ring 18 allows said collar to be interlockingly received in the end flange 20 in a manner in which it is secured against centrifugal forces. For this purpose, an annular axial groove 38 is introduced in the end flange 20, as can be seen in FIG. 6. Inlet openings of coolant distribution channels 40 are distributed over the annular collar 36, the course of which channels to the cutting inserts 16 is not explained in more detail in the following.

[0036] The toothed rim contour 32 of the replaceable ring 18 comprises radially outwardly protruding teeth 42, which are provided, on the tooth flank thereof facing in the direction of rotation, with recesses 44 for the cutting inserts 16, while the opposite tooth flank forms a complexly curved chip-removing surface 46. In this way, flutes 48 between the teeth 42 are kept free, which flutes are delimited in the run-out region thereof by a radial surface 50 of the support disc 30.

[0037] As can be best seen from FIG. 7, the tooth flanks are flat adjacent to the insert seats or recesses 44. In order to optimize chip removal, the opposite curved tooth flank comprises an internal portion 52 that is concave in radial cross section and an outer convex portion 54.

[0038] As can be seen in FIG. 1 based on the numbering, twenty-four teeth form the circumferential toothed rim contour 32 in the embodiment. Owing to the additive formation of the replaceable ring 18, it is easily possible to provide a larger number of teeth or cutting edges, for example 32 for a nominal diameter of 100 mm. In principle, it is also possible to provide a plurality of replaceable rings 18 having a varying number of cutting edges, but matching interlocking contours for the end flange 20 in a modular manner, in order to allow additional flexibility for the user.

[0039] The cutting inserts 16 are directly firmly soldered into the recesses 44. A high-precision true running of, for example, 0.005 mm of axial tolerance is achieved by corresponding grinding-in in the soldered state. Cutting edges made of a polycrystalline diamond cutting material (PCD) or cutting edges made of cubic boron nitride (CBN) are preferably used.

[0040] It can also be seen in FIG. 1 that the cutting inserts 16 are tilted sharply forward at an axial angle with respect to the tool axis 12 (or with respect to a parallel line thereto). The tilt can be adapted to the sharpness of the cutting edge or to the cutting material, an axial angle of up to 45 being conceivable for hard metal and cermet, while for PCD cutting edges an axial angle of from 10 to 20 is preferred. For CBN cutting edges for hard machining, negative axial angles of up to 20 may also be suitable.

[0041] As can be best seen from FIG. 4, the cutting inserts 16 have a front plane cutting edge 56 which faces forward in the direction of the tool axis 12 and a peripheral cutting edge 58 which extends at an angle thereto and faces radially outward. When machining a workpiece by surface milling, the milling tool 10 is moved transversely to the central axis 12 and rotated in the circumferential direction, the cutting inserts 16 removing the material by machining and the chips being conducted away through the flutes 48 in a targeted manner with the aid of the coolant diverted rearward, as will be explained in more detail in the following.

[0042] The cooling lubricant is delivered via a channel system 60 starting from a central rear connection to the tool head, as shown in FIG. 5. From there, branch bores 62 branch off which lead to the annular axial groove 38. The depression 64 in the region of the inner flank of the axial groove 38 makes it possible to machine the lateral surface 66 in a precisely fitting manner in order to radially support the replaceable ring 18 on the inside (see also FIG. 6). The cooling lubricant is transferred to the individual coolant distribution channels 40 of the replaceable ring 18 via the bottom region of the axial groove 38. Said channels lead, in each case having a curved course and variable cross section, to an associated cutting insert 16, the outlet opening 66 in the flute 48 facing rearward against the tool axis 12 such that chip removal is facilitated in a targeted manner. The shell end mill 14 comprising the replaceable ring 18 is also suitable for use with minimal amounts of lubrication.

[0043] In order to produce the replaceable ring in the complex structure described above, an additive manufacturing process such as selective laser melting can be used. In the replaceable ring 18 formed in such a way as a 3D-printed part, there are thus degrees of freedom in the design of the toothed rim contour 32 and the inner coolant guidance system which cannot be achieved by material-removing manufacturing methods.

[0044] While exemplary embodiments have been disclosed hereinabove, the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Instead, this application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.