Indexable plenum

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10189134-B2
Application number	US-201615372629-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 8, 2016
Priority date	Dec 8, 2016
Publication date	Jan 29, 2019
Grant date	Jan 29, 2019

Abstract

An indexable plenum and a method of using the plenum to collect dust and/or debris during a cutting or milling process are disclosed. The plenum, when attached to the spindle nose of a conventional machine, enables the conventional machine that does not have a hollow spindle nose to be used with a hollow or conventional solid cutter to remove dust and/or debris generated during the cutting process. The indexable plenum comprises a hollow body and a base plate. Hollow bodies of different shape and size that are able to fit differently shaped and sized cutters are disclosed. The hollow bodies can be designed to releasably engage with the same base plate such that when the base plate is attached to the machine spindle nose, hollow bodies can be exchanged during a milling or cutting process to accommodate correspondingly shaped/sized cutters. In various embodiments, the object that is cut or milled is low density foam.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method, for using a plenum to collect debris during the cutting of an object, the plenum comprising a hollow body having a top end having a top opening and a bottom end having a bottom opening, a conduit situated between the top end and the bottom end, bifurcated from and in fluid communication with the hollow body, and a base plate having a machine side, a plenum side, and a base-plate opening, with the plenum side releasably engageable to the top opening, the method comprising:
sealingly attaching the machine side of the base plate onto a stationary portion of a machine spindle nose of a machine;
engaging a cutter to the machine spindle nose wherein the cutter has a base portion and a cutter portion;
engaging the hollow body with the base plate to form an indexable plenum cutter assembly the base portion of the cutter is situated inside the hollow body, at least a portion of the cutter portion is situated outside the hollow body, and there are a body clearing between the hollow body and the cutter and a bottom clearing between the cutter and the bottom opening of the hollow body, and during operation of the machine spindle nose, the plenum does not form contact with the cutter and remains stationary;
cutting the object with the cutter while applying vacuum to the plenum through the conduit, wherein dust or debris generated during the cutting process enters the hollow body through the bottom clearing into the body clearing and into the conduit where it is vacuum removed;
detaching the hollow body from the base plate with the base plate remaining attached to the stationary portion of the machine spindle nose; and
replacing the cutter with another cutter.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the cutter is a hollow cutter having a hollow center, a base portion, a cutter portion, a tip opening at a tip of the cutter portion, and a cutter base opening near the base portion wherein the tip opening and the cutter base opening are all in direct fluid, or flow, communication with the hollow center;
when the indexable plenum cutter assembly is formed, the base portion including the cutter base opening of the cutter is situated inside the hollow body and at least a portion of the cutter portion is situated outside the hollow body; and
when cutting the object with the hollow cutter, while applying vacuum to the plenum through the conduit, the dust or debris generated during the cutting process enters the hollow body either through the bottom clearing into the body clearing or through the tip opening, along the hollow center, and exits the cutter base opening into the body clearing where the dust and debris enters the conduit and is removed by vacuum.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising attaching a vacuum hose to the conduit of the plenum and adjusting an orientation of the conduit relative to the machine such that the vacuum hose does not interfere with operation of the machine.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the base plate is attached to the machine spindle nose through glue, bolt, clamp, fastener, and/or binding.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the base plate further comprises holes patterned to be engaged with respectively patterned holes or bolts on the stationary portion of the machine spindle nose and the method further comprising attaching the base plate to the stationary portion of the machine spindle nose by bolting through the holes.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
attaching another hollow body to the base plate to form another plenum such that there is a body clearing between the other hollow body and the other cutter; and
cutting the same or a different object while applying vacuum to the other plenum to remove debris generated during the cutting process.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cutting of the object includes cutting a piece of low density foam.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cutting generates unwanted debris from a machinable substrate that should be evacuated from an area proximal to the cutting process.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plenum side comprises complementary notches corresponding to shapes of the hollow body where the plenum side engages the hollow body to allow for releasable engagement.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the base plate comprises holes patterned to engage with respectively patterned features of the stationary portion of the machine spindle nose.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hollow body and the base plate are sized and shaped so that the hollow body engages with the base plate at any of multiple angular intervals, thereby allowing the conduit to be moved to any of multiple dispositions.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cutter is a solid cutter and the plenum matches the cutter such that the base portion of the cutter is situated inside the hollow body while at least a portion of the cutter portion is situated outside of the hollow body.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bottom clearing is approximately 2.5 mm.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bottom clearing is at least 5 mm.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Brigolin David

Classifications

• B23Q11/0042 Primary

  Devices for removing chips (B23Q11/02, B23Q11/0875 take precedence) · CPC title

• Y10T409/306608

  End mill [e.g., router, etc.] · CPC title

• Y10T409/304088

  with means to remove chip · CPC title

• B23C2226/62

  Polystyrene foam · CPC title

• B23Q11/0046 Primary

  by sucking · CPC title