Kennametal Inc.

Krupp Widia Gmbh

The Nutrasweet Company

Erickson, Carla

Robert Alfred Erickson

Michael R McCormick

William Michael Long

Ted Richard Massa

Robert E Oshnock

Bernhard Walter Borschert

Michael D Shultz

Jürgen Schwägerl

Dieter Mühlfriedel

Ruy Frota De Souza

Paul Albert Brown

James A Oshnock

John B Hill

Keith Wiggins

Hugh L Dryden

Linn R Andras

David R Siddle

Rainer Von Haas

Juergen Schwaegerl

Norbert Reiter

William M Alexander, Iv

Ernest J Friedline

Thomas Owen Muller

Donald W Warren

Helmut Storch

James W Heaton

Mark R Johnson

Horst Manfred Jager

Yefim Gelman

Michael Anthony Weisel

Hans W Tack

John G Hale

Greg W Needham

Kuang Hsu

Ranier Von Haas

Anthony L Barkley

Michael D Gibney

Kenneth R Mullins

Carla Erickson

Carla Erickson, Legal Representative

Ruy Filho Frota De Souza

Michael R Mccormick

Dieter Muehlfriedel

A tool shank for use with a cutting insert in a rotary cutting tool includes a body having, and adapted to be rotated about, a central longitudinal tool axis, the body having a tip portion structured to receive at least a portion of the cutting insert therein. The shank also includes a pair of chip flutes formed in the body and a pair of recesses, each recess bordering a respective chip flute. Each recess includes a rim portion extending perpendicular to the tool axis and a bearing surface extending at an incline relative to the tool axis. Each rim portion is adapted to engage a corresponding surface on the cutting insert. Each bearing surface is adapted to engage a corresponding bearing surface on the cutting insert in a manner such that the cutting insert is pulled against the body when the rotary cutting tool is rotated about the tool axis.

Rotary cutting tool, such as a drill, comprising an exchangeable cutting insert, and an exchangeable cutting insert

A coolant coupling system for coupling a toolholder to a toolholder support member, wherein the shank of the toolholder is secured within the bore of the toolholder support member with an interference fit and a coolant channel extends through the toolholder support member to the toolholder passing through the region of the interference fit to provide a high pressure seal for the coolant passageway between the toolholder and the toolholder support member.

Toolholder coupling for high pressure coolant

A toolholder support member for retaining the shank of a toolholder has a bore to accept the toolholder shank. A retention member extends through the bore wall to engage a perforation extending through the shank or indentation within the shank, thereby retaining the shank within the receiving bore. The retention member is biased to provide resistance for insertion or extraction of the shank within the receiving bore. Furthermore, the retention bore is angled relative to the longitudinal axis of the receiving bore so that the force required to insert the toolholder within the receiving bore is minimized, while the force required to extract the toolholder from the receiving bore is maximized.

Toolholder secondary retention system

A toolholder assembly for releasably holding a toolholder includes a toolholder having a tubular shank with at least two perforations; a tool support member; a canister disposed within the tool support member and including at least two apertures; a lock rod movable within the tool support member in a reciprocating motion for pulling the toolholder into a locked position and for releasing the toolholder to an unlocked position; and at least two locking elements disposed within the spaced apertures of the canister and engaging the lock rod so that movement of the lock rod causes the locking elements to extend radially outward from the canister. The circumferentially spaced perforations of the tubular shank each include a primary cylindrical wall and a forward facing contact surface at least partially defined by a depression having a converging wall surface non-concentric with the primary cylindrical wall of the perforations.

Toolholder assembly

An apparatus for releasably holding a tubular toolholder shank includes a tool support member; a canister disposed within the tool support member; a lock rod movable within the tool support member in a reciprocating motion for pulling the tubular toolholder shank into a locked position and for releasing the tubular toolholder shank to an unlocked position; and at least two locking elements engaging the lock rod so that movement of the lock rod causes the locking elements to extend outward to engage the tubular toolholder shank. The lock rod includes a relief cavity extending rearward from a forward end of the lock rod. The lock rod has a maximum outer diameter and the relief cavity has a maximum diameter. A ratio of the maximum diameter of the relief cavity to the maximum outer diameter of the front portion of the lock rod is greater than approximately 1 to 4.

A clamping unit for releasably holding a tubular toolholder shank has a base member with a canister sleeve mounted therein. To secure the canister sleeve within the base member and to minimize movement caused by tolerances, retention bolts are threadably mated within the base member to engage a slot within the canister, wherein the relationship between the retention bolt and the slot is such that the retention bolt is intentionally misaligned, so that when engaged with the canister slot, the retention blot resiliently deflects and provides both an axial force and a lateral force upon a canister sleeve.

Clamping unit with canister sleeve retention device

A rotary cutting tool that is composed of a tool shank with at least one chucking groove or chip flute and one exchangeable cutting insert. At the tip of the shank a recess for accommodating the cutting insert is provided. The tool shank, on its circumference, has a limb with a bearing surface that is inclined relative to the tool axis and that corresponds to a likewise inclined bearing surface on a wing of the cutting insert. The inclination of the bearing surfaces produces an axial force that retains the cutting insert on the tool shank.

An apparatus for releasably holding a tubular toolholder shank by axially reciprocating a lock rod between a locked and unlocked position. Compression balls following a helical path on a torque nut are used to retract a compression sleeve, which in turn compresses springs against the lock rod to move the lock rod into the locked position. As a result, a repeatable lock rod force is possible with a pre-determined and self limiting rotation of the torque nut. The same helical groove may be used to advance the compression sleeve against the lock rod to urge the toolholder from the base member.

Toolholder assembly with axial clamping mechanism

A clamping device used for securing a toolholder for metal working operations includes a lock rod reciprocating along a lock rod longitudinal axis to radially activate locking balls to engage perforations within the shank of a toolholder, wherein the toolholder is oriented along a toolholder axis non parallel to the locking rod longitudinal axis. Additionally, the lock rod includes a ramp which engages a bump-off pin in a direction lateral to the motion of the lock rod to provide a mechanism for ejecting the toolholder from the clamping device.

Off-axis spring held clamping unit

A tool holder includes a body, a cutting head having a cutting end portion and a tapered end portion, a retention knob located at the tapered end portion of the cutting head, and a ball clamping mechanism received in an aperture of the body. The ball clamping mechanism includes an upper clamp, a lower clamp, and a double-ended clamp screw threaded onto the upper and lower clamps. Rotation of the clamp screw in a one direction causes the upper clamp and the lower clamp to move toward each other and engage the retention knob to place the tool holder in a locked position, and rotation of the clamp screw in an opposite direction causes the upper clamp and the lower clamp to move away from each other such that the upper and lower clamps no longer engage the retention knob to place the tool holder in a unlocked position.

Tool holder with ball clamping mechanism

A rotary cutting tool that is composed of a tool shank with at least one chucking groove or chip flute and one exchangeable cutting insert. At the tip of the shank a recess for accommodating the cutting insert is provided. The tool shank, on its circumference, has a limb with a bearing surface that is inclined relative to the tool axis and that corresponds to a likewise inclined bearing surface on a wing of the cutting insert. The inclination of the bearing surfaces produces an axial force that retains the cutting insert on the tool shank. The abstract of the disclosure is submitted herewith as required by 37 C.F.R. &#xa7;1.72(b). As stated in 37 C.F.R. &#xa7;1.72(b): A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification must commence on a separate sheet, preferably following the claims, under the heading 'Abstract of the Disclosure.' The purpose of the abstract is to enable the Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. The abstract shall not be used for interpreting the scope of the claims. Therefore, any statements made relating to the abstract are not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.

A rotary tapered tool holder includes a body and an adapter sleeve disposed about a portion of the body. The body and the adapter sleeve have front and rear contact surfaces with different taper angles. The front contact surfaces are optimized for an interference fit and the rear contact surfaces provide an axial stop and support band when the tool holder is assembled into a clamping receptacle. Face contact is achieved between a flange contact surface of the body and a face contact surface of the clamping receptacle.

Rotary tapered tool holder with adapter sleeve

An collet and lock nut assembly includes a collet for receiving a cutting tool shank and a lock nut for creating a gripping force between the collet and the shank. The collet has a nose portion and a body portion separated by an annular groove. The lock nut has a plurality of retention tabs and a corresponding number of clear portions. The collet and lock nut assembly can be easily assembled by inserting at least one retention tab within the groove of the collet, and then applying pressure to the collet such that the remaining retention tabs of the lock nut are received within the groove of the collet to place the assembly in a locked position. The collet and cutting tool shank can be drawn from the tool holder by applying rotational torque to the lock nut. The collet is easily removed from the lock nut by applying pressure in any circumferential, lateral direction against the collet.

Method of assembling a collet and lock nut assembly

A tool holder assembly includes a tool holder with a shank and a key slot having a surface with an angled portion that forms a non-zero angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the tool holder assembly. A clamping mechanism includes a support block, a ball canister including a key, and a lock rod. An interference fit key arrangement is provided between the tool holder and the clamping mechanism by an abutment surface located along the first side wall of the key. The abutment surface contacts the angular portion of the key slot to cause the key slot to undergo elastic deformation and allow simultaneous contact between the abutment surface and the angular portion of the key slot and the second side wall of the key and the second surface of the key slot, thereby providing for an interference fit key arrangement between the tool holder and the clamping mechanism when the tool holder assembly is placed in the locked position.

Tool holder assembly with interference fit key arrangement

A clamp pin tool holder for clamping an insert in a tool holder includes a bore for receiving a clamp pin and a bore for receiving a lock screw. The clamp pin includes a cam portion with angled surfaces. The lock screw is rotatably mounted to the bore of the tool holder and includes angled surfaces for engaging the angled surfaces of the clamp pin. When the lock screw is rotated in one direction, one angled surface on the lock screw and one angled surface on the clamp pin engage each other an acts as a conical wedge to cause the clamp pin to move relative to the lock screw. When the lock screw is rotated in the opposite direction, another angled surface on the lock screw engages a different angled surface on the clamp pin in a similar manner to cause the clamp pin to move in an opposite direction.

Growing community of inventors

Raleigh, NC, United States of America

Robert Alfred Erickson