THREE-DIMENSIONAL SURFACE SHAPING OF ROTARY CUTTING TOOL EDGES WITH LASERS

• Main Authors: ROSENBERGER, FABIAN, GEY, CHRISTOPH, GEORGE, STEPHEN, SAMPATH, KARTHIK
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 29.08.2012
• Subjects: BORING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TRANSPORTING; TURNING; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM

A method for forming the cutting edge and adjacent contoured surface area of rotary cutting tools utilizing a laser to remove material from the cutting end of the tool to create a predetermined point-by-point geometry is disclosed. Relatively complex surface and edge geometries may be formed by directing a laser beam toward the cutting end of the tool at an angle having a component that is normal to the surface of the cutting end. The laser beam is directed in multiple passes across the surface of the cutting end to remove material and form the desired cutting edge and adjacent three-dimensional contoured surface geometry.