Patent ID: 7617750
Filing Date: 2009-11-17
Classification: B21C,B22F,B23P,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A process of producing a monolithic body, the process comprising the steps of: continuously producing a chip having a microstructure by engaging a solid body with a cutting edge of a cutting member while the solid body and the cutting edge move relative to each other; and simultaneously extruding the chip in the immediate vicinity of the cutting edge and as the chip is separated from the solid body by the cutting edge to continuously plastically deform the chip and produce a monolithic body immediately downstream of the cutting edge that has at least one cross-sectional dimension that differs from the chip, the extruding step being performed at least in part by a constraining member that defines an opening with the cutting edge through which the chip passes and is plastically deformed to produce the monolithic body; wherein the chip has a cross-sectional shape having two orthogonal dimensions comprising a thickness dimension determined by the cutting member and the constraining member and a width dimension orthogonal to the thickness dimension, and the extruding step constrains the width dimension.