Method for heat treating a tool

A method for heat treating a hand tool wherein generally conical or pyramidal shaped laser beams are generated and have respective apexes or focal points of different thermal energies operably disposed with respect to differently configured portions and masses of the hand tool for simultaneous different effective heat treatment.

PRIOR RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and is a non-provisional application of provisional application Ser. No. 62/143,354, filed Apr. 6, 2015, which application is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto.

BACKGROUND

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to heat treating a tool. Specifically, this invention relates to heat treating a bladed hand tool, particularly a bladed pliers.

Background of the Invention and Discussion of the Prior Art

The prior art generated a single collimated or columnar laser beam to heat treat a hand tool. Referring toFIG. 1, there is shown the prior art thermal image depiction or profile of the single columnar laser beam, generally referred to in the art as the “top hat”10. The generated operable thermal energy is disposed at the base11of the top hat10, and is generated from the collimated beam16. The operable thermal energy has a consistent value across the base11of the top hat10. The base11is operably disposed above the hand tool (not shown inFIG. 1) While the top hat is somewhat effective for heat treating equal mass portions of the hand tool, such as pliers' teeth, the top hat produced indiscriminate heat treatment for differently configured and different mass portions of a hand tool. This is particularly so with respect to a blade cutting edge and an opposed anvil of a bladed pliers.FIG. 3shows the prior art resultant heat treating effects of blade edge13and anvil12of pliers14. The shaded portions15aand15bindiscriminately cover both the blade edge portion13and the opposed anvil portion12. An undesired heat treatment resulted from the use of the top hat10for a bladed pliers.

The art desires a method and apparatus for selectively heat treating distinctly different portions of a hand tool. The art desires a solution as aforesaid particularly in which a hand tool blade edge is effectively heat treated while another portion of a different mass and configuration of the bladed hand tool, particularly the anvil portion, is simultaneously effectively heat treated.

The present invention provides a solution to the aforesaid art needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention, in one principal aspect, is a method for heat treating distinctly different portions of a hand tool, particularly including bladed pliers.

In another aspect, the present invention is a method for laser heat treating a tool by (a) generating a first beam and a second beam having respective first and second apexes or focal points having respective thermal energies with respect to heat treating a tool, having a first portion and a second portion of different mass and configuration, (b) disposing the tool with respect to the focal points, wherein the first tool portion is operably disposed with respect to the first focal point and the second portion is operably disposed with respect to the second focal point, so that the first and second tool portions are differently, simultaneously effectively heat treated.

In a further aspect, the present invention is a method for heat treating a tool having a blade edge and an anvil having respective shoulder portions by generating first and second beams having respective apexes, and each apex is focused on a respective shoulder portion to effect resultant selective heat treatment of the blade and particularly the blade edge. The blade edge and anvil are in contacting engagement in the heat treating process

The invention, in another further aspect, is a hand tool, particularly including a bladed pliers, produced by the aforesaid method.

The invention is, in a still further aspect, an apparatus for heat treating the bladed tool by the aforesaid method.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The terms “conical”, “conically”, “pyramidal” and “pyramidally”, as used hereinbefore and hereinafter, mean a geometric shape having an apex, and includes without limitations a generally conical and generally pyramidal configuration.

The term “focal point”, as used hereinbefore and hereinafter, means an area of focus by a laser beam in contradistinction to a geometric point.

Referring toFIGS. 2, 4 and 5-7, there is shown the present invention. Referring specifically toFIG. 2, there is shown the dual beam20energy profile29. Dual beam20includes a first conical or pyramidal beam21and a second conical or pyramidal beam22. Beam21has apex23, and beam22has apex24. Apexes23and24form respective focal points and are disposed in plane P. Beams21and23are generated from collimated input beam25.

Referring specifically toFIG. 4, there is shown hand tool or bladed pliers60of known construction in the art heat treated by the dual beam20as shown inFIG. 2. Conical beam apexes or focal points23and24are disposed at respective portions61and62of tool60for purposes hereinafter discussed. Pliers60has blade edge62contactingly engaged with anvil61. Pliers60is heat treated according to the conical dual beams as shown inFIG. 2. Beam21has a larger focal point or area than beam22and concomitantly provides less thermal energy to the blade edge62than beam22provides to anvil63, as will be further discussed hereinafter. The respective resultant heat treated areas or masses are shown at63band63a.The masses63band63ademonstrate the respective effective simultaneous heat treatment effect of the distinctly different thermal energies to the respective blade edge and anvil masses.

Referring specifically toFIG. 5, there is shown a schematic illustration of the present invention with respect to bladed pliers50. Collimated beams25are processed through lens apparatus or assembly70, particularly conical lens unit75, to provide conical beams22and21, with respective focal points or areas24and23, of different respective focal areas37and35as best shown inFIG. 6. Focal area37is smaller than focal area35and concomitantly higher thermal energy (FIG. 6). This higher thermal energy is disposed at anvil shoulder56and provides effective heat treatment to mass58immediately adjacent anvil52. The approximately 50% lower energy of focal area23is disposed at blade shoulder55, and provides effective heat treatment to mass57immediately adjacent blade edge51. Blade edge51and anvil52of respective jaws53and54are in contacting engagement during the simultaneous heat treatment of anvil52and blade edge51. There is thermal conduction at the point of contacting engagement.

Referring specifically toFIG. 6, there is shown a bladed pliers30ofFIG. 4being heat treated in accordance with the present invention. Pliers30has opposed jaws31and32. Jaw31has cutting blade33and blade edge34, and a shoulder35. Jaw32has anvil36and adjacent shoulder37. The jaw metal mass immediately adjacent anvil36is greater than the metal mass immediately adjacent blade edge34. Blade edge34and anvil36are in contacting engagement as at35during the heat treatment of the present invention. Conical beams21and22and specifically apexes or focal points23and24contactingly engage shoulders35and37. In this embodiment, conical beam21is attenuated or of lesser focal area than conical beam22so as to provide less thermal energy to the blade edge than to the area. In the preferred embodiment of a blade edge and anvil pliers, conical beam21has 40-60% lens thermal energy than conical beam22, and most preferably about 50% less thermal energy. Generally 35% of the power is disposed at the blade edge focal point, and 65% of the power is disposed at the anvil focal point. The result is simultaneous discriminate heat treatment of the blade edge and anvil of the pliers.

Referring specifically toFIG. 7, there is shown the dual beam lens apparatus70. Lens apparatus70includes a collimated beam entry coupler72with collimated beam25, a collimated lens73in lens holder assembly74for generating collimated beams. Apparatus70includes a dual conical beam lens assembly75in holder76to generate conical beams21and22. A laser lens protective debris shield77completes the assembly. Dual beams21and22, with respective apexes23and24are operably disposed on portions of the tool as shown inFIGS. 5 and 6. Apparatus70is moved in the direction of arrows A along the centerline C of tool or pliers30, as best shown inFIG. 4.

It is known in the lens art to generate a conical beam from a collimated beam as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,324,202 to Leonard et al., and it is also known in the laser art to attenuate a laser beam as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,721 to Keilmann et al., which references are incorporated herein in their entireties by reference thereto.

The directional movement of the beams, as shown by arrows A inFIG. 4, is from the distal end towards the proximate end of the pliers. This directional movement of the apparatus70and conical beams21and22provides a self-quenching heat dissipation effect emanating into the cutting blade edge and anvil masses.

Tools most suitable to heat treatment by the present invention are preferably C1080 steel pliers, particularly pliers having at least one cutting blade.

With respect to a conventional or standard C1080 steel pliers with a blade edge and anvil, the dual beams focal point, have respective areas of 2.5×13 mm for the anvil and 4.0×13 mm for the blade edge. The difference in focal areas is consistent with the different operable powers or thermal energies for heat treatment. The larger blade edge focal area generally has 60% less power than the smaller anvil focal area. The focal points are spacedly disposed to further provide discriminatory heat treatment with respect to the blade edge and anvil. The micro-structural integrity of the blade edge is maintained, as a result of the methodology of the present invention.

While the embodiments ofFIGS. 4-6are illustrative of similar cutting pliers, the present invention contemplates other hand tools of different mass portions requiring different or discriminatory simultaneous heat treatments.