Source: http://patents.com/us-9545024.html
Timestamp: 2018-06-25 14:06:09
Document Index: 314593216

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 201380039176', 'Application No. 201310207362', 'Application No. 201410407652', 'Application No. 61', 'art 1000', 'art 1000', 'art 1000', 'art 1000', 'art 1000', 'art 1000', 'art 1000']

US Patent # 9,545,024. Diamond cutting tools - Patents.com
United States Patent 9,545,024
Tan , et al. January 10, 2017
Tan; Napthaneal Y. (San Jose, CA), Huang; Chien-Ming (Shenzhen, CN), Lee; Long Hin (Shenzhen, CN), Guojin; Lu (Beijing, CN), Yundi; Yu (Dongguan, CN), Peng; Lv (Dongguan, CN), Yifeng; Yu (Dongguan, CN), Chendong; Wu (Dongguan, CN), Ze; Shi (Dongguan, CN)
Tan; Napthaneal Y.
Huang; Chien-Ming
Lee; Long Hin
Guojin; Lu
Yundi; Yu
Peng; Lv
Yifeng; Yu
Chendong; Wu
Ze; Shi
Family ID: 1000002340199
13/610,838
US 20130322975 A1 Dec 5, 2013
Current International Class: B23C 5/12 (20060101); C25D 11/34 (20060101); B23C 5/10 (20060101); B23C 5/00 (20060101); B23P 17/02 (20060101); H04M 1/11 (20060101); C25D 11/12 (20060101); H05K 5/03 (20060101); H01Q 1/42 (20060101); C25D 7/00 (20060101); H05K 5/04 (20060101); B23P 11/00 (20060101); B23P 17/00 (20060101); G03F 1/38 (20120101); H01Q 1/24 (20060101); H04M 1/02 (20060101); H05K 5/02 (20060101); H05K 13/00 (20060101); C25D 11/02 (20060101); C25D 11/24 (20060101)
Field of Search: ;409/131-174,183-218 ;29/90.01
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This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/689,170, filed May 29, 2012, and entitled "COMPONENT FOR AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and for all purposes.
1. A cutting tool assembly comprising: a holder configured to rotate about an axis; and a cutting tool radially attached to the holder such that the cutting tool rotates about the axis during a cutting operation, the cutting tool comprising: a shank having a first end secured to the holder, and a cutter attached to a second end of the shank opposite the first end, the cutter comprising a cutting edge, a heel and a land corresponding to a substantially flat surface between the cutting edge and the heel, wherein during the cutting operation the cutting edge and the land are substantially parallel to the axis, wherein the cutting edge cuts material from a workpiece to form a surface of the workpiece having peaks and troughs, and the land removes at least a portion of the peaks, thereby burnishing the surface of the workpiece, wherein a relative angle of the land with respect to the cutting edge is adjustable so as to control an amount of burnishing by the land.
2. The cutting tool assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the heel engages with the surface of the workpiece during the cutting operation.
3. The cutting tool assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein a distance between successive peaks is proportionally related to a cutting radius, the cutting radius being a measurement from the axis to the cutting edge.
4. The cutting tool assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the shank is in a substantially perpendicular orientation with respect to the axis during the cutting operation.
5. The cutting tool assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the holder is configured to be positioned in a milling machine.
6. The cutting tool assembly as recited in claim 5, wherein the cutting tool is configured to cut the workpiece in an interrupted cutting operation wherein the cutting tool engages with and disengages from the workpiece a plurality of times.
7. The cutting tool assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the shank and the cutter are attached using a braising procedure.
8. The cutting tool assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the cutting tool assembly includes a plurality of cutting tools radially attached to the holder.
9. A method of cutting a workpiece using a cutting tool assembly, the cutting tool assembly comprising: a holder configured to rotate about an axis; and a cutting tool radially attached to the holder, the cutting tool comprising: a shank having a first end secured to the holder, and a cutter attached to a second end of the shank opposite the first end, the cutter comprising a cutting edge, a heel and a land disposed between the cutting edge and the heel, wherein the heel is recessed relative to the cutting edge with respect to a cutting arc of the cutter, wherein during a cutting operation: the cutting edge and the land are substantially parallel to the axis, the cutting tool rotates about the axis such that the cutting edge removes material from the workpiece to form peaks and troughs on a surface of the workpiece, and the land removes at least a portion of the peaks, thereby smoothing the surface of the workpiece; and wherein cutting the workpiece includes adjusting a relative angle of the land with respect to the cutting edge so as to control an amount of burnishing by the land.
10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein a distance between successive peaks is proportionally related to a cutting radius, the cutting radius being a measurement from the axis to the cutting edge.
11. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the heel engages with the surface of the workpiece during the cutting operation.
12. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the cutter is comprised of diamond.
13. A cutting tool assembly comprising: a holder configured to rotate about an axis; and a cutting tool radially attached to the holder, the cutting tool comprising: a shank having a first end secured to the holder, and a cutter attached to a second end of the shank opposite the first end, the cutter comprising a cutting edge, a heel and a land disposed between the cutting edge and the heel, wherein the heel is recessed relative to the cutting edge with respect to a cutting arc of the cutter, and wherein a relative angle of the land with respect to the cutting edge is adjustable, wherein during a cutting operation: the cutting edge and the land are substantially parallel to the axis, the cutting tool rotates about the axis such that the cutting edge removes material from a workpiece to form peaks and troughs on a surface of the workpiece, and the land removes at least a portion of the peaks, thereby smoothing the surface of the workpiece.
14. The cutting tool assembly as recited in claim 13, wherein cutting tool corresponds to a first cutting tool having a first shank and a first cutter, wherein the cutting tool assembly includes a second cutting tool having a second shank and a second cutter, the second cutter including a second cutting edge and a second land that are substantially parallel to the axis.
15. The cutting tool assembly as recited in claim 13, wherein the shank is in a substantially parallel orientation with respect to the axis during the cutting operation.
16. The cutting tool assembly as recited in claim 13, wherein the cutter is comprised of diamond.
17. The cutting tool assembly as recited in claim 16, wherein the cutter is comprised of a polycrystalline diamond or a mono crystalline diamond.
18. The cutting tool assembly as recited in claim 13, wherein the holder is cylindrical in shape.
According to one embodiment, a cutting tool assembly is described. The cutting tool assembly includes a holder configured to rotate about an axis. The cutting tool assembly also includes a cutting tool radially attached to the holder. The cutting tool includes a shank having a first end secured to the holder. The cutting tool also includes a diamond cutter attached to a second end of the shank, the second end being opposite the first end. The diamond cutter includes a cutting edge, a heel and a land disposed between the cutting edge and heel. When the holder rotates about the axis, the cutting edge removes material from a workpiece to form a second surface having a number of peaks and troughs. The peaks reduce an overall reflectiveness and smoothness of the second surface. The land removes substantially all the peaks to form a third surface that is highly reflective and smooth.
According to another embodiment, a cutting tool system for cutting a highly reflective finish on a surface of a workpiece is described. The cutting tool system includes a milling machine having a spindle with an axis of rotation. The cutting tool system additionally includes a tool holder configured to rotate about an axis of rotation. The cutting tool system also includes a cutting tool radially and removably coupled to the tool holder. The cutting tool includes a shank having a first end secured to the tool holder. The cutting tool also includes a cutter attached to a second end of the shank. The second end is opposite the first end. The cutter includes a cutting edge, a heel and a land disposed between the cutting edge and heel. When the cutting tool rotates about the axis of rotation, the cutting edge removes material from a workpiece to form a second surface having the peaks and troughs. The peaks reduce an overall reflectiveness and smoothness of the second surface. The land removes substantially all the peaks to form a third surface that is highly reflective and smooth.
According to an additional embodiment, a method of calibrating a cutting tool system is described. The cutting tool system includes a milling machine having a spindle and a cutter removably coupled to the milling machine. The cutter has a cutting edge, a heel and a land disposed between the cutting edge and the heel. The calibration method involves positioning the cutter in the milling machine such that the cutting edge, heel and land are a radial distance from an axis of rotation of the spindle such that the cutter is positioned to cut a workpiece. The method also involves forming a reference line between the cutting edge and the axis. The method further involves measuring a first angle between the land and the reference line. The method additionally involves cutting a workpiece. The method also involves inspecting the workpiece to determine the reflectiveness and smoothness of a cut surface. The method additionally involves re-positioning the cutter within the milling machine such that the land is at a second angle from the reference line. The method further involves repeating the cutting, inspecting and re-positioning until a predetermined reflectiveness and smoothness of the cut piece is achieved.
FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate additional configurations of cutting tool assemblies in accordance with described embodiments. At FIG. 2A, diamond cutter 202 is coupled to shank 204, which is in turn removably coupled to tool holder 206. Tool holder 206 is configured to be mounted in a milling tool (not shown). In this case, shank 204 is positioned in tool holder 206 such that the length of shank 204 is substantially parallel to the spindle axis of rotation 210. Workpiece 208 is positioned such that diamond cutter 202 can cut the surface if workpiece 208. At FIG. 2B, holder 212 is configured to hold two shanks 214 and 216, each of which have diamond cutters 218 and 220, respectively, disposed thereon. In this case, both shanks 214 and 216 are substantially perpendicular to spindle axis of rotation 226. Diamond cutter 218 is positioned to cut workpiece 222 and diamond cutter 220 is positioned to cut workpiece 224. In one embodiment, workpiece 222 and 224 are the same workpiece and diamond cutters 218 and 220 cut workpiece 222/224 at different times. For example, diamond cutter 218 can cut a first portion of workpiece 222/224. Next, workpiece 222/224 can be re-positioned in front of diamond cutter 220 and diamond cutter 200 can cut a second portion of workpiece 222/224.
FIG. 3 illustrates two perspective side views of a diamond cutting tool 300 in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Cutting tool 300 includes shank 302 and diamond cutter 304. Diamond cutter 304 is mechanically coupled to shank 302 using, for example, a brazing procedure. The brazing procedure typically uses an alloy filler metal, such as silver containing filler alloy. As shown, diamond cutter 304 is positioned on the end of cutting tool 300 such that cutting edge 306, land 308 and optionally heel 310 can contact the workpiece during cutting. Shank 302 is preferably made from a rigid material, such as carbide, to rigidly maintain the position of cutting tool 300 during cutting, thereby allowing a smoother finished cut to be made. The shape of shank 302 can vary to maximize rigidity during the cutting procedure. The length of shank 302 can in part determine the cutting radius during cutting of a workpiece. Shank 402 can be configured to be mechanically coupled to a tool holder (not shown) which is attached to a spindle of a milling machine (not shown), which spins cutting tool 300 at high speeds. In certain embodiments, cutting tool 300 is positioned in a tool holder (not shown) such that the cutting radius is relatively large. By using a relatively large cutting radius, cuts made by cutting tool 300 can have relatively less scalloped portions, which will be discussed in detail below with reference to FIGS. 7A-7D. As cutting tool 300 is held rigidly in place by shank 302 within a tool holder (not shown), the cutting angle relative to the workpiece can stay steady.
In order to lessen the scalloped portions of a cut surface and to produce a highly reflective and smooth finished surface, embodiments of the present disclosure include a diamond cutter having features graphically illustrated in FIG. 5. The top view and close up inset views illustrated in FIG. 5 show diamond cutter 504 cutting workpiece 102. Diamond cutter 504 includes three surfaces: rake face 514; land or primary clearance 506; and secondary clearance 508. Diamond cutter 504 is mechanically coupled to a shank (not shown), which is in turn mechanically coupled to a toll holder (not shown), which is in turn mechanically coupled to a milling machine (not shown). Cutting edge 510 of diamond cutter 504 rotates around the spindle axis of the milling machine at a cutting arc 522. Cutting arc 522 is a function of the cutting radius (e.g., 112 of FIG. 1) from the cutting edge 510 to the spindle axis (e.g., 110 of FIG. 1). Diamond cutter 504 can contact workpiece 502 at cutting edge 510, land 506 and heel 512. Since cutting edge 510, land 506 and heel 512 can come into contact with workpiece 502 during cutting, it is advantageous for these surface to be substantially free of defects caused, for example, by a lapping or polishing procedure in the manufacturing process of the diamond cutter. In preferred embodiments, cutting edge 510, land 506 and heel 512 have minimal visual imperfections such as lapping or polishing chips. In one embodiment for a MCD cutter, the cutting edge, land and heel have no visible imperfections at 500.times. magnification. In one embodiment for a PCD cutter, the cutting edge, land and heel have no visible imperfections at 100.times. magnification. It should be understood that lower or higher quality diamond cutters with greater or fewer imperfections can be used. Factors such as cost, availability and type of diamond cutters can be considered when determining the quality of diamond cutter used in a particular application. For example, an MCD cutter with a high quality cutting edge (e.g., very few visible imperfections) can be used in applications where the resultant cut surface is at a highly visible portion of an electronic device. A PCD cutter can be used, for example, in applications where the resultant cut surface can be slightly obscured by, for example, a dark anodizing film.
At 904 (corresponding to FIG. 10B), part 1000 undergoes an optional first anodization process to form a first anodization layer 1008 that covers at least portions of vertical 1002 and horizontal 1004 surfaces of part 1000 near edge 1006. Anodization layer 1008 serves to protect the metal surface of part 1000 from corrosion and scratching. In one embodiment, first anodization layer 1008 is approximately 8 to 12 microns thick and is substantially opaque so that the underlying metal of part 1000 is not substantially visible through first anodization layer 1008. Note that due to stress build up at edge 1006, first anodization layer 1008 can have cracks 1010.
At 906 (corresponding to FIG. 10C), a portion of the optional first anodization layer 1008 and a portion of metal part 1000 is cut using an diamond cutter described above to form a second surface 1012 which is highly reflective and smooth surface. In certain embodiments, a portion of the optional first anodization layer 1008 and a portion of metal part 1000 are given a rough cut using a different cutting tool prior to using a diamond cutter tool. The rough cut can be made so as to remove a bulk amount of material before diamond cutter is used in accordance with described embodiments. The rough cut can be made using a suitable cutting tool such as a carbide or a metal cutter or a diamond cutter of lesser quality than the diamond cutter used to cut a highly reflective and smooth surface as described above. In FIG. 10C, the second surface is a chamfer. It should be noted that second surface 1012 can be cut at any angle relative to the horizontal 1004 and vertical 1002 portions. For example, second surface 1012 can be cut at a 45 degree angle relative to one of horizontal 1004 and vertical 1002 portions. Since second surface 1012 has a highly reflective and smooth surface, there is no need for subsequent polishing. This is advantageous, not only because it removes an extra step in the process, but also because traditional polishing techniques such as mechanical and chemical polishing, can erode features of the part. In particular, traditional polishing techniques can erode and round off sharp edges and corners such as the edges of chamfer 1012, reducing the aesthetic appeal of the part.
At 908 (corresponding to FIG. 10D), part 1000 undergoes an optional second anodization process to form a second anodization layer 1014 substantially only on and to protect the highly reflective and smooth chamfer 1014. It should be noted that the second anodization process can use different process parameters than the first anodization process described previously, forming second anodization layer 1014 with different physical characteristics than first anodization layer 1008. For example, second anodization layer 1014 can be substantially transparent in order to allow the underlying highly reflective and smooth chamfer 1015 to be viewable. In addition, the second anodization layer 1014 can be formed such that there is a clearly defined interface between first anodization layer 1008 and second anodization layer 1014 (shown by an angle in FIG. 10D). After process 900 is complete, the finished part in FIG. 10D has a highly reflective and smooth chamfer 1012 with sharply defined and cosmetically appealing edges.
In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11, the enclosure 16 also at least partially defines several additional features of the electronic device 10. More specifically, the enclosure 16 can include audible speaker outlets 18, a connector opening 20, an audio jack opening 22, a card opening 24 (e.g., SIM card opening), a front facing camera 24, a rear facing camera (not shown), a power button (not shown), and one or more volume buttons (not shown). Although FIG. 11 schematically illustrates several of these features, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the relative size and location of these features can vary.
In certain embodiments, the enclosure 16 can be made from a metallic material. For example, the enclosure 16 can be made from Aluminum, such as 6063 Aluminum. In other embodiments, however, the enclosure 16 can be made from other suitable metals or alloys. According to additional features of the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the enclosure 16 includes opposing edge portions 30 (identified individually as a first edge portion 30a and a second edge portion 30b) extending around a periphery of the body 11. In certain embodiments, one or both of the edge portions 30 can have a chamfered or beveled profile. As described in detail below, the chamfered edge portions 30 can be processed relative to the enclosure 16 to provide an aesthetically appealing appearance. For example, the exterior surface of the enclosure 16 can be treated and the edge portions 30 can subsequently be treated. In one embodiment, for example, a first anodization process can be applied to the enclosure 16 and a second subsequent anodization process can be applied to the edge portions 30. Additional suitable surface treatments, including intermediary surface treatments, can be applied to the enclosure 16 and/or the edge portions 30. In still further embodiments, the edge portions 30 can have other suitable profiles or shapes including and/or surface treatments.
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