Patent Application
20200290177
The invention relates to a magnetic clamping tool that is useful for welding operation where clamping to a metal, or magnetic work piece, is needed. The clamping tool can be used in a normal (right-side-up), up-side-down, or sideways/vertical orientations. The height-adjustable clamping arm provides great flexibility for application on different types of work pieces, having different types of contact surfaces.
The invention relates to a magnetic clamping tool that has a spring loaded bracket slidably attached to a V-pad, allowing for the use of the magnetic clamping tool in a normal right-side up, or upside-down, sideways or vertical orientations.
The V-pad has two legs that end with a swivel metal plate respectively. A plurality of magnets are embedded in and flush with the flat surface of the metal plate. In real world application, such magnets can be made to be replaceable. Also, depending on the size and magnetic power of the magnet, at least one magnet would suffice if the single magnet is of substantial and enough magnetic power. It is believed, however, that using two, or more, magnets may provide more balanced grasping power, and a sort of back-up, in the case where one magnet appears to lose its power.
The legs have swivel metal plates that allow pivoting around for attached to different surfaces, including angled or round surfaces.
A movable clamping arm is slidably connected to said bracket, using a third wing screw as the controlling mechanism. As such, by loosening the third wing screw, the clamping arm can be moved, slidingly, relative to the bracket, to a designed length, at a designed point.
The bracket has the capability to rotate 360 degrees relative to the V-pad, and is done by a locking nut mechanism.
The movable clamping arm has a hole at a distal end of the arm. A clamping finger is slidably connected within the hole. The clamping finger is rotatable and slidable relative to the movable clamping arm where a first wing screw controls the clamping finger's movement within said hole, either for rotation or up-down sliding.
The slidable and height-adjustable clamping finger makes the present invention suitable for clamping work pieces of different thickness. The swiveled clamping jaw provides better contact on the surface of work pieces having variable shapes.
A helical spring, placed at a pivoting joint of the bracket, provide the biasing force to push the clamping finger towards a work piece, where the clamping jaw will be contacting the work piece. An anti-tipping screw provides a counter-balancing force to the biasing force of the helical spring.
Ground wires are provided to facilitate electrical grounding when clamping on to welding objects with electric-welding or arc-welding.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate and exemplify the preferred embodiments of the invention. Together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
A brief description of the drawings is as follows:
As shown by
A plurality of magnets 33 are embedded in and flush with the flat surface of the metal plate 32, as shown in
The metal plates 32 are fastened to the legs via simple mechanism of one or more screws.
A movable clamping arm 20 is slidably connected to said bracket 10, using a third wing screw 83 as the controlling mechanism. The clamping arm 20 is slidable over the bracket 10 by loosening the third wing screw 83 so that the effective length of the clamping arm 20 (hence the clamping force) is adjustable.
The movable clamping arm 20 has a hole 21 at a distal end of the arm 20. A clamping finger 40 is slidably connected within the hole 21. The clamping finger 40 is rotatable and slidable relative to the movable clamping arm 20 where a first wing screw 81 controls the clamping finger's 40 movement within said hole 21, either for rotation or up-down sliding adjustment.
The clamping finger 40 has a swiveled clamping jaw 50 at a distal end.
The slidable clamping finger 40 makes the present invention suitable for clamping work pieces of different thickness. The swiveled clamping jaw 50 provides better contact on the surface of work pieces having variable shapes.
The spring loaded bracket 10 further has an anti-tipping screw 60. A helical spring 11, shown in
The anti-tipping screw 60 is most useful when the longitudinal direction of the bracket 10 is at a 90-degree angle with the longitudinal direction of the clamping arm 20, such as the application shown in
A first ground wire 71 is attached to the clamping finger 40 via a second wing screw 82. A second ground wire 72 is attached to the anti-tipping screw 60.
The spring loaded bracket 10 is releasably attached to the V-pad by a locking nut 13, so that the bracket 10 is 360-degree rotatable relative to the V-pad 30, and allowing the present invention to be used in various applications.
The swivel metal plates 32 provide good contact with work pieces of various shapes, including flat, cylindrical, angled, and even irregular.
There is no limitation as to the size of the magnets 33, which can be made to replaceable as well.
As can be seen, present invention can be used on flat, round, angled and irregular surfaces of various work pieces. The height-adjustable, length-adjustable, 360-degree and rotatable clamping arm-and-finger configuration provides tremendous flexibility for the use of present magnetic clamping tool as disclosed herein.
