Patent Application
20080083426
The accompanying drawings which are incorporated in and which constitute a portion of this specification illustrate an exemplary practice according to the present invention wherein;
While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and generally described above and will hereinafter be described in connection with certain potentially preferred procedures and practices, it is to be understood and appreciated that in no event is the invention to be limited to such embodiments and procedures as may be illustrated and described herein. On the contrary, it is intended that the present invention shall extend to all alternatives and modifications as may embrace the broad principles of the invention within the true spirit and scope thereof.
While the following description will be presented in terms of a stamping operation, it is to be understood that reference to such a stamping operation is intended to be illustrative only and that practice of the invention is in no way limited to stamping tools. To the contrary, it is contemplated and intended that the inventive cleaning practices may be equally applicable to any number of forming tools that apply controlled deformation to a work piece including cutting tools, extrusion tools and the like as will be well known to those of skill in the art.
Reference will now be made to the various drawings wherein to the extent possible, like elements are designated by corresponding reference numerals in the various views. In
According to potentially preferred practices, the caustic material may be either basic or acidic in nature. By way of example only, and not limitation, exemplary caustic compositions include NaOH, KOH, acetic acid, phosphoric acid and chemicals with similar caustic properties, and any combination of such materials depending on the adhered material and the tooling material used. By way of example only, and not limitation one caustic material that has been found to be effective is a gel marketed under the trade designation DRANO®. In accordance with a particularly preferred practice, the cleaning operation may be performed at slightly elevated temperatures such as 50-100° C. in order to accelerate the reaction.
The present method is believed to be particularly beneficial for cleaning ferrous stamping tools with deposits from aluminum and aluminum alloy metal work pieces. However, the practice can also be applied to clean other tooling materials including ceramics and the like and other work piece metals that stick to such tooling including magnesium, titanium, zinc coatings on steel and the like. The composition of the cleaning agent preferably in gel form is tailored such that it is reactive to the adhered material and has no reaction with the tooling material, which can be steel or another material suitable for tooling.
It is to be understood that while the present invention has been illustrated and described in relation to potentially preferred embodiments, constructions, and procedures, that such embodiments, constructions, and procedures are illustrative only and that the invention is in no event limited thereto. Rather, it is contemplated that modifications and variations embodying the principals of the invention will no doubt occur to those of skill in the art. It is therefore contemplated and intended that the present invention shall extend to all such modifications and variations as may incorporate the broad aspects of the invention within the true spirit and scope thereof.
