An Innovative Channel Design of the Freezing Chucker

A freezing chucker is a clamp-less mechanism of fixture for easy broken egg-shell, clay, and other ferrous/nonferrous materials. Typical structure of this mechanism includes a top plate for freezing workpieces, a body with specially designed channels for the coolant flows, and a bottom plate to fasten on the table of other machine. Just by a small amount of liquids on the top surface and by rapidly cool down to 253K, parts can be frozen stationary on the top plate surface and can conduct precision machining on it. There are four steps to design a new freeze chucker by the engineering design process: planning and clarifying the task; conceptual design; embodiment design; detailed design. Some useful tools from the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) technique and the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) method are used in this design process. Eight concept designs are generated by the conceptual design work and the final design of channel with transverse ribs is selected by decision matrix technique during embodiment design and detailed design stage. This final design is evaluated by numerical modeling of the COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS 3.2 finite-element based package. Performances such as the temperature distribution of top-plate surface temperature and the lowest temperature of a freezing chucker are shown. Numerical results show the success of the innovative channel design by this inventive design process using TRIZ methodology.