Claims:We claim:
1) An apparatus to perform grooving operation on a valve body, said apparatus comprising:
a) a tool holder (20) provided with a right angled step at its one edge, said tool holder (20) provided with atleast a hole (H1) on its said right angled step, said tool holder (20) provided with a plurality of projections (P1) over its surface for firm gripping of the tool holder (20) to a ram of a cnc machine;
b) a set of two adaptors (22) for first step of grooving operation comprising a first tool adaptor (22a) and a second tool adaptor (22b), said first tool adaptor (22a) adapted to lock at the right angled step of the tool holder (20) to perform grooving operation on straight wall (S) to a predetermined position at mid portion of the valve body, said second tool adaptor (22b) adapted to lock at the right angled step of the tool holder (20) after said first tool adaptor (22a) finishes its grooving operation to perform grooving operation from the predetermined position to tapered wall (T) of the valve body;
c) a set of two adaptors (24) for second step grooving operation comprising a first tool adaptor (24a) and a second tool adaptor (24b), said first tool adaptor (24a) and said second tool adaptor (24b) formed by integrally adding material of same length as to depth of groove of the first step to the first tool adaptor (22a) and the second tool adaptor (22b), said first tool adaptor (24a) adapted to lock at the right angled step of the tool holder (20) to perform grooving operation on straight wall (S) to a predetermined position at mid portion of the valve body, said second tool adaptor (24b) adapted to lock at the right angled step of the tool holder (20) after said first tool adaptor (24a) finishes its grooving operation to perform grooving operation from the predetermined position to tapered wall (T) of the valve body;
d) a set of two adaptors (26) for third step grooving operation comprising a first tool adaptor (26a) and a second tool adaptor (26b), said first tool adaptor (26a) and said second tool adaptor (26b) formed by integrally adding material of same length as to depth of groove of the second step to the first tool adaptor (24a) and the second tool adaptor (24b), said first tool adaptor (26a) adapted to lock at the right angled step of the tool holder (20) to perform grooving operation on straight wall (S) to a predetermined position at mid portion of the valve body, said second tool adaptor (26b) adapted to lock at the right angled step of the tool holder (20) after said first tool adaptor (26a) finishes its grooving operation to perform grooving operation from the predetermined position to tapered wall (T) of the valve body; and
e) a set of two adaptors formed by integrally adding material of same length as to depth of groove of the previous step are keep on used until all steps of grooving operation are finished and desired depth of groove of the valve body is achieved.

2) An apparatus to perform grooving operation on a valve body as claimed in claim 1, wherein number of steps of the grooving operation and number of tool adaptors required are decided depending on the desired depth of the groove of the valve body.

3) An apparatus to perform grooving operation on a valve body as claimed in claim 1, wherein the difference between the first tool adaptors (22a, 24a and 26a) and the second tool adaptors (22b, 24b and 26b) is location of a tool.

4) An apparatus to perform grooving operation on a valve body as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of magnetic cylinders with a handle are used for removal of chips produced after grooving operation at each step.

5) An apparatus to perform grooving operation on a valve body as claimed in claim 1 or 3, wherein addition of material to said first tool adaptors (24a and 26a) and said second tool adaptors (24b and 26b) at each step of grooving operation adds structural rigidity to the tool and prevents its breakage.

6) An apparatus to perform grooving operation on a valve body as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second tool adaptors (22b, 24b and 26b) adapted to mate with the tapered wall (T) of the valve body on their tapered edge (TE) while grooving operation.

7) A method of performing grooving operation on a valve body by using an apparatus, said method comprising the steps of :
a) mounting of the valve body on a base plate of a boring machine which facilitates in rotating the valve body around its central axis;
b) locking of a tool holder (20) to a ram of a CNC machine;
c) attaching a first tool adaptor (22a) to the tool holder (20) and performing first step of grooving operation on a straight wall (S) to a predetermined position at mid portion of the valve body;
d) attaching a second tool adaptor (22b) to the tool holder (20) by replacing the first tool adaptor (22a) and performing first step of grooving operation from said predetermined position to a tapered wall (T) of the valve body;
e) attaching a first tool adaptor (24a) to the tool holder (20) by replacing the second tool adaptor (22b) and performing second step of grooving operation on a straight wall (S) to a predetermined position at mid portion of the valve body;
f) attaching a second tool adaptor (24b) to the tool holder (20) by replacing the first tool adaptor (24a) and performing second step of grooving operation from said predetermined position to a tapered wall (T) of the valve body; and
g) repeating the cycle by replacing first tool adaptors and second tool adaptors attached to the tool holder (20) until all the steps of the grooving operation are finished and desired depth of groove of the valve body is achieved.

8) A method of performing grooving operation on a valve body by using an apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein said first tool adaptors and said second tool adaptors are formed by integrally adding material of same length as to depth of groove of the previous step.
, Description:FIELD OF THE INVENTION:
The present invention relates to the field of tool holders and tool adaptors. Particularly, the present invention relates to a tool holder and a plurality of tool adaptors to perform grooving operation on a valve body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:
Figure 1 illustrates a cross sectional view of a final valve body after all grooving operations.
The tool holders and tool adaptors available in the market from various OEM’s are not capable of performing grooving operations on the valve body because of its complicated design and depth of cut. The usage of tool holders available in the market posed space constraints and resulted in the breakage of the tool. Removal of chips produced during grooving of the valve body is also herculean task.

Generally, the thumb rule followed in industry for good performance of the tool while machining is:
Length of the tool/Width of the tool = 3

Therefore, there is felt a need for development of an apparatus to perform grooving operation on a valve body to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art and thereby providing a fool proof mechanism.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION:
An object of the present invention is to provide a simple and fool proof mechanism for grooving operation on a valve body.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a tool holder and a plurality of tool adaptors which can do grooving operation on a valve body precisely.

One more object of the present invention is to provide a plurality of tool adaptors which can add structural rigidity to the tool.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a gripping tool holder while grooving operation.

Further another object of the present invention is to provide a plurality of tool adaptors which can reach intricate spaces in a valve body while grooving operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
In accordance with the present invention an apparatus to perform grooving operation on a valve body is provided, said apparatus comprising:
i) a tool holder (20) provided with a right angled step at its one edge, the tool holder (20) provided with at least a hole (H1) on its said right angled step, the tool holder (20) provided with a plurality of projections (P1) over its surface for firm gripping of the tool holder (20) to a ram of a cnc machine;
ii) a set of two adaptors (22) for first step of grooving operation comprising a first tool adaptor (22a) and a second tool adaptor (22b), the first tool adaptor (22a) adapted to lock at the right angled step of the tool holder (20) to perform grooving operation on straight wall (S) to a predetermined position at mid portion of the valve body, the second tool adaptor (22b) adapted to lock at the right angled step of the tool holder (20) after the first tool adaptor (22a) finishes its grooving operation to perform grooving operation from the predetermined position to tapered wall (T) of the valve body;
iii) a set of two adaptors (24) for second step grooving operation comprising a first tool adaptor (24a) and a second tool adaptor (24b), the first tool adaptor (24a) and the second tool adaptor (24b) formed by integrally adding material of same length as to depth of groove of the first step to the first tool adaptor (22a) and the second tool adaptor (22b), the first tool adaptor (24a) adapted to lock at the right angled step of the tool holder (20) to perform grooving operation on straight wall (S) to a predetermined position at mid portion of the valve body, the second tool adaptor (24b) adapted to lock at the right angled step of the tool holder (20) after the first tool adaptor (24a) finishes its grooving operation to perform grooving operation from the predetermined position to tapered wall (T) of the valve body;
(iv) a set of two adaptors (26) for third step grooving operation comprising a first tool adaptor (26a) and a second tool adaptor (26b), the first tool adaptor (26a) and the second tool adaptor (26b) formed by integrally adding material of same length as to depth of groove of the second step to the first tool adaptor (24a) and the second tool adaptor (24b), the first tool adaptor (26a) adapted to lock at the right angled step of the tool holder (20) to perform grooving operation on straight wall (S) to a predetermined position at mid portion of the valve body, the second tool adaptor (26b) adapted to lock at the right angled step of the tool holder (20) after the first tool adaptor (26a) finishes its grooving operation to perform grooving operation from the predetermined position to tapered wall (T) of the valve body; and
(v) a set of two adaptors formed by integrally adding material of same length as to depth of groove of the previous step are keep on used until all steps of grooving operation are finished and desired depth of groove of the valve body is achieved.

Typically, a plurality of magnetic cylinders with a handle manufactured depending on the shape of the groove at each step of the valve body are used to remove the chips once grooving operation at each step is completed.

In accordance with the present invention method of performing grooving operation on a valve body by using an apparatus is provided, said method comprising the steps of:
i) mounting of the valve body on a base plate of a boring machine which facilitates in rotating the valve body around its central axis;
ii) locking of a tool holder (20) to a ram of a CNC machine;
iii) attaching a first tool adaptor (22a) to the tool holder (20) and performing first step of grooving operation on a straight wall (S) to a predetermined position at mid portion of the valve body;
iv) attaching a second tool adaptor (22b) to the tool holder (20) by replacing the first tool adaptor (22a) and performing first step of grooving operation from the predetermined position to a tapered wall (T) of the valve body;
v) attaching a first tool adaptor (24a) to the tool holder (20) by replacing the second tool adaptor (22b) and performing second step of grooving operation on a straight wall (S) to a predetermined position at mid portion of the valve body;
vi) attaching a second tool adaptor (24b) to the tool holder (20) by replacing the first tool adaptor (24a) and performing second step of grooving operation from the predetermined position to a tapered wall (T) of the valve body; and
vii) repeating the cycle by replacing first tool adaptors and second tool adaptors attached to the tool holder (20) until all the steps of the grooving operation are finished and desired depth of groove of the valve body is achieved.

Typically, the first tool adaptors and second tool adaptors are formed by integrally adding material of same length as to depth of groove of the previous step.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 illustrates a cross sectional view of a final valve body after all grooving operations;

Figures 2(a) illustrates a first tool adaptor in a set of two attached to a tool holder to perform first step of grooving operation on straight wall of a valve body in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2(b) illustrates a second tool adaptor in a set of two attached to a tool holder to perform first step of grooving operation on tapered wall of a valve body in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 3(a) illustrates a first tool adaptor in a set of two attached to a tool holder to perform second step of grooving operation on straight wall of a valve body in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 3(b) illustrates a second tool adaptor in a set of two attached to a tool holder to perform second step of grooving operation on tapered wall of a valve body in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 4(a) illustrates a first tool adaptor in a set of two attached to a tool holder to perform third step of grooving operation on straight wall of a valve body in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 4(b) illustrates a second tool adaptor in a set of two attached to a tool holder to perform third step of grooving operation on tapered wall of a valve body in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 5(a) and 5(b) illustrates a front view and right side view of a tool holder of figure 2(a);

Figure 6(a) illustrates an enlarged view of a first tool adaptor of figure 2(a);

Figure 6(b) illustrates an enlarged view of a second tool adaptor of figure 2(b);

Figure 7(a) illustrates an enlarged view of a first tool adaptor of figure 3(a); and

Figure 7(b) illustrates an enlarged view of a second tool adaptor of figure 3(b).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS:
A preferred embodiment will now be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings. The preferred embodiment does not limit the scope and ambit of the invention. The description provided is purely by way of example and illustration.

Figures 2(a) illustrates a first tool adaptor in a set of two attached to a tool holder to perform first step of grooving operation on straight wall of a valve body.

Figure 2(b) illustrates a second tool adaptor in a set of two attached to a tool holder to perform first step of grooving operation on tapered wall of a valve body.

Figure 3(a) illustrates a first tool adaptor in a set of two attached to a tool holder to perform second step of grooving operation on straight wall of a valve body.

Figure 3(b) illustrates a second tool adaptor in a set of two attached to a tool holder to perform second step of grooving operation on tapered wall of a valve body.

Figure 4(a) illustrates a first tool adaptor in a set of two attached to a tool holder to perform third step of grooving operation on straight wall of a valve body.

Figure 4(b) illustrates a second tool adaptor in a set of two attached to a tool holder to perform third step of grooving operation on tapered wall of a valve body.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an apparatus comprising a tool holder 20, a set of two adaptors for first step grooving operation 22, a set of two adaptors for second step grooving operation 24 and a set of two adaptors for third step grooving operation 26.

Figure 5(a) and 5(b) illustrates a front view and right side view of a tool holder.

The tool holder 20 is provided with a right angled step at its one edge to accommodate a plurality of adaptors (22, 24 and 26). The tool holder 20 is provided with a plurality of holes H1 on its right angled step for locking of the plurality of adaptors (22, 24 and 26).The tool holder 20 is provided with projections P1 over its surface for gripping purposes while locking to a CNC ram.

To maintain L/W ratio of the tool as three, considering depth of the groove and to avoid breakage of the tool, it has been decided to do deep grooving operation in multiple steps utilizing a set of two adaptors (22, 24 and 26) in each step.

Figure 6(a) illustrates an enlarged view of a first tool adaptor of figure 2(a).

Figure 6(b) illustrates an enlarged view of a second tool adaptor of figure 2(b).

The set of two adaptors 22 for first step grooving operation comprises a first tool adaptor 22a and a second tool adaptor 22b. The first tool adaptor 22a can perform grooving operation only on straight wall S and to an extent up to middle portion of the valve body as shown in the figure 2(a). The first tool adaptor 22a cannot perform grooving operation any further towards tapered wall T of the valve body as the movement of the first tool adaptor 22a is obstructed by tapered wall T of the valve body.

The second tool adaptor 22b performs grooving operation towards tapered wall T of the valve body as shown in the figure 2(b).

Figure 7(a) illustrates an enlarged view of a first tool adaptor of figure 3(a).

Figure 7(b) illustrates an enlarged view of a second tool adaptor of figure 3(b).

The set of two adaptors 24 for second step grooving operation comprises a first tool adaptor 24a and a second tool adaptor 24b. The first tool adaptor 24a and the second tool adaptor 24b are made in such a way that based on the depth of material removed during first step of grooving operation of the valve body, the same length of material is added to the first tool adaptor 24a and the second tool adaptor 24b as shown in the figures 3(a) and 3(b) when compared to the first tool adaptor 22a and the second tool adaptor 22b.

Similarly, first tool adaptor 26a and the second tool adaptor 26b are made in such a way that based on the depth of material removed during second step of grooving operation of the valve body, the same length of material is added to the first tool adaptor 26a and the second tool adaptor 26b as shown in the figures 4(a) and 4(b) when compared to the first tool adaptor 24a and the second tool adaptor 24b.

The second tool adaptors (22b, 24b and 26b) are developed in such a way that tapered edge TE of the adaptors mates with the tapered wall T of the valve body during grooving operation.

The addition of material to the first tool adaptors (24a and 26a) and the second tool adaptors (24b and 26b) in each step adds structural rigidity to the tool and prevents its breakage. Further, the difference between the first tool adaptors (22a, 24a and 26a) and the second tool adaptors (22b, 24b and 26b) is change in position of the tool.

The configuration and method of working of the apparatus to perform grooving operation on the valve body in accordance with the present invention is as follows:
The valve body is mounted on a base plate of a boring machine which rotates the valve body around its central axis. The tool holder 20 is locked to a ram of a cnc machine. The first tool adaptor 22a is adapted to place against the right angled step of the tool holder 20 and locked in position. The first tool adaptor 22a performs grooving operation first on the straight wall S of the valve body, slowly move towards the mid portion and stops at a predetermined position as shown in the figure 2(a). Now, the first tool adaptor 22a is replaced with the second tool adaptor 22b. The second tool adaptor 22b starts performing grooving operation from the predetermined position to the tapered wall T of the valve body as shown in the figure 2(b). The first tool adaptor 22a and the second tool adaptor 22b together finish the first step of grooving operation. Now, the second tool adaptor 22b is replaced with the first tool adaptor 24a. The first tool adaptor 24a performs grooving operation first on the straight wall S of the valve body, slowly move towards the mid portion and stops at a predetermined position as shown in the figure 3(a). Now, the first tool adaptor 24a is replaced with the second tool adaptor 24b. The second tool adaptor 24b starts performing grooving operation from the predetermined position to the tapered wall T of the valve body as shown in the figure 3(b). The first tool adaptor 24a and the second tool adaptor 24b together finish the second step of grooving operation. This cycle repeats in steps until the desired depth of the groove of the valve body is achieved.

Typically, a plurality of magnetic cylinders with a handle manufactured depending on the shape of the groove at each step of the valve body are used to remove the chips once grooving operation at each step is completed.

TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS:
An apparatus to perform grooving operation on a valve body has several technical advantages including but not limited to the realization of :
• a simple and fool proof mechanism for grooving operation on a valve body;
• a tool holder and a plurality of tool adaptors that can do grooving operation on a valve body precisely;
• a plurality of tool adaptors that can add structural rigidity to the tool;
• a gripping tool holder while grooving operation; and
• a plurality of tool adaptors that can reach intricate spaces in a valve body while grooving operation.

Although the invention has been described herein above with reference to the embodiments of the invention, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein above. It is to be understood that modifications and variations of the embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.