Patents by Inventor Kenneth L. Niebauer

Kenneth L. Niebauer has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20080317558
    Abstract: A round cutting insert includes a bottom surface, a clearance side surface and a top surface. The top surface includes a chip control feature in the form of a continuous, circumferential depression formed by a substantially planar bottom surface and a pair of upward sloping substantially planar side walls that form an angle with respect to the top surface. The chip control feature may also include a plurality of radially offset bumps located in the depression. The bumps may have the same size and shape, or may have a different size and shape. The top surface also includes an elevated island having one or more indexing marks for easy indexing of the cutting insert.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2007
    Publication date: December 25, 2008
    Inventors: Kenneth L. Niebauer, Keith R. Zack
  • Patent number: 7458753
    Abstract: A round cutting insert includes a bottom surface, a clearance side surface and a top surface. The top surface includes a chip control feature in the form of a continuous, circumferential depression formed by a substantially planar bottom surface and a pair of upward sloping substantially planar side walls that form an angle with respect to the top surface. The chip control feature may also include a plurality of radially offset bumps located in the depression. The bumps may have the same size and shape, or may have a different size and shape. The top surface also includes an elevated island having one or more indexing marks for easy indexing of the cutting insert.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2008
    Assignee: Kennametal Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth L. Niebauer, Keith R. Zack
  • Patent number: 6065907
    Abstract: An indexable cutting insert is disclosed capable of cutting operations over a wide range of depth of cuts. The insert has different geometries at different locations on the cutting surface such that, under differing cutting parameters, a desirable cutting surface will be in contact with the workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2000
    Assignee: Kennametal Inc.
    Inventors: Ranajit Ghosh, Kenneth L. Niebauer
  • Patent number: 5791833
    Abstract: A cutting insert having a chipbreaking configuration for effectively embrittling and breaking thin, foil-like chips produced by drilling or other fine-cutting operations is provided. The cutting insert includes a polygonal insert body having a top surface, a side relief surface, and a cutting edge defined therebetween, and a chipbreaker formed by an elongated groove disposed on the top surface behind the cutting edge in combination with a plurality of recesses disposed over the groove having opposing side edges. The back wall of the groove applies curling forces to the chips, while the opposing side edges of the recesses engage and corrugate the chips thereby embrittling them by work-hardening. The corrugated chips are broken by the curling forces applied by the back and rear walls of the groove and the recesses into small pieces that are easily expelled from the vicinity of the cutting operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 11, 1998
    Assignee: Kennametal Inc.
    Inventor: Kenneth L. Niebauer
  • Patent number: 5704734
    Abstract: A metal cutting tool assembly (1) having an automatically adjustable chipbreaker (23) is provided that comprises a cutting insert (11) for cutting a relatively rotating workpiece, a holder (3) for holding the insert (11), an insert driver (5) for applying a cutting force between the insert (11) and the workpiece, a chipbreaker (23) having a surface (27) that is effective in breaking chips (55, 56) of different thicknesses when positioned at different distances from the cutting edge (19) of the insert (11), and a mounting mechanism (30) for movably mounting the chipbreaker (23) onto the holder (3). The mounting mechanism (30) includes a spring (50) for automatically adjusting the distance between the chipbreaking surface (27) of the chipbreaker (23) and the cutting edge (19) of the insert (11) in response to the forces applied to the chipbreaker (23) by the metal chips (55, 56) that result from the cutting operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 6, 1998
    Assignee: Kennametal Inc.
    Inventors: John P. Ashley, Kenneth L. Niebauer
  • Patent number: 5628590
    Abstract: A ceramic cutting insert for high speed machining of materials is provided having an integral chip control surface thereon,
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 13, 1997
    Assignee: Kennametal Inc.
    Inventors: Craig W. Beeghly, Deepak P. Ahuja, Pankaj K. Mehrotra, Kenneth L. Niebauer
  • Patent number: 5538367
    Abstract: A metal cutting tool assembly (1) having an automatically adjustable chipbreaker (23) is provided that comprises a cutting insert (11) for cutting a relatively rotating workpiece, a holder (3) for holding the insert (11), an insert driver (5) for applying a cutting force between the insert (11) and the workpiece, a chipbreaker (23) having a surface (27) that is effective in breaking chips (55, 56) of different thicknesses when positioned at different distances from the cutting edge (19) of the insert (11), and a mounting mechanism (30) for movably mounting the chipbreaker (23) onto the holder (3). The mounting mechanism (30) includes a spring (50) for automatically adjusting the distance between the chipbreaking surface (27) of the chipbreaker (23) and the cutting edge (19) of the insert (11) in response to the forces applied to the chipbreaker (23) by the metal chips (55, 56) that result from the cutting operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 23, 1996
    Assignee: Kennametal Inc.
    Inventors: John P. Ashley, Kenneth L. Niebauer
  • Patent number: 5476025
    Abstract: A ceramic cutting insert for high speed machining of materials is provided having an integral chip control surface thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 19, 1995
    Assignee: Kennametal Inc.
    Inventors: Craig W. Beeghly, Deepak P. Ahuja, Pankaj K. Mehrotra, Kenneth L. Niebauer
  • Patent number: 5350258
    Abstract: A ceramic cutting insert for high speed machining of materials is provided having an integral chip control surface thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 27, 1994
    Assignee: Kennametal Inc.
    Inventors: Craig W. Beeghly, Deepak P. Ahuja, Pankaj K. Mehrotra, Kenneth L. Niebauer
  • Patent number: D522025
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2006
    Assignee: Kennametal Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth L. Niebauer, Richard A. Uhal
  • Patent number: D522545
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2006
    Assignee: Kennametal Inc.
    Inventor: Kenneth L. Niebauer
  • Patent number: D523039
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2006
    Assignee: Kennametal Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth L. Niebauer, Richard A. Uhal
  • Patent number: D523040
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2006
    Assignee: Kennametal Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth L. Niebauer, David C. Johnston
  • Patent number: D474787
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2003
    Assignee: Kennametal Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth L. Niebauer, Joseph Victor Nelson, James R. Kasperik
  • Patent number: D352511
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 1991
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1994
    Assignee: Kennametal Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth L. Niebauer, Earl L. Griffin
  • Patent number: D357693
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 25, 1995
    Assignee: Kennametal Inc.
    Inventor: Kenneth L. Niebauer
  • Patent number: D359057
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 6, 1995
    Assignee: Kennametal Inc.
    Inventor: Kenneth L. Niebauer
  • Patent number: D412335
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 27, 1999
    Assignee: Kennametal Inc.
    Inventors: James R. Kasperik, Kenneth L. Niebauer
  • Patent number: D414502
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1999
    Assignee: Kennametal Inc.
    Inventors: James R. Kasperik, Kenneth L. Niebauer
  • Patent number: D432147
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2000
    Assignee: Kennametal Inc.
    Inventors: James R. Kasperik, Kenneth L. Niebauer