Support pushing system and pushing method
By utilizing the conical opening and closing plate design and guiding function of the support pushing system, precise insertion of the support is achieved, solving the problems of insertion difficulties and damage caused by processing and manufacturing errors, and improving production efficiency and process yield.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- QUJING EVE ENERGY CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-04-16
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-09
AI Technical Summary
Due to objective factors such as manufacturing errors in the supports, the manufacturing tolerances of some supports are out of range, resulting in low consistency of the supports. This makes it difficult to insert them into the center hole of the core, or damages the diaphragm and electrode sheets when forcibly inserted, causing the core to be scrapped.
A support pushing system is adopted, including a pushing device, an opening and closing device, and a moving device. Through the conical design and guiding function of the opening and closing plate, the support is accurately inserted, avoiding damage to the core.
It improves the accuracy and efficiency of support insertion, avoids core damage, increases production efficiency and process yield, and solves the problem of difficult support insertion.
Smart Images
Figure CN2025089246_09072026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Support Push System and Push Method
[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 2024119885335, filed with the Chinese Patent Office on December 31, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field
[0002] This application relates to the field of battery technology, and in particular to a support pushing system and pushing method. Background Technology
[0003] For wound battery cells, a central hole is formed inside the core after the winding needle is removed. During subsequent manufacturing processes and cycle use, the core may deform due to the gap in the central hole. The central area is prone to collapse, deformation, or even breakage, affecting the normal use of the battery.
[0004] To address these shortcomings, a common practice in related technologies is to insert a support at the center hole of the core to hold it in place and prevent it from collapsing or deforming. Furthermore, to ensure the support fits snugly against the wall of the core's center hole, its dimensions must be very close to the size of the hole itself. Technical issues
[0005] Due to objective factors such as manufacturing errors in the supports, the manufacturing tolerances of some supports are out of range, resulting in low consistency of the supports. This makes it difficult to insert the supports into the center hole; or when forcibly inserted into the center hole, the diaphragm and electrode sheets are easily damaged, causing the core to be scrapped. Technical solutions
[0006] In a first aspect, this application provides a support pushing system for pushing a support into the center hole of a winding core, comprising:
[0007] A pushing device for pushing the support into the center hole of the core;
[0008] An opening and closing device is provided on one side of the pushing device, including an opening and closing drive mechanism and a plurality of opening and closing pieces. The opening and closing drive mechanism is used to drive the plurality of opening and closing pieces to open to form or close a pushing opening, so that when the pushing opening is formed, the support is driven by the pushing device to pass through, thereby allowing the support to enter the central hole. In the closed state, the plurality of opening and closing pieces are conical, and the tips of the cones face the central hole of the winding core.
[0009] A mobile device, connected to the opening / closing device or the winding core, is capable of driving the opening / closing device or the winding core to move relative to each other in the pushing direction of the pushing device, thereby enabling the opening / closing device and the winding core to move closer or further apart.
[0010] Secondly, this application also provides a method for pushing a support 200, comprising the following steps:
[0011] S21, the moving device 30 drives the opening and closing device 20 to move toward the winding core 300, or drives the winding core 300 to move toward the opening and closing device 20, so that the multiple opening and closing tabs 22 in the closed state are inserted into the center hole 310 of the winding core 300.
[0012] S22, the opening and closing drive mechanism drives multiple opening and closing pieces 22 to open to form a push port 23;
[0013] S23, the pushing device 10 pushes the support 200 through the pushing port 23 and into the central hole 310.
[0014] S24, the moving device 30 drives the opening and closing device 20 to move away from the core 300, or drives the core 300 to move away from the opening and closing device 20.
[0015] S25, the opening and closing drive mechanism drives multiple opening and closing plates 22 to close to form a tip. Beneficial effects
[0016] When the support is pushed into the core, the moving device moves the opening and closing device closer to or further away from the core. When the opening and closing device and the core are close, the tips of the multiple cone-shaped opening and closing tabs in the closed state can be easily inserted into the end of the central hole. Then, the opening and closing drive mechanism drives the multiple opening and closing tabs to open to form a pushing opening. At this time, it is convenient for the pushing device to push the support through the pushing opening and into the core. Since the multiple opening and closing tabs are opened from the cone-shaped closed state, the cone shape has a small outer diameter and a guiding effect, making it easier to insert into the central hole of the core and avoiding damage to the core. At the same time, under the guiding effect of the opening and closing tabs, the support can quickly enter the core, improving production efficiency. Attached Figure Description
[0017] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the support pushing system according to an embodiment of this application;
[0018] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the push process of the support push system in Figure 1;
[0019] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the angle between the opening / closing plate and the pushing direction in Figure 2.
[0020] Attached Figures: 100-Support Pushing System, 10-Pushing Device, 20-Opening and Closing Device, 22-Opening and Closing Plate, 23-Pushing Port, 24-Tip, 30-Moving Device, 40-Guide Component, 41-Hole, 50-Feeding Device, 51-Lifting Mechanism, 511-Pushing Inclined Surface, 52-Hopper, 521-Inclined Wall, 522-Vertical Wall, 523-Bottom Wall, 60-Support Platform, 61-Shaping Groove, 70-Guide Platform, 80-Position Detection Device, 200-Support, 300-Core, 310-Center Hole. Embodiments of the present invention
[0021] Please refer to Figures 1 to 3 for a support pushing system 100 provided in this application embodiment, which is used to push a support 200 into the center hole 310 of the core 300, including a pushing device 10, an opening and closing device 20, and a moving device 30.
[0022] In some embodiments, the pushing device 10 is used to push the support 200 into the center hole 310 of the core 300; the opening and closing device 20 is disposed on one side of the pushing device 10, including an opening and closing drive mechanism (not shown in the figure) and a plurality of opening and closing pieces 22. The opening and closing drive mechanism is used to drive the plurality of opening and closing pieces 22 to open to form or close a pushing opening 23, so that when the pushing opening 23 is formed, the support 200 driven by the pushing device 10 passes through, thereby allowing the support 200 to enter the center hole 310. In some embodiments, the plurality of opening and closing pieces 22 are conical in the closed state, and the tip 24 of the cone faces the core 300; the moving device 30 is connected to the opening and closing device 20 or the core 300 to drive the opening and closing device 20 or the core 300 to move relative to each other in the pushing direction a of the support 200, thereby enabling the pushing device 10 or the core 300 to move closer or further apart.
[0023] The aforementioned support pushing system 100, when pushing the support 200 into the core 300, uses a moving device 30 to bring the opening and closing device 20 and the core 300 closer or further apart. When the opening and closing device 20 and the core 300 are close together, the tips 24 of the multiple cone-shaped opening and closing tabs 22 in the closed state can be easily inserted into the end of the central hole 310. Then, the opening and closing drive mechanism drives the multiple opening and closing tabs 22 to open to form a pushing opening 23. At this time, it is convenient for the pushing device 10 to push the support 200 through the pushing opening 23 and into the core 300. Since the multiple opening and closing tabs 22 are opened from the cone-shaped closed state, the cone shape has a small outer diameter and a guiding effect, making it easier to insert into the central hole 310 of the core 300, avoiding damage to the core 300. At the same time, under the guiding effect of the opening and closing tabs 22, the support 200 can quickly enter the core 300, improving production efficiency.
[0024] In some embodiments, a support 200 is used to push the cylindrical core 300 in, and the support 200 is also circular. In some embodiments, the shape of the support can be set according to the shape of the core; for example, when the core is square, the support can be set to be square.
[0025] In some embodiments, when pushing the support 200, the pushing device 10 can be configured as a cylinder, with a gripper on the piston shaft of the cylinder. The gripper can hold the support. When the opening and closing device 20 is in the open state, forming the pushing opening 23, the cylinder can drive the support 200 through the pushing opening 23 and into the center hole 310 of the core 300. In another embodiment, the pushing device 10 can be configured as a drive motor, a lead screw, a movable block, and a gripper. The lead screw is connected to the drive motor, the movable block and the lead screw are rotatably configured, and the gripper is connected to the movable block and used to hold the support 200. Thus, driven by the motor, after the gripper clamps the support 200 through the pushing opening 23, the support 200 is pushed into the core 300.
[0026] In some embodiments, when the opening and closing device 20 is provided, the opening and closing drive mechanism can be set as an opening and closing cylinder. The opening and closing cylinder is provided with two opposing semi-conical opening and closing plates 22. Under the drive of the opening and closing cylinder, the opening and closing between the two semi-conical opening and closing plates 22 is realized. In some embodiments, when multiple opening and closing plates 22 are provided, for example, the opening and closing between multiple opening and closing plates 22 can be realized by using the linkage drive method disclosed in document CN116088250A to realize the opening and closing of the umbrella frame. Or, in some embodiments, the opening and closing of multiple opening and closing plates 22 can be driven by using gear meshing to realize the opening and closing of the aperture as disclosed in document CN215705880U. Both methods can achieve the effect of driving multiple opening and closing plates 22 to open and close. The selection of the opening and closing drive mechanism is not limited here.
[0027] Understandably, in some implementations, the multiple opening and closing pieces 22 may be set to at least two pieces, or three, four, five or more pieces, and are not limited here, as long as they can cooperate with the structure of the opening and closing drive mechanism to open and close.
[0028] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 3, when the multiple opening and closing tabs 22 are in the closed state, each opening and closing tab 22 and the pushing direction a have an angle θ. This angle θ is an acute angle, and the range of the angle θ is 20-80°. By setting this angle θ, when the multiple opening and closing tabs 22 change from the closed state to the open state, the diameter of the pushing opening 23 formed by the opening can be guaranteed. If the angle is set to less than 20°, the diameter of the pushing opening 23 formed by the opening and closing tabs 22 may not be large enough and cannot match the diameter of the support. If the angle is set to greater than 80°, the guiding effect on the support 200 is reduced when the opening and closing tabs 22 are in the open state. Setting the angle θ in the range of 20-80° not only takes into account the diameter of the support 200, but also guides the movement of the support 200, avoiding excessive deviation from the center hole 310 of the core 300 when the support 200 moves away from the pushing opening 23.
[0029] In some implementations, the included angle θ can be set to values such as 20°, 30°, 40°, 50°, 60°, 70° or 80°, and is not limited to these values.
[0030] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, in some embodiments, to ensure that the pushing device 10 can align with the central axis of the central hole 310 of the core 300 when pushing the support 200, the support pushing system 100 further includes a guide 40. An opening / closing device 20 is connected to the guide 40, and the opening / closing device 20 and the pushing device 10 are located on opposite sides of the guide 40 along the pushing direction a. The guide 40 has a hole 41, the central axis of the hole 41, the central axis of the pushing opening 23, and the core 300. The central axes of the center holes 310 of the core 300 coincide. The pushing device 10 pushes the support 200 through the hole 41 and the pushing opening 23 in sequence. Thus, a guide 40 is also provided between the pushing device 10 and the core 300. When the pushing device 10 moves the support 200 towards the core 300, it first passes through the hole 41 of the guide 40. After the correction effect of the guide 40, it is pushed into the center hole 310 of the core 300 to ensure the accuracy of the insertion of the support 200.
[0031] In some embodiments, the hole 41 is configured as a full hole, and the hole 41 is located in the central region of the guide member 40 and passes through the guide member 40 along the pushing direction a.
[0032] In some embodiments, the moving device 30 may be connected to the opening and closing device 20 or to a support device that supports the core 300. The driving direction of the moving device 30 is parallel to the pushing direction a of the pushing device 10. It is used to drive the opening and closing device 20 and the core 300 to move closer or further apart. When the opening and closing device 20 and the core 300 are close together, the conical tip 24 of the opening and closing device 20 can extend into the core 300. After the support 200 is pushed in, the opening and closing device 20 and the core 300 can move away from each other.
[0033] In some embodiments, the moving device 30 can be configured as a linear module to enable driving in a linear direction. In some embodiments, since the opening and closing device 20 is connected to the guide member 40, when the linear module is connected to the opening and closing device 20, the linear module is disposed at the bottom of the guide member 40, synchronously driving the guide member 40 and the opening and closing device 20 to move in the pushing direction a.
[0034] Please refer to Figures 1 and 2. In some embodiments, in order to enable the orderly supply of supports 200 to the pushing device 10, the support pushing system 100 includes a feeding device 50. The feeding device 50 is used to place the supports 200 and push the supports 200 one by one to the feeding device 10. By setting the feeding device 50, the supports 200 can be provided to the pushing device 10 in an orderly and sequential manner, ensuring the continuity of the production cycle.
[0035] In some embodiments, in order to receive the support 200 delivered by the feeding device 50, the support pushing system 100 further includes a support platform 60; the support platform 60 is disposed in the pushing direction a of the pushing device 10 and is located at the front end of the opening and closing device 20 along the pushing direction a, and is used to support the support 200 delivered by the feeding device 50; since the feeding device 50 is used to place the support 200 and push the support 200 one by one to the support platform 60, and the support platform 60 is disposed in the pushing direction of the pushing device 10, the support platform 60 supports the support 200 delivered by the feeding device 50, and the pushing device 10 pushes the support 200 located on the support platform 60 through the opening and closing device 20, and finally pushes it into the core 300; through the support of the support platform 60, the placement direction of the support 200 can be initially positioned.
[0036] In some embodiments, in order to facilitate the placement of the support 200, the support platform 60 is provided with a contour groove 61, the shape of which is adapted to the shape of the support 200, thereby facilitating the placement of the support 200.
[0037] In some embodiments, in addition to the guide member 40, a support platform 60 is provided. Along the pushing direction a, the pushing device 10, the support platform 60, the guide member 40 and the opening and closing device 20 are arranged in sequence. The pushing device 10 pushes the support 200 on the support platform 60 through the guide member 40. After being initially corrected by the guide member 40, it passes through the pushing port 23 of the opening and closing device 20 and enters the center hole 310 of the core 300.
[0038] In some embodiments, the feeding device 50 may be configured such that the feeding direction is perpendicular to the pushing direction a of the pushing device 10. The feeding device 50 may also be configured as a drive cylinder, with the piston shaft of the drive cylinder extending to push the supports 200 placed on the support plane one by one onto the support platform 60. In some embodiments, the feeding device 50 may be a motor, a lead screw, and a push rod. The rotation of the motor drives the lead screw to rotate, and the rotation of the lead screw drives the push rod to push the supports 200 onto the support platform 60.
[0039] In some embodiments, please refer to Figures 1 and 2. In order to ensure production cycle time, the feeding device 50 includes a lifting mechanism 51 and a hopper 52. The lifting mechanism 51 is located at the bottom of the hopper 52 and is used to push out the supports 200 in the hopper 52 one by one in an upward manner. In this way, after the supports 200 are pushed into the core 300 one by one by the pushing device 10, the lifting mechanism 51 simultaneously pushes the supports 200 onto the support platform 60 one by one. The production cycle time is connected in sequence to ensure production efficiency.
[0040] In some embodiments, the lifting mechanism 51 can be configured as a drive cylinder, and the lifting mechanism 51 is arranged vertically. As the piston shaft of the drive cylinder extends and retracts, the support 200 is pushed out of the hopper 52 and moved onto the support platform 60. In some embodiments, the lifting mechanism 51 can also be configured as a mechanism that can achieve linear drive when it is coupled with a motor lead screw.
[0041] In some embodiments, when the hopper 52 is configured, the hopper 52 has an inclined wall 521 and a vertical wall 522 arranged opposite to each other. The inclined wall 521 is inclined downward, and the lifting mechanism 51 is arranged close to the vertical wall 522. It is used to push the supports 200 one by one to move upward along the wall surface of the vertical wall 522. Due to the setting of the inclined wall 521, as the supports 200 are pushed out one by one by the lifting mechanism 51, the supports 200 can move downward by their own gravity and move one by one towards the vertical wall 522. When they move to the top of the lifting mechanism 51, the lifting mechanism 51 gradually lifts the supports 200 along the vertical wall 522 and finally rolls them out from the opening of the hopper 52.
[0042] In some embodiments, the lifting mechanism 51 is disposed on the bottom wall 523 of the hopper 52, and the piston shaft can pass through the bottom wall 523, thereby enabling the support 200 to be lifted.
[0043] In some embodiments, the lifting mechanism 51 has a pushing ramp 511, for example, a pushing block with a pushing ramp 511 is provided at the end of the piston shaft. Thus, when the lifting mechanism 51 lifts the support 200 to the opening of the hopper 52, the pushing ramp 511 guides the support 200, allowing the object to move out of the hopper 52 in the inclined direction of the pushing ramp 511. Understandably, in some embodiments, there is an angle between the pushing ramp 511 and the vertical wall 522, and this angle is acute.
[0044] Please refer to Figures 1 and 2. In some embodiments, the hopper 52 has a certain height to accommodate the support 200. To facilitate the connection between the support 200 and the support platform 60 when it is pushed out of the hopper 52, the support pushing system 100 also includes a guide platform 70. The guide platform 70 is inclined downward from the opening end of the hopper 52 and is connected to the support platform 60. It is used for the support 200 pushed out by the lifting mechanism 51 to slide to the support platform 60. Thus, through the setting of the guide platform 70, after the support 200 moves out of the hopper 52, it can extend the inclined downward guide platform 70 to slide to the support platform 60, ensuring the stability of the movement of the support 200, avoiding chaotic rolling, and enabling production continuity.
[0045] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 2, in order to detect the pushing position of the support 200 within the core 300, the support pushing system 100 further includes a position detection device 80. The position detection device 80 and the pushing device 10 are disposed on opposite sides of the core 300 along the pushing direction a, and are used to detect the position of the support 200 within the core 300. Thus, by setting the position detection device 80, the support 200 is prevented from being pushed out of position and exposed relative to the core 300.
[0046] In some embodiments, the position detection device 80 may be configured as a baffle, indicating that the support 200 has been pushed into place when it contacts the baffle; or the position detection device 80 may be configured as a distance sensor to accurately detect the push-in position of the support 200.
[0047] Please refer to Figure 2. The operation process of the support pushing system 100 in this embodiment is as follows:
[0048] (a) The support 200 is temporarily stored in the hopper 52 and pushed out one by one by the lifting mechanism 51. The support 200 that leaves the hopper 52 rolls along the guide table 70 and rolls onto the support table 60, where it is received.
[0049] (b) The moving device 30 drives the guide 40 and the opening / closing device 20 to move toward the core 300. The tips formed by the plurality of opening / closing tabs 22 are inserted into the center hole 310 of the core 300. Under the push of the pushing device 10, the support 200 moves along the guide 40.
[0050] (c) The opening and closing mechanism drives the opening and closing plate 22 to open to form a push opening 23, and the push device 10 pushes the support 200 through the push opening 23 and into the core 300;
[0051] (d) After the support 200 is inserted in sequence, the moving device 30 drives the guide 40 and the opening and closing device 20 to return to their original positions, and at the same time the opening and closing piece 22 closes.
[0052] In summary, the support pushing system 100 has the following advantages:
[0053] (1) Through the guiding action of the opening and closing piece 22, the support 200 can be smoothly pushed into the core 300, avoiding damage to the core 300 by forcibly pushing the support 200 in.
[0054] (2) The push system in this embodiment can perform the push action synchronously with the actions of other processes of the equipment, which solves the pain point of needing to reserve production time separately;
[0055] (3) The support 200 can be pushed in at room temperature, which avoids quality problems such as short circuit of the battery cell caused by the need to heat the support 200 to form hot holes in the prior art.
[0056] (4) The accuracy and efficiency of inserting the support 200 into the center hole 310 are improved, which greatly improves the process yield and product quality and increases the equipment capacity.
[0057] In another embodiment, this application also provides a method for pushing a support 200, including the following steps:
[0058] S21, the moving device 30 drives the opening and closing device 20 to move toward the winding core 300, or drives the winding core 300 to move toward the opening and closing device 20, so that the multiple opening and closing tabs 22 in the closed state are inserted into the center hole 310 of the winding core 300.
[0059] S22, the opening and closing drive mechanism drives multiple opening and closing pieces 22 to open to form a push port 23;
[0060] S23, the pushing device 10 pushes the support 200 through the pushing port 23 and into the central hole 310.
[0061] S24, the moving device 30 drives the opening and closing device 20 to move away from the core 300, or drives the core 300 to move away from the opening and closing device 20.
[0062] S25, the opening and closing drive mechanism drives multiple opening and closing plates 22 to close to form a tip.
[0063] The above-mentioned method for pushing the support 200 involves setting multiple opening and closing pieces 22 to be in a conical state when closed, which allows them to be smoothly inserted into the core 300. Then, a pushing port 23 is opened to guide the insertion of the support 200, thereby improving the insertion efficiency of the support 200 and avoiding damage to the core 300.
Claims
1. A support pushing system (100) for pushing a support (200) into the center hole (310) of a core (300), comprising: A pushing device (10) is used to push the support (200) into the center hole (310) of the core (300); An opening and closing device (20) is provided on one side of the pushing device (10), including an opening and closing drive mechanism and a plurality of opening and closing pieces (22). The opening and closing drive mechanism is used to drive the plurality of opening and closing pieces (22) to open to form or close a pushing opening (23), so that when the pushing opening (23) is formed, the support (200) is driven by the pushing device (10) to pass through, thereby allowing the support (200) to enter the central hole (310). The plurality of opening and closing pieces (22) are conical in the closed state, and the tip (24) of the conical shape faces the central hole (310) of the core (300). A moving device (30) is connected to the opening and closing device (20) or the winding core (300) to drive the opening and closing device (20) or the winding core (300) to move relative to each other in the pushing direction of the pushing device (10), thereby enabling the opening and closing device (20) and the winding core (300) to move closer or further apart.
2. The support pushing system (100) according to claim 1, wherein, The support pushing system (100) further includes a guide (40), the opening and closing device (20) is connected to the guide (40), and the opening and closing device (20) and the pushing device (10) are located on opposite sides of the guide (40) along the pushing direction. The guide (40) has a hole (41), and the central axis of the hole (41), the central axis of the pushing port (23), and the central axis of the central hole (310) of the core (300) coincide.
3. The support pushing system (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The support pushing system (100) includes a feeding device (50) for placing supports (200) and pushing the supports (200) one by one to the feeding device (50).
4. The support pushing system (100) according to claim 3, wherein, The support pushing system (100) also includes a support platform (60); The support platform (60) is located in the pushing direction of the pushing device (10) and at the front end of the guide (40) along the pushing direction, and is used to support the support material delivered by the feeding device (50).
5. The support pushing system (100) according to claim 3, wherein, The feeding device (50) includes a lifting mechanism (51) and a hopper (52). The lifting mechanism (51) is located at the bottom of the hopper (52). The hopper (52) has an inclined wall (521) and a vertical wall (522) arranged opposite to each other. The inclined wall (521) is inclined downward. The lifting mechanism (51) is located close to the vertical wall (522) and is used to push the support (200) one by one to move upward along the wall surface of the vertical wall (522) to disengage from the hopper (52).
6. The support pushing system (100) according to claim 5, wherein, The lifting mechanism (51) has a pushing ramp (511) which is inclined downward relative to the vertical wall (522).
7. The support pushing system (100) according to any one of claims 4-6, wherein, The support pushing system (100) also includes a guide platform (70), which is inclined downward from the opening end of the hopper (52) and connected to the support platform (60) for the support (200) pushed out by the lifting mechanism (51) to slide onto the support platform (60).
8. The support pushing system (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, When the plurality of the opening and closing pieces (22) are in the closed state, each of the opening and closing pieces (22) and the pushing direction have an angle θ, which is an acute angle, and the range of the angle θ is 20-80°.
9. The support pushing system (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The support pushing system (100) further includes a position detection device (80), which is located on opposite sides of the core (300) along the pushing direction and the pushing device (10), and is used to detect the pushing position of the support (200) in the core (300).
10. Methods for pushing support objects, including: The moving device (30) drives the opening and closing device (20) to move toward the core (300), or drives the core (300) to move toward the opening and closing device (20), so that the multiple opening and closing tabs (22) in the closed state are inserted into the center hole (310) of the core (300); The opening and closing drive mechanism drives multiple opening and closing plates (22) to open to form a push port (23); The pushing device (10) pushes the support through the pushing port (23) and into the central hole (310); The moving device (30) drives the opening and closing device (20) to move away from the winding core (300), or drives the winding core (300) to move away from the opening and closing device (20); The opening and closing drive mechanism drives multiple opening and closing plates (22) to close to form a tip (24).