Adjustable Presser and Blade for Irregular Box Covering
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging box covering machines are unsuitable for boxes with irregularly shaped sides, as they require manual adjustments using wedges or shims, leading to increased costs and reduced precision and repeatability.
Innovation Solution
A flexible box covering machine with adjustable components, including horizontally and vertically movable rollers, pressers, and blades that can be adjusted via rotation and sliding mechanisms to accommodate boxes of different shapes and sizes, allowing for independent positioning and alignment of pressers and blades.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If manual adjustments using wedges or shims are used to adapt pressing means and blades to irregularly shaped boxes, then the machine can handle boxes with irregularly shaped sides, but the precision and repeatability of the covering operation deteriorates and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The presser and blade are made independently movable relative to each other through mechanical actuation systems. The presser can move horizontally along the box wall while the blade moves vertically, allowing dynamic adaptation to irregular surfaces. This replaces static manual adjustments with automated dynamic positioning, maintaining precision while handling varied box geometries.
Solution Approach 2:
The covering machine is designed with universal pressing means and blade assemblies that can accommodate multiple box types through independent movement. The presser and blade can be positioned at different locations and angles to handle both regular and irregularly shaped boxes, eliminating the need for box-specific manual adaptations and ensuring consistent precision across different box geometries.
2Productivity
If horizontal folding blades are used for covering boxes, then the covering operation is efficient and automated, but the machine cannot accommodate boxes with walls at angles to the horizontal or non-perpendicular to the movement direction
Solution Approach 1:
The blade assembly is made dynamically adjustable through mechanical actuation, allowing it to change position and orientation during operation. The blade can move vertically and position itself at different heights to accommodate various wall angles, maintaining automated efficiency while adapting to irregular box geometries that would otherwise require manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The covering mechanism is divided into independently controllable segments: the presser assembly that moves horizontally and the blade assembly that moves vertically. This segmentation allows each component to independently adapt to the box geometry, enabling automated handling of irregularly shaped boxes while maintaining high productivity through coordinated robotic motion.
3Device complexity
If pressing means and blades are fixed in position, then the machine structure is simple and robust, but the machine cannot adapt to boxes of different shapes and sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The presser and blade assemblies are equipped with mechanical actuation systems that enable controlled movement while maintaining structural integrity. The presser moves horizontally along guides and the blade moves vertically, providing adaptability through motion rather than complex reconfiguration, thus balancing structural simplicity with versatility for handling different box types.
Data Source
AI summary
A machine for covering packaging boxes (S) with a sheet (F) comprises at least one presser (10) and one folding blade (11) that move horizontally to apply the edges (L) of a glued sheet (F) to corresponding outside walls (P) of a box (S). The presser (10) and/or the blade (11) are adjustable in angular position with respect to one or more axes of rotation.