Adjustable Contour Spreading Unit for Viscous Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spreading units for viscous materials, such as sealing materials, are inflexible and unable to continuously adapt to changing component surfaces, requiring interruption of the spreading process and limiting their ability to form seamless joints with optimal quality.
Innovation Solution
A spreading unit with an adjustable shaper and sensor system that allows for actuator-based adjustment of the shaping contour during the spreading process, enabling flexible adaptation to component shapes and ensuring uniform drying and hardening of the material, integrated with a manipulator for automated operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed nozzle is used for applying viscous material, then the application process is simple, but the shaping contour cannot be adapted to different component surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The shaper is designed with an adjustable shaping contour that can be dynamically modified during the spreading process. The contour elements can be moved relative to each other to adapt to different component geometries, transforming a static nozzle into a dynamic shaping tool that maintains versatility without excessive complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The shaper is divided into multiple contour elements that can be independently adjusted. This segmentation allows each element to be positioned to match the specific geometry of the component surface, enabling adaptation to various shapes while keeping the overall device structure manageable through modular design
2Adaptability or versatility
If the spreading process is interrupted for adjustment, then the shaping contour can be adapted to component requirements, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The shaping contour is designed to be adjustable during the spreading process without requiring interruption. The actuator-based adjustment mechanism allows real-time modification of the contour to match component geometry, maintaining continuous operation and high productivity while achieving adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses sensors to detect the component surface geometry and provides feedback to the control system, which automatically adjusts the shaping contour elements accordingly. This closed-loop control enables adaptive shaping without manual intervention or process interruption, maintaining high productivity
3Manufacturing precision
If the nozzle and shaper have a fixed distance, then uniform drying and hardening is achieved, but flexibility in positioning is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The distance between the nozzle and shaper is made dynamically adjustable while maintaining a fixed relationship during the spreading operation. This allows the system to achieve uniform drying and hardening when needed, while also providing positioning flexibility through coordinated movement of both components relative to the workpiece
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments of the disclosure relate to a spreading unit, having a shaper, for spreading viscous material, in particular sealing material, on a component, wherein the shaper has a shaping contour for the forming of the viscous material in the course of the spreading. It is proposed that the shaping contour of the shaper for the forming of the viscous material is adjustable by actuator-based means.