Air-Cushioned Deflection Elements for Strip Spacing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spreading devices struggle to maintain sufficient distance between adjacent material sheet strips during the winding process, leading to potential collisions and misalignment, especially when dealing with a large number of strips produced from a common material sheet.
Innovation Solution
The spreading device incorporates rotationally fixed deflection elements with a porous and air-permeable material, featuring a large number of small openings to create a friction-reducing air layer between the material sheet strips and the deflection sheath surfaces. This configuration reduces friction and transverse tension, ensuring precise deflection and spacing of the material sheet strips.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional spreader rollers with roller segments are used to deflect and separate material sheet strips, then the spreading effect and distance between adjacent strips is improved, but friction and wear increase causing additional deviations and lateral displacement of the strips
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical contact system of spreader rollers with rotating roller segments with a stationary deflection element system that uses compressed air cushions. The air cushions create a non-contact or minimal-contact deflection mechanism, eliminating the friction and wear problems associated with mechanical roller segments while maintaining the spreading function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces compressed air cushions between the material sheet strips and the deflection element surface. These air cushions reduce direct mechanical contact and friction, allowing the strips to be deflected and separated without the wear and lateral displacement caused by conventional mechanical rollers.
2Productivity
If the number of material sheet strips separated from a common material sheet is increased, then productivity is improved, but the gaps between adjacent strips reduce causing collisions during winding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the deflection parameters of the stationary deflection elements to achieve optimal separation angles and distances for multiple strips. By adjusting the geometry and positioning of the deflection elements, the system maintains consistent spacing between a large number of adjacent strips, preventing collisions during winding while maximizing productivity.
3Reliability
If sheet tension is increased to maintain transport of material sheet strips, then transport reliability is improved, but lateral displacement and misalignment of strips increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces compressed air cushions as an intermediary between the material sheet strips and the deflection element surface. This air cushion layer reduces direct friction and allows the strips to maintain their position and alignment while being transported, preventing lateral displacement even under varying sheet tension conditions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively maintains a consistent and sufficient distance between adjacent material sheet strips, preventing collisions and ensuring accurate winding onto a common winding shaft, while also extending the service life of the spreading device by reducing wear and tear.
Implementation Method 1
Compressed air can be blown out through these openings in order to be able to produce a friction-reducing air layer between the material sheet strips and the deflection sheath surfaces of the deflection elements in the transport contact area
Data Source
AI summary
The invention involves a spreading device (1) for multiple material sheet strips (4) cut from a material sheet (5) by a material sheet cutting device. The material sheet strips (4) are fed to the spreading device (1) along a transport path in order to be subsequently transported, offset parallel to one another, to a winding shaft arrangement and to be wound onto a common winding shaft. The spreading device (1) comprises two deflection elements (2 and 3), which each extend transversely to the transport path and are configured and arranged such that a strip spacing (9) between two adjacent to one another along a transport path are successively enlarged over the first and second deflection elements (2 and 3) of the guided material sheet strips (4). The deflection elements (2, 3) are arranged in a rotationally fixed manner. Each deflection element (2 and 3) comprises a number of openings (15) in a transport contact area (13) of a deflection sheath surface (12) of the deflection elements (2 and 3) covered by the material sheet strips (4) transported over it, through which compressed air can be blown in order to create a friction-reducing air layer between the material sheet strips (4) and the deflection sheath surfaces (12) of the deflection elements (2 and 3) in the transport contact area (13).