Angled Cleaning Ribs for Shredded Plastic Impurity Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for cleaning shredded plastic fail to effectively remove impurities, particularly surface adhesions and contaminants, from flat plastic flakes, leading to incomplete cleaning and mechanical stress that can cause folding and snarling, making the process inefficient and requiring additional sorting steps.
Innovation Solution
A device with cleaning disks featuring angled or curved cleaning ribs and transverse cleaning bars that reduce mechanical stress, allowing for optimal cleaning without deformation, and a geometry that ensures all surfaces are accessible for abrasion, eliminating the need for chemicals and improving sorting through matte surface generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional cleaning methods are used on flat shredded plastic, then cleaning action is applied, but folding and snarling occurs causing incomplete cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning ribs are designed with curved or inclined surfaces instead of flat surfaces, creating a gradual transition that guides the plastic flakes through the cleaning gap without sudden movements that cause folding. The curved geometry of the ribs ensures smooth material flow and prevents mechanical stress concentration.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the cleaning ribs have different geometric properties - the inclined flanks provide gentle guidance while the peak surfaces provide abrasive cleaning action. This local variation in geometry allows the system to perform both protective guidance and aggressive cleaning functions simultaneously.
2Productivity
If mechanical stress is applied to clean plastic flakes, then cleaning effectiveness improves, but folding and snarling increases
Solution Approach 1:
The inclined and curved flanks of the cleaning ribs create a gradual compression and expansion zone that reduces mechanical stress peaks. This geometry allows the plastic flakes to be gently guided through the cleaning process, maintaining their flatness while still achieving effective cleaning through the abrasive action at the peak surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning rib geometry is designed to dynamically adapt to the plastic flake thickness and properties. The inclined flanks allow the system to accommodate varying material characteristics while maintaining optimal cleaning contact, ensuring consistent performance across different plastic types.
3Device complexity
If conventional cleaning disk geometry is used, then simple structure is maintained, but not all surfaces are accessible for cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning disk surface is segmented into multiple cleaning ribs with peaks and flanks, creating numerous contact points that can access different surfaces of the plastic flakes. This segmentation allows the system to clean multiple surfaces simultaneously while maintaining a relatively simple overall disk structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning ribs extend in the axial direction with inclined flanks, adding a third dimension to the cleaning contact. This axial extension and inclination allow the cleaning surfaces to reach and clean plastic flakes from multiple angles, ensuring comprehensive surface coverage without requiring complex multi-component structures.
4Manufacturing precision
If additional cleaning chemicals are used, then cleaning thoroughness improves, but environmental impact and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces chemical cleaning mechanisms with enhanced mechanical cleaning through specifically designed rib geometries. The inclined flanks and peak surfaces create optimized mechanical abrasion and friction that achieves thorough cleaning without requiring chemical agents, thereby eliminating chemical contamination concerns.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning rib geometry is designed to self-optimize the mechanical cleaning action through its own structure. The inclined flanks naturally guide the plastic flakes into optimal contact positions with the peak surfaces, creating effective cleaning without external chemical assistance or complex control systems.
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 device achieves thorough cleaning of shredded plastic with reduced mechanical stress, preventing folding and snarling, enhancing conveyability and optical sorting, while reducing the generation of fines and eliminating the need for additional cleaning chemicals.
Implementation Method 1
at least one flank of the cleaning ribs is angled or curved relative to the axial direction of the respective cleaning disk
Implementation Method 2
cleaning surfaces of the cleaning disks each have a plurality of cleaning ribs extending between an inner and outer edge of the cleaning surfaces
Data Source
AI summary
A device for removing impurities from shredded plastic has a first and second cleaning disk with first and second cleaning surfaces, the cleaning surfaces are opposite each other and delimit a cleaning gap. A drive device rotates the cleaning disks, and shredded plastic is fed between the cleaning disks. The cleaning surfaces have a plurality of cleaning ribs extending between an inner and outer edge of the cleaning surfaces, wherein at least one flank of the cleaning ribs is angled or curved relative to the axial direction of the respective cleaning disk, and a plurality of cleaning bars running transversally to the direction of extension of the cleaning ribs are arranged between at least some cleaning ribs neighboring each other.