Arch-Shaped Profile Element for Machine Tool Cabin Walls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing numerically controlled machine tool cabin wall sections with windows require separate design and manufacturing for each machine type, leading to increased production time and costs, and are prone to damage from dust and dirt, affecting production quality.
Innovation Solution
A profile element with an arch-shaped cross-section for forming a frame element that can be securely attached to the cabin wall, providing dimensional stability, adaptability, and a spring action, allowing for easy assembly and maintenance of a transparent pane or disk, using a combination of connecting and receiving sections with optional folded sections for sealing and securement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If separate design and manufacturing is performed for each machine type, then the cabin wall sections can be precisely adapted to specific machine requirements, but the production period and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a standardized profile element with a universal cross-sectional structure that can be used across different machine types. The profile element includes standardized connecting sections and receiving sections that can be adapted to various machine configurations through numerical control, eliminating the need for completely separate designs for each machine type while maintaining precise adaptation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The cabin wall section is segmented into modular components including the profile element, transparent pane, and connecting sections. This segmentation allows the profile element to be manufactured once and then reused across different machine types, reducing production time while maintaining adaptability through modular reconfiguration.
2Adaptability or versatility
If separate design and manufacturing is performed for each machine type, then the cabin wall sections can be precisely adapted to specific machine requirements, but the manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The profile element serves multiple machine types through its universal design, allowing a single manufacturing process to produce components for various applications. This reduces per-unit costs through economies of scale while maintaining adaptability through standardized interfaces and numerical control capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes in the numerical control process to adapt the standardized profile element to different machine types. By varying control parameters rather than redesigning the entire component, manufacturing costs are reduced while adaptability is maintained.
3Reliability
If traditional window structures are used, then the windows can provide viewing capability, but they become dirty and damaged rapidly in production hall environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs anti-soiling coatings on the transparent pane that change surface properties to prevent dirt and dust accumulation. These coatings maintain optical transparency while creating a surface that resists contamination, thereby extending service life and maintaining viewing quality in production hall environments.
4Quantity of substance
If the profile element uses a thin cross-section, then less material is used and costs are reduced, but dimensional stability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The profile element incorporates an arch-shaped cross-section with curved geometry that provides structural rigidity and dimensional stability despite using minimal material. The curved arch structure distributes mechanical loads efficiently, maintaining stability while reducing material consumption compared to flat or solid cross-sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes a thin-walled arch-shaped profile that acts as a flexible yet stable structure. The thin-walled design minimizes material usage while the arch geometry and strategic thickening at connecting sections provide sufficient dimensional stability for the application.
5Quantity of substance
If the profile element is made with minimal thickness, then material usage and cost are reduced, but mechanical strength decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The arch-shaped cross-section with curved geometry provides high mechanical strength relative to the amount of material used. The curved structure efficiently distributes and redirects mechanical loads, achieving high strength-to-weight ratio and minimizing material usage while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The profile element features local quality variations with strategic thickening at the connecting sections where mechanical strength is most required, while maintaining minimal thickness in other areas to reduce material usage. This localized reinforcement optimizes the strength-to-material ratio.
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 enables a cost-effective, adaptable, and durable frame element for numerically controlled machine tools, reducing production complexity and maintenance effort while protecting the pane from damage and ensuring optimal visibility during operations.
Implementation Method 1
the arch-shaped section has at least a small spring action in the cross-sectional direction, which, in particular when the arch-shaped section is arranged according to the invention between receiving section and connecting section, counteracts mechanical stresses which might be produced e.g. when the profile element is attached to a machine tool
Data Source
AI summary
A profile element for forming a frame element for a cabin wall of a numerically controlled machine tool is disclosed. A cross-section of the profile element has at least one receiving section for receiving a first securing element, at least one arch-shaped section, and at least one connecting section for connecting the frame element to the cabin wall of the machine tool. The arch-shaped section is arranged between the receiving section and the connecting section.