Automated Orifice Plate Swapping for Molten Glass Flow Changes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Changing the orifice ring in glass feeding systems to alter the shape and size of molten glass streams is time-consuming and exposes maintenance personnel to high temperatures, leading to productivity losses.
Innovation Solution
An orifice plate change system that allows for automatic transition between orifice plates, eliminating downtime and reducing exposure to hazardous conditions by using a guide arrangement with charging, operating, and discharged plate regions, along with an actuator to slide plates into position, ensuring secure sealing engagement with the spout bowl arrangement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If manual removal of orifice ring is used to change orifice configuration, then orifice plate can be changed, but significant time is lost and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from static manual orifice ring replacement to dynamic automated orifice plate swapping. Multiple orifice plates are positioned in a magazine, and an actuator automatically translates them into the operational position, enabling rapid configuration changes without manual intervention and eliminating production downtime.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple orifice plates are pre-positioned in the magazine in different configurations before operation begins. When a configuration change is needed, the system simply switches to a pre-prepared plate rather than creating a new one, significantly reducing changeover time and improving productivity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual removal of orifice ring is used to change orifice configuration, then orifice plate can be changed, but maintenance personnel are exposed to high temperature glass and components
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs the dangerous task of orifice plate replacement automatically through an actuator mechanism, eliminating the need for maintenance personnel to manually handle hot components. The actuator translates orifice plates into position without human contact, allowing personnel to remain in safe, cool environments while the system serves itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator serves as an intermediary between the control system and the orifice plates, performing the hazardous physical task of plate translation. This intermediary mechanism protects maintenance personnel from direct exposure to high-temperature glass and components while still enabling orifice configuration changes.
3Productivity
If automated actuator system is implemented for orifice plate change, then productivity increases and safety improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the orifice plate management function into separate components: a magazine holding multiple plates, an actuator mechanism for translation, and a control system. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall design compared to a fully integrated manual system.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator mechanism serves multiple functions: it translates orifice plates into position, holds them securely during operation, and can be controlled programmatically. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate mechanisms for each task, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while maintaining high productivity and safety benefits.
Data Source
AI summary
A change system for changing an orifice plate that is registered with an orifice ring is provided. The orifice plate change system includes a guide arrangement, a plurality of orifice plates, and an actuator. The guide arrangement has a charging plate region and an operating plate region. Each orifice plate is configured to be slidably carried by the guide arrangement between the charging plate region and the operating plate region in which the orifice thereof is registered with the orifice ring orifice. A first orifice plate has a first orifice and a second orifice plate has a second orifice that is different than the first orifice such that a stream of molten glass that passes through the second is different than a stream of molten glass passing through the first orifice. The actuator translates the orifice plates from the charging plate region to the operating plate region.