Automatic Bag Unloading System with Gripper and Spreader
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current bag making machines produce bags at high speeds (up to 800 per minute) with varying dimensions, making it impractical for a single operator to manually unload and bind packages of 50 to 100 bags, especially with long and narrow bags like those for bread, which are difficult to stack and handle efficiently.
Innovation Solution
An automatic unloading system comprising a spreader and gripping pliers that separates and collects packages from the production line, allowing for automatic handling and binding of bags of varying sizes, including long and narrow ones, by rotating and translating the packages onto a sliding plane for efficient unloading and binding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual unloading and binding is used, then operators can handle packages of bags, but at high production speeds (800 bags per minute) a single operator is not capable of dealing with the production
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic unloading and binding operations without operator intervention. The pliers automatically grasp packages at the outlet, transport them to the binding device, and perform binding operations autonomously, allowing the system to service itself at high production speeds
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical operations by operators are replaced with an automated mechanical system comprising pliers for grasping, a transport mechanism for moving packages, and an automatic binding device. This substitution enables the system to handle 800 bags per minute without operator limitation
2Productivity
If long and narrow bags are stacked manually, then packages can be formed, but these bags are difficult to keep stacked even for very short stacking paths
Solution Approach 1:
A support surface acts as an intermediary between the long and narrow bags and the stacking mechanism. This intermediary provides a stable base that prevents the bags from toppling during the stacking process, enabling reliable package formation even for difficult bag geometries
Solution Approach 2:
The system addresses the stacking difficulty by utilizing the horizontal dimension of the support surface rather than relying solely on vertical stacking. The support surface extends horizontally to provide stability, allowing packages to be formed without the bags toppling during short stacking paths
3Extent of automation
If automatic unloading system is implemented, then operator intervention is eliminated, but the system complexity increases with spreader and gripping pliers mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The pliers are designed as a multi-functional component that performs both grasping of packages and transport to the binding device. This universal component reduces overall system complexity by combining multiple functions in a single mechanism rather than requiring separate components for each function
Solution Approach 2:
The spreader and gripping pliers mechanisms are integrated into a coordinated system where the outlet plate with spreader prepares packages for grasping by the pliers. This merging of functions creates a streamlined automatic unloading system that handles package separation, grasping, and transport in a unified manner
Data Source
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AI summary
The present automatic unloading system makes packages of paper bags or bags made of paper with a strip of transparent film, having variable sizes according to the bag making machine with which it is matched, the packages consisting of a quantity or number of bags which is preset by the user. Said system consists of two complementary sets, the first referred to as a spreader, which separates the desired package of bags in the continuous production of the bag making machine, and the second which takes said package with a movable pliers system, separates it from the production line and sends it to the binding section at the end of the system, always during the continuous production.