Programmable Border Slitter for Automated Blade Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing border slitting machines require manual operations for positioning and sharpening slitting blades, are labor-intensive, and inefficient, leading to increased costs and reduced productivity in manufacturing border pieces for mattress covers and other quilted soft goods.
Innovation Solution
A programmable border slitter that automates the positioning and sharpening of slitting blades, allows for continuous operation, and enables individual blade replacement without disrupting the entire slitting machine, using a system with multiple rollers, a cross rail, slitting blade positioning system, and a control unit to manage the movement and sharpening of blades.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual operations are used for positioning and sharpening slitting blades, then the machine structure remains simple, but labor intensity increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The slitting blade positioning system automatically positions blades without manual intervention. The system includes a positioning motor, scale, and controller that work together to move blades to predetermined positions automatically, eliminating the need for manual positioning operations and significantly improving manufacturing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical positioning with an automated electromechanical system. A positioning motor drives a lead screw or rack and pinion mechanism, controlled by a microprocessor-based controller that reads blade position data from a scale, substituting human operators with an automated control system.
2Ease of repair
If slitting blades are mounted on a common drive shaft, then the drive system is simplified, but blade replacement becomes time-consuming and requires removal of multiple blades
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the blade mounting system so that each slitting blade is independently mounted on the drive shaft rather than being fixed in a group. This segmentation allows individual blades to be removed and replaced without disturbing other blades, enabling quick blade replacement and minimizing machine downtime while maintaining a simple common drive shaft structure.
3Measurement precision
If manual blade positioning is used, then the positioning system remains simple, but positioning precision and repeatability are poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a scale (encoder) that provides feedback on the actual position of each slitting blade to the controller. The controller uses this feedback information to accurately determine blade positions and make precise adjustments, ensuring high positioning accuracy and repeatability while maintaining a relatively simple positioning system structure.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for feeding and slitting soft goods has multiple slitting systems with respective slitting blades mounted on a cross rail. A slitting blade positioning system is movable parallel with the cross rail and operable to move slitting systems along the cross rail. A material feed motor is connected to a feed roller and operable to move the soft goods past the slitting system. A control is first operable to cause the slitting blade positioning system to move identified slitting systems to desired positions on the cross rail. Thereafter, the control operates a drive shaft motor to rotate slitting blades mounted on the drive shaft and the material feed motor, thereby moving the soft goods past the slitting blades.