Bundle Breaker With Scrap Chute for Continuous Operation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Scrap material from logs of corrugated paperboard sheets accumulates beneath bundle breakers, interfering with machine operation and requiring time-consuming manual cleaning due to inaccessible areas.
Innovation Solution
A bundle breaker with an integrated scrap chute and actuated platens that clamp logs, combined with a scrap chute beneath the breaking conveyors to collect and guide scrap material into a drawer, minimizing interference and facilitating automated cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If scrap material accumulates beneath the bundle breaker, then the breaking operation continues, but the scrap interferes with proper operation and requires machine shutdown for cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful scrap material from the operational area by introducing a scrap chute that captures and redirects scrap away from beneath the bundle breaker. The chute is positioned to receive scrap falling from the breaking zone and convey it to a collection drawer, effectively removing the interference problem while maintaining continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The scrap chute acts as an intermediary element between the breaking zone and the collection area. It provides a dedicated pathway for scrap material, preventing it from accumulating in the operational space while allowing the breaking operation to proceed uninterrupted.
2Reliability
If manual cleaning is performed to remove scrap, then the scrap is removed, but the process is time-consuming due to inaccessible areas
Solution Approach 1:
The scrap chute system is designed to automatically capture and convey scrap material without requiring manual intervention during operation. The gravity-fed chute continuously directs scrap to the collection drawer, and the drawer can be easily accessed and emptied, making the cleaning process self-service oriented and minimizing downtime.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the spatial arrangement by introducing a scrap drawer that can be accessed from the side or front of the machine rather than requiring access to the inaccessible area beneath the breaker. This dimensional change in access points dramatically reduces cleaning time and improves maintenance efficiency.
3Quantity of substance
If the scrap chute is positioned to catch all scrap, then scrap collection is improved, but the chute may interfere with the breaking conveyors
Solution Approach 1:
The scrap chute is strategically positioned at specific locations where scrap naturally accumulates or falls during the breaking operation. Rather than attempting to cover the entire area, the chute is placed at critical zones such as near the platens and conveyor gaps, providing effective scrap capture with minimal structural complexity.
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 effectively captures and directs scrap material away from the breaking area, reducing operational disruptions and enabling continuous machine operation with minimal manual intervention.
Implementation Method 1
A third actuator is configured to shift the downstream breaking support relative to the upstream breaking support from a first position to a second position to break the first portion of the log from the second portion of the log
Implementation Method 2
a first actuator is operably connected to the first platen and configured to shift the first platen toward a raised position above the downstream breaking support and toward a lowered position above the downstream breaking support to selectively clamp a first portion of a log between a bottom contact surface of the first platen and the downstream breaking support
Implementation Method 3
a second actuator operably connected to the second platen and configured to shift the second platen toward a raised position above the upstream breaking support and toward a lowered position above the upstream breaking support to selectively clamp a second portion of the log between a bottom contact surface of the second platen and the upstream breaking support
Implementation Method 4
a scrap chute is provided at a junction of the output end of the upstream breaking support and the input end of the downstream breaking support to catch scrap material falling between the upstream support and the downstream breaking support
Data Source
AI summary
A bundle breaker has downstream and upstream breaking supports, first and second platens located over the respective breaking supports and first and second actuators to move the platens to selectively clamp portions of a log against the breaking supports. A third actuator shifts the downstream breaking support relative to the upstream breaking support from a first position to a second position to break a bundle from the log. A scrap chute is mounted below a junction of the upstream and downstream breaking support to catch scrap material falling between the upstream support and the downstream breaking support. Each time the downstream breaking conveyor is shifted to the second position, scrap in the chute is jolted and is shifted toward a discharge opening of the scrap chute and, optionally, into a scrap drawer.