Cable Marker Strip with Tapering Fastening Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for marking electrical conductors and cables during installation are time-consuming, insufficiently legible, and prone to loss, especially in professional environments due to the use of adhesive tapes that are difficult to read and fade quickly.
Innovation Solution
A conductor marker tape with a labeling track made from thermoplastic polyurethane and a fastening structure from a mixture of polycarbonate and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, featuring a U-shaped design with tapering holding legs that securely attach to conductors and allow full-surface printing, combined with a printer system for efficient and permanent marking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If adhesive tape is used for marking conductors, then the marking can be applied quickly, but the marking is difficult to read and fades quickly
Solution Approach 1:
The marking strip uses a composite structure combining a flexible TPU base material with a heat-resistant PC-ABS fastening structure. This composite material approach allows the marking surface to remain writable and flexible while the fastening structure provides durable, heat-resistant attachment to the conductor, solving both the ease of marking and the durability problems of prior adhesive tapes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameters of the marking strip from conventional adhesive tape to thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) with specific flexibility characteristics, and the fastening structure to PC-ABS with heat resistance. These parameter changes enable the marking to be both easily writable (like tape) and permanently durable (unlike temporary tape markers).
2Ease of operation
If adhesive tape is used for marking conductors, then the marking can be applied easily, but the tape can detach and be lost, especially when exposed to heat
Solution Approach 1:
The marking strip uses a composite structure combining a flexible TPU base material with a heat-resistant PC-ABS fastening structure. This composite material approach allows the marking surface to remain writable and flexible while the fastening structure provides durable, heat-resistant attachment to the conductor, solving both the ease of marking and the durability problems of prior adhesive tapes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameters of the marking strip from conventional adhesive tape to thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) with specific flexibility characteristics, and the fastening structure to PC-ABS with heat resistance. These parameter changes enable the marking to be both easily writable (like tape) and permanently durable (unlike temporary tape markers).
3Ease of manufacture
If a multi-component co-extrusion process is used to create a marker strip, then the strip can be printed on and snapped onto the terminal block assembly, but the marking surface may not be fully printable due to material hardness
Solution Approach 1:
The marking strip has different local properties: the marking surface area is made of softer TPU material that is fully printable and writable, while the fastening structure is made of harder PC-ABS material for structural integrity and heat resistance. This local quality differentiation resolves the contradiction between manufacturability and printability.
Solution Approach 2:
The marking strip uses a composite structure combining a flexible TPU base material with a heat-resistant PC-ABS fastening structure. This composite material approach allows the marking surface to remain writable and flexible while the fastening structure provides durable, heat-resistant attachment to the conductor, solving both the ease of marking and the durability problems of prior adhesive tapes.
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b~1c
Figure 2a~2b
AI summary
The present invention relates to a cable marker strip (1) with one, in particular two, rows of cable markers which are arranged behind one another in a cable direction of extent, which cable marker strip (1) comprises a labelling track which has in each case one labelling surface for each cable marker, wherein in each case one fastening structure is provided for each cable marker on a fastening surface of the labelling track, which fastening surface lies opposite the labelling surface, which fastening structure has a connecting track and two holding limbs which are connected to the connecting track, lie opposite one another, and together delimit a cable receptacle, and wherein, starting from the connecting track, a spacing of the holding limbs from one another decreases in the region of the cable receptacle, with the result that the cable receptacle tapers. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a printer for printing the cable marker strip, and to a method for printing the cable marker strip by way of the printer. The printer can comprise a print head (71) which is arranged above pressure bars (811, 812) for the rows of cable markers.