Cable Sheathing via Photopolymerisation Bath for Complex Structures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cable production methods, such as extrusion, offer limited design flexibility and are not suitable for producing complex structures, while 3D manufacturing methods are slow and not economically viable for series production.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a bath of hardenable material with a build-up zone, where the material is cured by exposure, allowing for continuous and flexible application of a sheath to a strand material, enabling the creation of complex structures with high design freedom and high production speed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If extrusion processes are used for cable production, then high production speed is achieved, but design flexibility and ability to produce complex structures are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The extrusion process is segmented into multiple zones: a first zone for initial material deposition and a second zone for subsequent shaping and curing. This segmentation allows the material to be first applied continuously for high-speed production, then selectively shaped into complex structures, thereby resolving the contradiction between production speed and design flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from traditional single-dimensional extrusion to a multi-dimensional process by adding a second zone that operates in a different spatial and functional dimension. The first zone handles continuous material application along the cable length, while the second zone adds transverse shaping capabilities, enabling complex cross-sectional geometries without sacrificing longitudinal production speed.
2Adaptability or versatility
If 3D production processes are used for complex structures, then high design freedom is achieved, but production speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The first extrusion zone performs preliminary action by continuously applying the base layer of material at high speed before the cable enters the second zone. This preliminary material deposition establishes the foundation for complex structures without requiring slow, layer-by-layer 3D printing, thereby maintaining high production speed while enabling subsequent detailed shaping.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention maintains continuity of useful action by ensuring that material application continues uninterrupted through both zones. The first zone provides continuous base material deposition, and the second zone continuously shapes and cures this material as it passes, eliminating the interruptions and slow speeds associated with traditional 3D printing while preserving design freedom.
3Productivity
If traditional extrusion is used, then high production speed is maintained, but ability to create complex shapes and contours is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces dynamics into the extrusion process by allowing the second zone to dynamically adjust shaping parameters, tool positions, and curing conditions based on the desired complex geometry. This dynamic capability enables precise control over complex shapes and contours while the first zone maintains steady, high-speed material supply, resolving the contradiction between production speed and shape 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
Enables the production of cables with complex, customizable sheaths at high speed and low cost, suitable for both mass production and individual pieces, with improved mechanical and electrical properties.
Implementation Method 1
a build-up zone being formed in the bath, within which the hardenable material is at least partially hardened by means of at least one exposure source
Data Source
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AI summary
A method produces a cable. A sheath is applied to a product in strand form and the product in strand form is supplied, for this purpose, to an apparatus which has a bath containing a curable material. A build-up zone is formed in the bath, within which build-up zone the curable material is at least partially cured by an exposure source and through which the product in strand form is conveyed lengthwise in a conveying direction, so that cured material is arranged on the product in strand form and is conveyed out of the bath together with the product in strand form as a sheath on the product in strand form.