Capacitor Coating Fixture for Automated End Surface Application
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Solution Overview
Problem
In large-scale manufacturing of film capacitors, existing coating processes face difficulties in efficiently coating the end surfaces of capacitors without coating the side surfaces, which affects efficiency and workability, and require manual flipping of capacitors, leading to inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A fixture comprising a first and second member with holders arranged along their edges, allowing for alignment and attachment to form holding portions that securely position capacitors, preventing side surface coating and enabling automated coating and cleaning of end surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If capacitors are placed on a conveyor and coated sequentially with a fixed coating gun, then coating can be performed, but the process is inefficient and requires manual flipping of capacitors
Solution Approach 1:
The fixture allows the capacitor to be dynamically positioned and flipped automatically during the coating process. The holder can rotate or adjust to present different faces of the capacitor to the coating gun, eliminating manual flipping while maintaining coating quality and efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixture is designed to automatically handle the capacitor positioning and flipping operations without requiring manual intervention. The mechanism enables the system to service itself by automatically adjusting the capacitor orientation for continuous coating operation.
2Productivity
If the coating gun is fixedly arranged, then the coating process is simple, but it is difficult to coat both sides of the capacitor efficiently in large scale manufacturing
Solution Approach 1:
The fixture is divided into multiple holders, each capable of independently positioning and coating specific faces of the capacitor. This segmentation allows simultaneous coating operations on different sides of the capacitor, increasing productivity without requiring an overly complex single integrated system.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixture holders are designed with multi-functionality to accommodate different coating operations on the same capacitor. Each holder can position the capacitor for coating on various faces and can be adjusted to handle different capacitor sizes and configurations, making the system universally applicable.
3Manufacturing precision
If capacitors are coated on end surfaces, then the metal electrode surface is formed, but coating material may be applied on side surfaces affecting workability
Solution Approach 1:
A masking element is introduced as an intermediary component between the coating gun and the capacitor holder. This masking element selectively blocks the coating material from reaching the side surfaces of the capacitor while allowing precise coating of the end surfaces, thus preventing contamination without requiring complex positioning adjustments.
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 fixture allows for efficient and automated coating of end surfaces of capacitors while preventing coating material from reaching the side surfaces, improving manufacturing efficiency and reducing manual handling errors.
Implementation Method 1
This process is to use compressed air to coat a liquid metal from a nozzle on the end face of the capacitor core at a high speed to form a metal electrode surface
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention pertains to a fixture (100) for holding elements (200) during coating operation. The fixture comprises a first member (10), having a front surface and a plurality of first holders (12), a second member (20), having a front surface and a plurality of second holders (22), and an attachment means (30) for removable attachment of the first edge (14) of the first member (10) to the second edge (24) of the second member (20) in a position in which the front surfaces of the first member (10) and the second member (20) are in alignment with each other. The respective first holder (12) is arranged opposite to a respective associated second holder (22) so as to form a holding portion (40) configured to hold the element (200).