Corrugated Cardboard Feeding Apparatus Suction Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing corrugated fiberboard feeding apparatuses face challenges in stably transporting both long and short corrugated fiberboards due to insufficient transporting power, particularly when handling short sheets, leading to potential slipping and quality issues like printing position shifts.
Innovation Solution
A corrugated fiberboard feeding apparatus with an upstream transporting unit featuring multiple ejection rollers and a downstream transporting unit with a suction unit and feed rollers, where the distance between the downstream end of the suction unit opening and the ejection roller axis is set to match or be shorter than the transport rollers' distance, ensuring consistent negative pressure and stable transport, along with an auxiliary suction unit to complement power when needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a single suction unit is used to transport corrugated fiberboard, then the apparatus structure is simple, but transporting power is insufficient particularly for short sheets
Solution Approach 1:
The suction unit is divided into multiple independent suction units (first suction unit and second suction unit) arranged in the transfer direction. Each suction unit has its own opening and can independently generate suction force. This segmentation allows the system to provide sufficient transporting power by distributing the suction force across multiple units, particularly effective when handling short corrugated fiberboards that cannot fully cover a single large opening.
2Power
If the suction unit opening is made large to cover short sheets, then transporting power is improved, but the opening cannot be fully covered by short sheets leading to insufficient negative pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The single large suction opening is segmented into multiple smaller openings (first suction opening and second suction opening). Each opening is sized and positioned such that short corrugated fiberboards can fully cover at least one opening, ensuring consistent negative pressure generation. The multiple openings work together to provide sufficient total suction force while maintaining reliable pressure consistency for each individual opening.
Solution Approach 2:
Each suction unit has its opening positioned at a specific location optimized for its function. The first suction unit's opening is positioned to effectively engage with the upstream end of the fiberboard, while the second suction unit's opening is positioned for the downstream end. This local optimization ensures that each opening receives adequate coverage from the fiberboard surface, maintaining consistent negative pressure regardless of fiberboard length.
3Length of moving object
If ejection rollers are positioned far from the suction unit, then the transporting distance is covered, but transporting power is lost before the fiberboard reaches the suction unit
Solution Approach 1:
The ejection rollers are positioned such that they eject the corrugated fiberboard directly into close proximity of the suction unit openings. The first ejection roller ejects the upstream end of the fiberboard toward the first suction opening, and the second ejection roller ejects the downstream end toward the second suction opening. This preliminary positioning ensures that the fiberboard is already in the effective suction zone when negative pressure is applied, preventing power loss during transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The ejection rollers act as intermediaries that bridge the gap between the fiberboard storage location and the suction unit. They provide the initial propulsion to bring the fiberboard into the suction zone, where the suction unit then takes over for continued transport. This intermediary action ensures continuous and efficient power transmission throughout the transport process.
4Power
If multiple suction units are used to improve transporting power, then power is sufficient, but the distance between suction units increases apparatus complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The first suction unit and second suction unit are merged into a single integrated suction unit structure. They share common support framework, control systems, and housing, while maintaining separate functional openings. This merging approach provides the transporting power of multiple independent units while minimizing the increase in apparatus complexity through shared components and compact arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The suction unit is designed with multi-functionality, where the first and second suction units can independently operate or work in combination. The same suction unit structure can handle various fiberboard lengths by activating appropriate openings, and the ejection rollers serve dual purposes of positioning and propelling. This universality reduces overall system complexity while maintaining versatile transporting capability.
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
This configuration ensures stable transportation of both long and short corrugated fiberboards to the sheet processing unit, preventing slipping and maintaining printing position accuracy by maintaining appropriate transporting power and suction pressure.
Implementation Method 1
a downstream suction unit that has an opening facing a sheet transport passage and a feed roller that is accommodated in the downstream suction unit and has an outer circumferential surface of which a part protrudes to a sheet transport passage side
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A corrugated cardboard sheet feeding apparatus, which comprises: an upstream-side conveying unit (24A) which conveys a corrugated cardboard sheet (100a) mounted on delivery rollers (15b); and a downstream-side conveying unit (24B) which is adjacent to the downstream side of the upstream-side conveying unit (24A) and conveys, to a sheet processing unit, the corrugated cardboard sheet (100a) delivered from the upstream-side conveying unit (24A). The downstream-side conveying unit (24B) has: a downstream-side suction unit (21A) which has openings (21a) facing a sheet conveyance path; and feed rollers (11b) with a portion of the outer peripheral surfaces thereof protruding towards the sheet conveyance path, which are accommodated in the downstream-side suction unit (21A). The distance (L1) between the downstream ends (21b) of the openings (21a) and the axis (CL1) of the most-downstream-side delivery rollers (15b) is set to be not larger than the maximum range of the distance between the conveyance rollers of the sheet processing unit.