Closing Device Assembly via Immediate Transfer and Pushing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for molding and assembling closing devices for pourable products require loose tolerances and complex, time-consuming processes, leading to potential damage and difficulty in identifying worn mold cavities, which can result in fragments contaminating the product.
Innovation Solution
A method involving immediate assembly of injection-molded collar, cap, and cutting element using a robotized transferring unit and assembling unit, allowing for concentric alignment and reciprocal pushing operations within a short time frame to achieve precise assembly without fiber shrinkage, thereby maintaining close tolerances and preventing breakages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If components are assembled after resting for hours or days to allow fiber stretching, then assembly is easier, but production time increases and tolerances must be loose
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-stretching the fibers during the injection molding process itself, rather than requiring post-molding resting time. The injection molding parameters are optimized to ensure fibers are adequately stretched and oriented before demolding, allowing immediate assembly without waiting for fiber relaxation. This eliminates the time delay while maintaining assembly ease.
2Ease of manufacture
If loose tolerances are used to allow coupling between components, then assembly is simpler, but component precision decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the plastic material during injection molding, specifically controlling temperature, pressure, and injection rate to optimize fiber orientation and dimensional stability. By adjusting these parameters, the components achieve precise dimensions and stable geometry immediately after molding, enabling tight tolerances while maintaining ease of coupling through the standardized interface design.
3Manufacturing precision
If complex assembling operations are used to achieve precise assembly, then assembly precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the closing device into modular components (collar, cap, cutting element) that are independently molded with standardized interfaces. Each component is designed with specific geometric features that guide their assembly, reducing the need for complex alignment operations. The segmentation allows simple linear pushing operations rather than complex multi-step assembly processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces guide elements and standardized interface features as intermediaries between components. These intermediary features automatically align components during the pushing operation, ensuring precise assembly without requiring complex manual alignment or adjustment procedures. The guide features act as mediators that translate simple linear motion into precise component positioning.
4Ease of operation
If components are pushed together during assembly, then assembly is straightforward, but component profiles may be damaged creating fragments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates cushioning features in the form of compliant elements and progressive deformation zones within the component designs. These features absorb and distribute the assembly forces, preventing stress concentration that could cause profile damage or fragment formation. The cushioning is built into the component geometry itself, allowing straightforward pushing assembly while protecting component integrity.
Data Source
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AI summary
Method of molding and assembling at least one closing device (10) of the type that can be constrained to a container (100) for pourable products at a pierceable portion (101) thereof, said closing device comprising a collar (11) combinable with said pierceable portion, a cap (12) combinable with the outer surface (11a) of said collar (11), and a movable cutting element (13) for severing, when the device is assembled, said pierceable portion (101), said method comprising the steps of: a) obtaining said collar, said cutting element and said cap of said at least one closing device by means of an injection molding plant; b) assembling said collar, said cutting element and said cap with one another for forming said closing device by means of a reciprocal pushing operation thanks to an assembling unit (4); characterized by comprising the step of c) transferring said collar, said cutting element and said cap directly from said molding plant (2) to said assembling unit (3) by means of a transferring unit (4), once said collar, said cutting element and said cap have been made in said step a).