Conductor Storage Cassette With Movable Support for Damage-Free Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
The production of bent conductors for electrodynamic machines is hindered by manufacturing defects, leading to conductor rejection and production delays, and the direct transport of unbent conductors is prone to deformation during storage and handling.
Innovation Solution
A cassette with a movable support element and parallel contact surfaces for storing unbent conductors, allowing safe and stable storage and precise handling through a lifting device, and optional features like RFID chips for identification and adjustable dividers for varying lengths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If unbent conductor bars are directly transported to the bending station, then production time is reduced, but the conductor bars are prone to deformation and damage during transport
Solution Approach 1:
The cassette serves as an intermediary storage device between the production line and the bending station. It provides a protected intermediate holding area where conductor bars can be stored safely without direct exposure to transport risks, while still enabling efficient production flow.
Solution Approach 2:
The cassette allows conductor bars to be prepared and stacked in advance in a protected environment before being transported to the bending station. This preliminary stacking action ensures proper arrangement and protection before the final transport step.
2Duration of action of moving object
If conductor bars are stored on a separate pallet, then intermediate storage is enabled, but the loosely arranged bars can slip and deform during transport
Solution Approach 1:
The side walls of the cassette act as flexible containment structures that hold the conductor bars in place. These walls provide lateral support and prevent the bars from slipping or deforming during transport, while still allowing easy access for loading and unloading operations.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of trying to secure the conductor bars with complex clamping or fastening mechanisms, the solution inverts the approach by using the cassette walls themselves as the securing element. The bars are held passively by the confined space rather than active restraint mechanisms.
3Area of stationary object
If a large number of conductor bars are stored in a compact area, then space efficiency is improved, but access for loading and unloading becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The cassette is designed as a segmented structure with distinct functional zones: side walls for containment, an open top for loading/unloading, and an internal stacking area for storage. This segmentation allows the compact storage volume to maintain easy accessibility through the open top interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The cassette utilizes vertical stacking in the third dimension to achieve compact storage while maintaining horizontal accessibility. Conductor bars are stacked vertically within the cassette, allowing a large number to be stored in a small footprint while loading and unloading remain accessible from the top.
4Reliability
If the cassette structure is made robust to prevent deformation, then protection is improved, but the weight and complexity of the cassette increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective function is extracted from a complex rigid structure and implemented through simple vertical side walls. Only the essential protective elements (side walls and base) are included, while unnecessary structural complexity is removed. The design achieves protection through minimal necessary structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The cassette parameters (wall height, base strength, overall dimensions) are optimized to provide adequate protection for the specific application. The structure is designed with just enough robustness to prevent deformation during normal handling, avoiding over-engineering that would increase weight and complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b
Figure 1c
AI summary
A cassette (1) for storing a stack (43) of straight ladders (36), comprising: - a cassette frame (2) with a first wall element (4a) and a second wall element (4b) facing each other, wherein a space (5) is formed between the opposing wall elements (4a, 4b), and wherein the space (5) is bounded by mutually parallel bearing surfaces (6a, 6b) of the wall elements (4a, 4b) for the ladders (36, 36a, 36b), - and a support element (3) which is slidably guided between the wall elements (4a, 4b) along a stacking direction (SR), wherein the support element (3) abuts the cassette frame (2) in a position (28) lowest with respect to the stacking direction (SR), wherein the support element (3) has a bearing surface (20) on its upper side (19) for the stack (43) of straight ladders (36) forms, wherein the cassette (1) is designed such that the support element (3) for an external lifting device (32,32a-32d) for sliding between the wall elements (4a, 4b), and wherein the cassette frame (2) has a loading slot (10) on a loading side (9) opposite a bottom side (24) with respect to the stacking direction (SR) for inserting and removing one of the topmost extension ladders (36a) of the stack (43) of straight extension ladders (36) on the support surface (20). The cassette provides a storage structure for straight extension ladders, enabling a large number of straight extension ladders to be easily and gently stored, safely kept, and made available again for further processing.