Conveyor Abutment Suction Perforations for Rod Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conveyor systems for aligning rod-shaped articles, such as cigarettes and cigars, face issues with damage and material loss due to impact with abutment portions and excessive suction, which can lead to clogging of suction ducts.
Innovation Solution
A conveyor system with suction flutes oriented perpendicularly to the feed path, featuring abutment portions with suction zones defined by small-diameter suction perforations (less than 1 mm) to securely hold rod-shaped articles without allowing filling particles or fibers to be sucked into the suction ducts, preventing damage and clogging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If suction is increased to prevent article rebounding, then article holding stability is improved, but particles and fibers are sucked into the suction ducts causing clogging
Solution Approach 1:
The suction system is segmented into multiple suction openings distributed across the abutment portion, with each opening having a controlled size. This segmentation allows the suction force to be distributed across multiple points rather than concentrated, preventing both article rebounding and excessive particle intake that would cause clogging.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the abutment portion have different suction characteristics. The suction openings are strategically positioned and sized to create local variations in suction strength, providing sufficient holding force to prevent rebounding while limiting the suction intensity at any single point to avoid drawing in particles and fibers.
2Manufacturing precision
If abutment portion is provided to align articles, then alignment precision is improved, but article damage occurs due to impact and rebounding
Solution Approach 1:
The abutment portion incorporates suction openings that utilize pneumatic forces to gently hold articles against the abutment surface. This pneumatic holding mechanism replaces or supplements mechanical contact, reducing impact forces and rebounding that cause article damage while maintaining precise alignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The suction force is activated before articles fully contact the abutment portion, creating a cushioning effect that prevents hard impacts. The pneumatic field is established in advance to softly guide articles into their final aligned positions, minimizing shock and rebounding that would otherwise damage the articles.
3Reliability
If suction openings are enlarged to improve particle intake, then suction effectiveness is improved, but clogging risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The suction system uses multiple small suction openings distributed across the abutment portion rather than a single large opening. This segmentation provides sufficient total suction area for effective particle intake while keeping individual opening sizes small enough to prevent clogging by particles and fibers.
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 solution effectively prevents damage to the articles and reduces maintenance by ensuring that particles or fibers are not sucked into the suction ducts, thereby maintaining the integrity of the articles and reducing the need for frequent cleaning.
Implementation Method 1
The abutment portion is provided with a suction zone (4) to hold the end of the article or group of articles by suction against the abutment portion
Data Source
AI summary
A conveyor for aligning rod-shaped articles and including a succession of flutes which are movable along a feed path and which are configured to hold respective rod-shaped articles or groups of rod-shaped articles. For each flute, the conveyor has an abutment portion, disposed at least at one end of the flute to define an abutment surface for one end of the rod-shaped article or group of rod-shaped articles housed in the suction flute. The abutment portion is provided with at least one suction zone to hold the end of the rod-shaped article or group of rod-shaped articles by suction against the abutment portion. The suction zone is defined by a plurality of suction perforations, connected or connectable to a negative pressure source and whose transverse size is, for example, smaller than 1 mm, preferably smaller than 0.8 mm and, still more preferably, smaller than 0.6 mm.