Cooling Polymeric Separator for Pick and Place Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pick and place machines face challenges in accurately handling and placing thin polymeric substrates due to their flexible nature, which leads to bending, wrinkling, and deformation, affecting precision and efficiency in battery assembly operations.
Innovation Solution
Cooling the thin polymeric substrates below their glass transition temperature to render them rigid, allowing for precise cutting and handling using a pick and place machine without deformation during translation and placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If thin polymeric substrates are handled at room temperature, then they remain flexible and easy to process, but they bend and flex during pick and place operations, preventing accurate transportation and placement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by cooling the thin polymeric substrate below its glass transition temperature to alter its physical state from flexible to rigid. This temperature parameter change enables the substrate to maintain its shape during pick and place operations, achieving accurate placement while still allowing for efficient handling through the rigid state
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes phase transitions by cooling the substrate through its glass transition temperature, causing a phase change from a flexible, rubbery state to a rigid, glassy state. This phase transition occurs rapidly and allows the substrate to be easily manipulated in its rigid form during automated assembly operations
2Productivity
If pick and place machines are used to handle flexible substrates, then automation efficiency increases, but the substrates wrinkle and bend, preventing accurate transportation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by cooling the substrate below its glass transition temperature before it enters the pick and place machine. This pre-cooling step ensures the substrate is already in a rigid state, preventing wrinkling and bending during the automated handling and transportation processes that follow
3Ease of operation
If custom tooling is designed to handle flexible substrates, then handling capability improves, but manufacturing costs and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the temperature parameter of the substrate to alter its handling characteristics, allowing standard pick and place tooling to effectively handle what would otherwise require specialized equipment. This parameter change eliminates the need for complex custom tooling designs
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 method ensures accurate placement and alignment of substrates, reducing manufacturing delays and costs associated with customizing tooling, while maintaining dimensional accuracy and preventing ionic flow bypass in battery cells.
Implementation Method 1
cooling a thin polymeric substrate below a threshold temperature so that the thin polymeric substrate transitions from a flexible state to a rigid state
Data Source
AI summary
The described embodiments relate to methods and apparatus for improving pick and place operations. Pick and place operations involving the movement of flexible substrates can be improved by cooling a flexible substrate below a threshold temperature at which the flexible substrate transitions from a flexible state to a rigid state. Once in the rigid state, the flexible substrate can be handled and maneuvered by pick and place operations for a period of time with a limited risk of the flexible substrate wrinkling and tearing. In some embodiments, the flexible substrate is a thin polymeric substrate used to separate oppositely charged battery cells within a battery assembly.