Creel Threader with Cam Grippers for Automated Filament Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current creel systems require manual transfer of filamentary materials from spools to organizers, which is time-consuming and prone to tangling, misplacement, and labor-intensive, necessitating the need for automated solutions that reduce labor and improve operational efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An automated creel threader system utilizing a motor-driven attachment chain with grippers that automatically transfers filamentary materials from spools to an organizer, featuring a chain guide, motor drive assembly, return sprocket, and cam grippers to manage and tension the materials, reducing manual handling and tangling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual transfer of filamentary material is used, then labor flexibility is maintained, but setup time increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses self-contained cam-actuated grippers that automatically grasp and transfer filamentary material without requiring manual intervention. The cam mechanism converts rotational motion into automated gripping and release actions, enabling the system to serve itself in the transfer operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operations with an automated motor-driven chain system. The motor drive assembly converts electrical energy to mechanical motion, which is then transmitted through the chain to actuate grippers, substituting human labor with an automated electromechanical system.
2Reliability
If manual pulling of filamentary material is used, then equipment complexity is reduced, but material tangling and misplacement occur
Solution Approach 1:
The cam-actuated gripper serves as an intermediary device between the motor drive assembly and the filamentary material. It provides controlled grasping and release actions, ensuring accurate material transfer without direct manual handling, thereby preventing tangling and misplacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates visual indicators such as colored tags or markings on the filamentary material and corresponding indicators on the grippers. This allows operators to verify proper material loading and gripper positioning, enhancing transfer accuracy without increasing mechanical complexity.
3Reliability
If comb-like devices are used for transfer, then automation is partially achieved, but wire tangling and mislocation still occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the gripping function from the chain itself and implements it through separate cam-actuated grippers. This allows each gripper to independently grasp and control individual strands of filamentary material, preventing tangling that occurs when multiple wires are handled simultaneously by a comb-like structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The transfer system is segmented into multiple independent cam-actuated grippers spaced along the chain, each capable of handling individual strands. This segmentation allows precise control over each material strand, improving organization accuracy while keeping each gripper mechanism relatively simple.
4Ease of operation
If substantial pull-off forces are applied, then material transfer is achieved, but operator difficulty and safety risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual pulling operations with a motor-driven chain system that applies controlled forces through cam-actuated grippers. The motor provides the necessary pulling force without requiring operator physical effort, eliminating safety risks associated with manual handling of heavy or tense filamentary materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The cam mechanism provides dynamic control over the gripping force, automatically adjusting the pull-off force applied to the filamentary material. This ensures sufficient force for successful transfer while preventing excessive force that could cause material damage or safety hazards, all without operator intervention.
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 automated creel threader significantly reduces setup time, minimizes material tangling, and enhances operational safety by automating the transfer process, allowing for continuous operation without the need for a second creel system, while monitoring pulling forces to prevent entanglements.
Implementation Method 1
a motor drive assembly (60) that transforms electrical energy to mechanical energy to drive the attachment chain
Implementation Method 2
cam grippers (70) to manage and tension the materials
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
A creel threader (50) for use with a creel system (20) that holds a plurality of spools (24) where each spool carries a filamentary material (32) includes a guide (56) supported by the creel, an endless loop (66) carried by the guide, a drive assembly (60) coupled to the endless loop and at least one gripper (70) carried by the endless loop. The gripper receives the filamentary material from at least one of the spools, and the drive assembly moves the gripper and the received filamentary material from the spool to an output end of the creel system for further processing. Related methods of operation are also disclosed.