Cyclic Production Parameter Zones for Stable Part Quality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cyclic production processes, such as injection molding, face challenges in maintaining stability and quality due to external influences like temperature, pressure, and humidity, leading to potential loss of quality and increased monitoring efforts.
Innovation Solution
Establishing a process parameter zone by simulating variations in production settings before actual production, allowing for automatic monitoring and adjustment of process control variables to ensure stability and quality within predefined tolerance ranges, reducing the need for continuous quality checks during production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If continuous monitoring and adjustment of process control variables is performed to maintain quality, then quality stability is improved, but monitoring effort and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by establishing a process parameter zone before actual production begins. Through simulation studies, the system pre-determines which process parameter variations lead to acceptable quality outcomes. This advance preparation creates a lookup table of safe parameter ranges, eliminating the need for continuous real-time monitoring during production, thus resolving the contradiction between quality stability and monitoring time consumption
2Productivity
If process control variables are varied to optimize production, then productivity is improved, but process stability may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamics by creating a process parameter zone that defines dynamic ranges for process parameters rather than fixed single values. This zone approach allows process control variables to vary within acceptable boundaries, enabling production optimization while maintaining stability. The simulation-based methodology identifies the boundaries of this zone, allowing controlled variations that improve productivity without compromising process stability
Data Source
AI summary
A method for carrying out a cyclical manufacturing process produces parts within a predefined quality tolerance. After at least one process adjustment variable is changed, a quality feature of the parts produced with a changed process adjustment variable is checked against the range of the quality tolerance of the produced parts. A process characteristic variable zone is formed in an automated manner using at least one determined process characteristic variable variant that is process-stable and for which the process adjustment variable produces acceptable parts.