Destacking Screw Immersion Elements for Tray Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing stacking devices are unable to reliably unstack trays with overlapping edges due to destacker screws that rotate in one direction, which fail to penetrate between stacked trays and separate them effectively, especially when the trays have low wall thickness and adhere to each other.
Innovation Solution
A stacking device with continuously rotating destacker screws featuring a cutting disk with a first and second immersion element, where the first element creates a gap between adjacent trays and the second element further separates them, allowing for reliable unstacking even with small edge gaps and high overlap.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single immersion element is used in the destacking screw, then the device structure is simple, but it cannot reliably separate trays with small edge gaps and large overlap
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting disc is segmented into multiple immersion elements (first immersion element and second immersion element) arranged at different radial positions. The first immersion element creates an initial gap between trays, while the second immersion element further separates the trays. This segmentation allows reliable separation of trays with small edge gaps without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms.
2Productivity
If destacking screws rotate in one direction only, then the operation is simple and continuous, but the screws cannot penetrate between stacked trays to separate them effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The first immersion element performs a preliminary action by creating an initial gap between the stacked trays before the second immersion element acts. This preliminary gap creation enables the continuously rotating destacking screw to effectively penetrate and separate trays that would otherwise be too tightly stacked, maintaining both continuous operation and reliable separation.
3Reliability
If trays are stacked with large overlap and small edge gaps, then the stack is compact, but existing destacking devices cannot create sufficient gap to separate the trays
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of relying solely on radial gap creation, the invention uses immersion elements that extend into the vertical dimension between stacked trays. The first and second immersion elements create gaps at different depths, effectively utilizing the vertical dimension to separate trays even when horizontal edge gaps are minimal, thus enabling separation of compact stacks.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a destacking device (4) comprising a frame (40) for receiving at least one stack of trays (9) and comprising several destacking screws (5) configured to be operated continuously in one direction of rotation (D), each destacking screw (5) having a separating disc (6) and a helically shaped helix (10). It is characterized in that the separating disc (6) has a first immersion element (7) and a second immersion element (8), wherein the first immersion element (7) is configured to immerse itself, upon rotation of the destacking screw (6), into a gap (13) between two adjacent trays (3) in order to move these two adjacent trays (3) apart to at least a first distance (A1), and wherein the second immersion element (8) is configured to immerse itself into the gap (13) enlarged by the first immersion element (7).