Device for ironing laundry items
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ironing devices require frequent waxing of the flattening surface to prevent laundry items from sticking, which is time-consuming and reduces device availability.
Innovation Solution
A non-metallic coating, primarily composed of polyetheretherketone and fluoropolymer, is applied to the ironing surfaces, providing excellent sliding properties and reduced adhesion, eliminating the need for waxing and preventing electrostatic charging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the ironing surface is made of metal, then it provides durability and heat resistance, but it causes laundry items to stick and requires frequent waxing
Solution Approach 1:
The ironing surface combines a metallic base body (providing durability and heat resistance) with a non-metallic coating layer (providing anti-stick and sliding properties). This composite structure resolves the contradiction by integrating the advantages of both materials: the metal substrate ensures structural integrity while the coating layer prevents laundry adhesion and eliminates the need for frequent waxing.
2Ease of operation
If the ironing surface is waxed frequently, then laundry items do not stick, but device availability decreases and personnel costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The non-metallic coating layer provides self-service anti-stick properties, continuously preventing laundry adhesion without requiring external maintenance interventions like frequent waxing. This eliminates the need for periodic shutdowns for maintenance, thereby maintaining high device availability and reducing personnel expenditure associated with waxing operations.
3Ease of operation
If a non-metallic coating is applied to the ironing surface, then sliding properties improve and waxing is eliminated, but the coating must be wear-resistant
Solution Approach 1:
The composite structure of metallic base body with non-metallic coating layer addresses this contradiction by distributing functional requirements across different material layers. The coating layer is designed with sufficient wear resistance to withstand continuous laundry contact while maintaining its anti-stick and sliding properties, and the metallic substrate provides structural support and durability.
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 coating ensures a high-quality finish, reduces friction, and prevents laundry items from sticking, thereby increasing device availability and reducing personnel costs by eliminating the need for frequent waxing.
Implementation Method 1
the coating ensures a high-quality finish. At the same time, adhesion of the laundry items to the ironing surface is prevented or at least reduced... good sliding properties
Implementation Method 2
at least reduced adhesive properties. The laundry items can therefore run along the outer, exposed side of the coating unhindered
Implementation Method 3
Due to the non-metallic material of the coating, the ironing surface has good sliding properties... prevents electrostatic charging
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Devices for ironing laundry, such as a trough ironer (10), have at least one rotatably driven ironing roller (12) and an associated semicircular ironing trough (13). An inner surface (14) of the ironing trough (13), facing the ironing roller (12), forms a flattening surface (17) along which the laundry slides. For this to work, the flattening surface (17) must have good gliding properties. In known trough ironers (10), this is achieved by regularly waxing the flattening surface (17). Such regular waxing is time-consuming and labor-intensive. The invention provides for coating the ironing trough (13) with a coating (22) of non-metallic material, the free side of which forms the flattening surface (17). Such a coating (22) results in permanently good gliding properties of the flattening surface (17), thus eliminating the need for waxing the flattening surface (17).