Dosing Hopper with Integrated Striper for Particleboard Forming
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing forming stations for manufacturing wood-based panels require large and costly steel frame installations due to the need for voluminous devices to handle and mix particle streams, leading to high installation, operating, and maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
A dosing hopper with multiple inlet openings and a striper device or conveyor belt for mixing particle streams directly within the hopper, eliminating the need for separate mixing and routing devices and allowing cyclones to be positioned closer to the hopper, reducing the overall height and component count of the forming station.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If separate mixing and routing devices are used to handle particle streams, then particle distribution control is improved, but device complexity and steel frame mass increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the dosing hopper with integrated mixing and routing functions. The hopper includes a divided interior space with multiple dosing chambers for different particle fractions, and a striper device that performs both mixing and distribution control within the hopper structure itself, eliminating the need for separate external mixing and routing devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The dosing hopper is designed as a multi-functional unit that simultaneously performs particle storage, mixing, fractionation, and distribution control. The striper device serves multiple purposes: it mixes particles, controls their flow, and directs them to different outlets based on fraction type, making the hopper a universal handling station.
2Stability of the object's composition
If voluminous devices are used to handle and mix particle streams, then particle mixing is improved, but installation cost and maintenance cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mixing function is integrated into the dosing hopper structure rather than using separate voluminous mixing devices. The striper device performs mixing within the confined space of the hopper, and the divided interior space with multiple chambers provides continuous mixing during the dosing operation itself.
3Reliability
If separate mixing and routing devices are used, then particle stream handling is improved, but installation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating mixing, routing, and dosing functions into a single hopper unit, the number of separate components that need to be installed and connected is reduced. The striper device and divided chambers are built-in features that eliminate the need for installing separate mixing equipment and routing systems.
4Manufacturing precision
If multiple inlet openings are used to receive particle streams, then particle distribution control is improved, but hopper structure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dosing hopper is divided into multiple dosing chambers, each with its own inlet opening for receiving specific particle fractions. This segmentation allows independent control of different particle sizes and densities, enabling precise distribution control while maintaining a relatively simple overall hopper structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the hopper interior are optimized for specific functions: some chambers receive lighter fractions, others receive heavier fractions. The striper device is positioned to serve specific chambers, creating local optimizations that improve overall distribution control without requiring complex system-wide changes.
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 design reduces the mass and cost of steel frames, lowers installation time and costs, and enhances control over particle distribution, resulting in a more efficient and cost-effective forming station with improved panel quality.
Implementation Method 1
the striper elements 54 of the striper device 53 pass above the table 52 in the direction toward the discharging end of the dosing hopper 50, and pass beneath the table 52 in the direction toward the rear end of the hopper 50
Implementation Method 2
conveying means adapted for moving the particles of the plurality of particle streams having impinged on the impinging surface in a direction towards a discharging end of the dosing hopper
Implementation Method 3
a plurality of cyclones arranged above the dosing hopper, the plurality of cyclones comprising at least two cyclones
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A forming station for use in the production of boards of wood-based material, comprises a plurality of cyclones (111, 112, 113 114), and a dosing hopper comprising (100): a plurality of inlet openings (101, 102, 103 104) arranged on an upper side of the dosing hopper (100) and respectively adapted to receive a stream of lignocellulose and/or cellulose containing particles from a respective one of the cyclones, an impinging surface arranged inside and at an upper portion of the dosing hopper (111, 112, 113 114), wherein the impinging surface is positioned beneath the plurality of inlet openings (101, 102, 103 104) and spans at least over the cumulative length of the plurality of inlet openings (101, 102, 103 104) so that the particles of each particle stream entering through the plurality of inlet openings (101, 102, 103 104) impinge on the impinging surface; and conveying means adapted for moving the particles of the plurality of particle streams having impinged on the impinging surface in a direction towards a discharging end of the dosing hopper (100) to then drop into a space for storing the particles in the dosing hopper (100).