Low Friction Drag Chain Guide for Textile Machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drag chain devices in textile machines require increasing tensile force as the travel distance increases, limiting the length of the drag chain and the working area of service units, which affects the efficiency and usability of maintenance facilities, especially on long textile machines.
Innovation Solution
The drag chain guide is designed with surfaces of low friction materials, such as plastic inserts or ceramics, that form sliding partners with the drag chain, reducing the required tractive force and allowing longer drag chains and increased working areas without the need for complex or expensive drag chains.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If the drag chain guide is made of metal profile with standard friction surfaces, then the structure is simple and cost-effective, but the tensile force required to move the drag chain increases with travel distance, limiting the working area
Solution Approach 1:
The drag chain guide features localized low-friction surfaces (plastic or ceramic inserts) at specific contact points with the drag chain, while the rest of the metal profile structure maintains its standard properties. This local application of low-friction materials reduces the tensile force required to move the drag chain without requiring a complete redesign of the entire guide structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Plastic or ceramic inserts are introduced as intermediary materials between the metal drag chain guide and the drag chain. These intermediary surfaces act as a mediator that reduces friction and wear, allowing the drag chain to move more easily along the guide with reduced tensile force requirements.
2Area of stationary object
If low-friction materials like plastic inserts or ceramics are used in the drag chain guide, then the tensile force is reduced and working area can be extended, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the entire drag chain guide from low-friction materials, the invention applies these materials locally only at the critical contact surfaces where the drag chain interacts with the guide. This localized approach extends the working area while minimizing the increase in device complexity and manufacturing cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The drag chain guide becomes a composite structure combining metal profile (for structural strength) with plastic or ceramic inserts (for low-friction surfaces). This composite approach allows the guide to maintain its mechanical strength while benefiting from the low-friction properties of the inserted materials at critical contact points.
3Force
If low-friction materials like plastic inserts or ceramics are used in the drag chain guide, then the tensile force is reduced and working area can be extended, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The low-friction materials are applied only at the specific contact surfaces where friction occurs, rather than throughout the entire drag chain guide structure. This localized application significantly reduces the amount of expensive material needed while still achieving the goal of reducing tensile force, thereby controlling manufacturing costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The plastic or ceramic inserts serve as cost-effective intermediary elements that can be separately manufactured and then integrated into the metal profile. This modular approach allows for optimized manufacturing of each component independently, reducing overall production costs compared to creating a completely new low-friction guide structure.
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 solution reduces the necessary tensile force for the service unit to carry the drag chain, enabling longer travel paths and improved efficiency of service units, particularly on long textile machines, while being cost-effective and easily adaptable to existing machines.
Implementation Method 1
the surfaces of the drag chain guide that come into contact with the drag chain consist of a material that forms a sliding partner for the drag chain with a low coefficient of friction
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a textile machine 1 for producing cross-wound bobbins, comprising a plurality of workstations 2 arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of the textile machine 1, at least one service unit 16 movable in the longitudinal direction of the textile machine 1 along the workstations 2, and a drag chain device 51 for supplying electrical and/or pneumatic power to the service unit 16, wherein the drag chain device 51 comprises a drag chain 49 and a drag chain guide 52 made of a metal profile, which extends in the longitudinal direction of the textile machine 1. Furthermore, the invention relates to a drag chain guide 52 of a textile machine 1 for producing cross-wound bobbins, which, in its installed position in the textile machine 1, extends in the longitudinal direction of the textile machine 1.According to the invention, the surfaces of the drag chain guide 52 that come into contact with the drag chain 49 consist at least partially of a material that forms a sliding partner for the drag chain 49 with a low coefficient of friction.