Dual-Level Conveyor Batching for Disposable Wipe Stacks
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for producing and packaging disposable wipes into stacks face limitations in productivity, space usage, and machine reliability due to the need for diverters and inability to handle varying stack sizes, leading to increased costs and potential jamming issues.
Innovation Solution
The system employs two parallel conveyor lines at different levels to separate and transfer stacks of disposable wipes, allowing for independent management and packaging of varying stack sizes without the use of horizontal diverters, reducing space requirements and eliminating the risk of machine downtime.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a single conveyor line is used to transfer stacks from the main production line, then the system structure is simple, but the productivity is limited by the packaging speed and requires additional diverters to split the line
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses two conveyor lines operating at different vertical levels (first conveyor line at lower level, second conveyor line at higher level) to simultaneously receive stacks from the main production line. This vertical dimensionality allows parallel processing without requiring horizontal diverters, thereby increasing productivity while maintaining structural simplicity.
2Productivity
If horizontal diverters are used to divide the single stack line into two parallel lines, then the packaging capacity is increased, but the space requirements and machine complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using horizontal diverters that would increase the horizontal footprint, the patent employs conveyor lines at different vertical levels. The first conveyor line operates at a lower level while the second conveyor line operates at a higher level, allowing both lines to receive stacks simultaneously without requiring additional horizontal space for diverting mechanisms.
3Productivity
If diverters are used to split the stack line, then the packaging speed is increased, but the reliability decreases due to potential jamming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent completely eliminates the diverter component from the system by using two separate conveyor lines at different levels that independently receive stacks from the main production line. This extraction of the diverter element removes the source of potential jamming and reliability issues while still achieving the goal of increased packaging capacity through parallel processing.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the system uses fixed stack sizes, then the counting mechanism is simple, but the adaptability to different packaging requirements is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamically adjustable counting and expelling mechanisms on both conveyor lines. The system can be programmed to handle different stack sizes (e.g., stacks of 100, 150, or 200 clips) by adjusting the counting parameters of the electronic control units, allowing the same physical infrastructure to adapt to varying packaging requirements without hardware changes.
Data Source
AI summary
Improved system for batching and expelling first and second stacks (10, 20) consisting of a predetermined number of clips (3) of disposable wipes from a main production line (S, 5), including at least a first grouping device (100, 200) that counts the clips (3) and transfers the stacks (10, 20) from the main production line (S, 5) to a first diverted conveyor line (A, 6) parallel to the main one, characterized in that it includes at least a second grouping device (100, 200), placed downstream from the first one, which counts the clips (3) and transfers the stacks (10, 20) from the main production line (S, 5) to a second diverted conveyor line (B, 7), parallel to the main line (S, 5), in which the first diverted conveyor line (A, 6) develops at a level lower than the second diverted conveyor line (B, 7).