Dynamic Metal Bar Feed Device for Continuous Automatic Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing metal bar feed systems for automatic machines, such as those producing reinforcement meshes, experience downtime and reduced productivity due to mismatched operating frequencies and speeds between shearing members and the machine, and are inflexible when handling bars of different diameters.
Innovation Solution
A dynamic accumulation and feed device with a translation assembly featuring kinematically independent retaining elements and a transport plane, allowing variable speed and frequency of metal bar displacement, and accommodating bars of various diameters without specific equipping, enabling continuous feeding to the machine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a rigid pre-loading accumulation device is used to store pre-sheared bars, then bars can be accumulated in quantity, but the device cannot vary the speed and frequency of bar feed to compensate for differences in operating frequencies between shearing members and the automatic machine
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the rigid, static accumulation device into a dynamic system where retaining elements can be independently positioned at variable intervals. This allows the device to adapt its configuration in real-time, adjusting the speed and frequency of bar feed to match the operating requirements of the automatic machine, thereby resolving the contradiction between accumulation capacity and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention enables continuous variation of geometric parameters (spacing between retaining elements) to optimize the feed rate and frequency. By changing these parameters dynamically, the system can accommodate different operating frequencies of shearing members and automatic machines while maintaining efficient accumulation and feed operations.
2Reliability
If the automatic machine is kept inactive to allow shearing members to complete their operation, then shearing can be finished, but productivity is considerably reduced due to alternate inactivity of the machine and shearing members
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by accumulating multiple pre-sheared bars in the dynamic store before the automatic machine needs them. This allows the shearing members to operate independently and continuously prepare bars in advance, while the automatic machine can operate at its own pace without waiting, thereby eliminating idle time and maximizing productivity of both systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The dynamic accumulation device acts as an intermediary buffer between the shearing members and the automatic machine. It decouples their operations, allowing each to run at its optimal speed and frequency independently, while the intermediary dynamically adjusts the feed rate to balance the operations and prevent either system from becoming idle.
3Manufacturing precision
If known feed devices are conformed specifically to a certain bar diameter, then they can feed bars of that diameter, but burdensome re-equipment steps are necessary when bars of different diameters need to be fed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the accumulation and feed device with universal retaining elements that can accommodate bars of various diameters. The retaining elements are configured to adapt to different bar sizes without requiring changes to the device structure, enabling a single device to handle multiple bar diameters efficiently and eliminating the need for burdensome re-equipment when switching between different bar specifications.
Data Source
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AI summary
Accumulation and feed device (10) for metal bars (11) able to be associated with an automatic machine (13) for working metal bars (11). The accumulation and feed device (10) comprises pick-up members (16) suitable to extract one or more metal bars (11) at a time from a shearing assembly (15) in which the metal bars (11) are pre-sheared to a desired size, and a translation assembly (40) comprising in turn at least a rack (12) disposed in an intermediate position between the shearing assembly (15) and the automatic machine (13), and provided with a plurality of retaining elements (21, 22) kinematically independent from each other and able to transfer on each occasion one or more metal bars (11) from the shearing assembly (15) towards the automatic machine (13), achieving a dynamic store for the accumulation of the metal bars ( 11).