Ergonomic Loading Apparatus for Electroplating Airfoil Blades
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electroplating loading apparatuses are inefficient and costly due to the need for manual wax filling, pneumatic tools for blade insertion, heavy covers, and high risk of contamination, leading to time-consuming and costly processes with potential production line shutdowns.
Innovation Solution
A loading apparatus with integrated gaskets for airfoil blades, spring-like electrical contacts, and toggle clamps for secure and easy blade alignment, eliminating the need for wax, pneumatic tools, and reducing manual labor, while ensuring complete electrical contact and minimizing contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual wax filling is used to prevent plating solution contamination, then contamination prevention is improved, but labor intensity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the wax filling step by using integral gaskets that are pre-installed on the airfoil blades. The gaskets create seals between the blade and receptacle without requiring manual wax application, thereby preventing contamination while reducing labor time and eliminating the associated quality risks.
Solution Approach 2:
The gaskets are pre-installed on the airfoil blades before they enter the plating process. This preliminary action ensures that contamination prevention is already in place before the blades are loaded into the receptacles, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual wax filling during the loading process.
2Ease of operation
If pneumatic rams are used to force airfoil blades into receptacles, then blade insertion is improved, but equipment complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The loading apparatus is designed so that airfoil blades are self-loaded into the receptacles using simple gravity-assisted insertion. The integral gaskets and tapered receptacle design guide the blades into proper positioning without requiring external pneumatic assistance, thereby simplifying the equipment while maintaining ease of operation.
3Reliability
If heavy covers are used to seal receptacles, then contamination prevention is improved, but operator safety and ease of operation worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the heavy cover component entirely. Instead of using covers to seal the receptacles, the system relies on integral gaskets on the blades combined with receptacle designs that prevent solution spillage. This eliminates the need for operators to handle heavy covers, improving safety and ease of operation while maintaining contamination prevention.
4Reliability
If manual alignment and securing of covers with multiple bolts is performed, then sealing is improved, but labor intensity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the cover-and-bolt assembly entirely. The receptacles are designed with integral sealing features and the airfoil blades have gaskets that create seals through simple insertion. This eliminates the time-consuming process of manual alignment and bolting, dramatically increasing loading speed while maintaining reliable seals.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing action is performed preliminarily through the pre-installed gaskets on the blades. When the blade is inserted into the receptacle, the gasket automatically engages with the receptacle's sealing surface, creating the seal before the plating process begins. This eliminates the need for post-insertion bolting operations.
5Force
If pneumatic tools are used for blade insertion, then insertion force is improved, but operational complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The loading system is designed to be self-sufficient, using gravity and the geometry of the tapered receptacles to provide the necessary insertion force. The integral gaskets are compressed during simple manual insertion, eliminating the need for pneumatic tools while maintaining adequate sealing force.
6Manufacturing precision
If multiple manual steps are required for blade loading and cover securing, then precision is improved, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates multiple manual steps from the loading process. The integral gaskets and tapered receptacle design provide self-aligning features that ensure precise blade positioning through simple insertion. This reduces the number of manual steps from multiple alignment and bolting operations to a single insertion action, dramatically increasing productivity while maintaining precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A loading apparatus for use in electroplating processes includes a container designed to sealingly receive a plurality of airfoil blades fitted with gaskets. Each fitted airfoil blade is disposed in contact with a plurality of electrical contact assemblies having a spring-like design which ensures an adequate connection is made and complete plating of the airfoil blades occurs.