Expanded Metal Gutter Cover Solid Edge Margin Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing method for making expanded metal gutter covers with solid edge margins is slow due to the manual feeding and shearing process, which is time-consuming and poses safety risks for operators.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that involves feeding a continuous web of metal through an expanding station to form an expanded metal section and a solid section, cutting the web to create a gutter cover blank with a wavy edge, and then using a slitting apparatus to remove the wavy edge continuously as the blank moves, resulting in a straight edge and improving efficiency and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual feeding and shearing process is used, then gutter cover blanks can be processed, but production speed is slow and operator safety is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses automatic feeding mechanisms where the continuous web of metal is fed through the expanding station and slitting apparatus without manual intervention. The blanks are automatically conveyed through the process, eliminating the need for operators to manually handle materials near moving parts, thus improving both productivity and safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a continuous processing system where the metal web is continuously expanded and slit without stopping. The slitting apparatus operates continuously on the moving web, eliminating the start-stop nature of manual shearing operations, thereby increasing production speed while maintaining safety through automation.
2Productivity
If continuous web is expanded and slit without stopping, then production efficiency increases, but process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the expanding station and slitting apparatus into an integrated continuous processing line. The web is expanded first, then immediately slit while still moving, merging two operations into a seamless flow. This integration increases efficiency while managing complexity through coordinated system design.
Solution Approach 2:
The continuous metal web itself acts as an intermediary carrier that transports the material through both the expanding and slitting operations. This intermediary approach allows both processes to occur simultaneously on the same material stream, improving efficiency while simplifying the overall process flow compared to separate batch operations.
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
The method enhances production efficiency by allowing continuous processing, reducing manual handling and safety hazards, and results in more uniform gutter covers with a solid edge margin, enabling faster production and improved safety.
Implementation Method 1
The apparatus 14 advances the web 16 a first distance D1 while expanding the metal to form an expanded metal section 18 having an open mesh of strands 20 (see FIG. 2) defining diamond-shaped openings 26
Implementation Method 2
After the solid metal section is formed, the apparatus 14 cuts the web 16 along a cut line 34 extending across the web to create a gutter cover blank 36
Implementation Method 3
slitting the solid section of the gutter cover blank as the gutter cover blank moves continuously in the direction of its length to remove the wavy side edge and create a substantially straight side edge
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method of making a one-piece expanded metal gutter cover having a solid edge margin is disclosed. The system and method involves feeding a continuous web of solid metal to an expanding station, expanding the continuous web at the expanding station to form an expanded web of material having a screen section of expanded metal and a solid section of non-expanded metal, cutting the continuous web to form a gutter cover blank having screen and solid sections, and slitting the solid section of the gutter cover blank to remove a wavy side edge of the blank and create a substantially straight side edge extending along the blank. A system for carrying out this method is also disclosed.