Extruded Aluminum Thread Carrier for Knitting Machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thread feeding devices for textile machines, particularly circular knitting machines, face challenges in cost-effective manufacturing due to expensive materials and complex production processes, such as thick wall areas and aligned bearing seats in multi-material carriers.
Innovation Solution
A thread feeding device with a carrier formed from a segment of an extruded profile, which can be made from materials like aluminum or stainless steel, offering strength and stability while allowing for cost-effective production through continuous casting or extrusion processes, and featuring a bearing holder with undivided bearing seats and roller bearings for supporting the drive shaft.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the carrier is made from two-part plastic housing with thick wall areas, then the structural strength and stability are improved, but the manufacturing cost increases and production becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from plastic to aluminum extruded profile, which provides both the required structural strength and better manufacturing economy. The aluminum profile maintains structural integrity while enabling more cost-effective production through standardized extrusion processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a homogeneous material (aluminum) for the entire carrier structure, eliminating the need for multi-material assembly. This single-material approach simplifies manufacturing while maintaining structural strength throughout the carrier.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the carrier is made from two-part plastic housing, then the structural stability is improved, but the manufacturing process complexity increases due to alignment requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the multi-part plastic housing into a single integrated aluminum extruded profile carrier. This consolidation eliminates the need for assembling multiple parts and aligning bearing seats, thereby reducing manufacturing process complexity while maintaining structural stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes from a multi-material, multi-part construction to a single-material, integrated extruded profile structure. This parameter change simplifies the manufacturing process by eliminating alignment requirements between multiple components while preserving the structural stability needed for carrier function.
3Reliability
If squeezing elements are added to compensate for manufacturing tolerances, then the assembly reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material and manufacturing process parameters to use aluminum extruded profiles with inherently better dimensional stability and tighter tolerances. This eliminates the need for additional squeezing elements to compensate for tolerance variations, thereby maintaining assembly reliability without increasing device complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a thread delivery device (1, 50, 50', 80), which is provided with a thread delivery wheel (3), a drive shaft (4), on which the thread delivery wheel (3) is arranged, a carrier (5, 51, 83, 100) having at least one bearing retainer (22, 59, 86), and at least one rolling-element bearing (25, 26; 62, 63; 89, 90; 103, 104) for supporting the drive shaft (4). The bearing retainer has at least one undivided bearing seat (23, 24), in which the rolling-element bearing (25, 26) is arranged. The carrier (5, 51, 83, 100) is formed from at least one segment of a continuous profiled element.