Fastener Head Paint Cup for Uniform Film Thickness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for painting the heads of fasteners, particularly in aircraft assembly, face challenges in achieving high-quality paint application with uniform film thickness while minimizing excess paint and requiring manual labor, which increases manufacturing time.
Innovation Solution
A fastener painting system comprising a cup with a cavity for paint, a supply system for paint distribution, an exhaust system for air discharge, a liquid discharging system for surplus paint removal, and a moving mechanism for positioning the cup relative to the fastener, allowing for automated paint application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual painting with a brush is used for fastener heads, then painting quality can be maintained, but labor time and manufacturing period increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical brush painting with an automated painting apparatus that uses a cup, supply system, and liquid discharging system to apply paint to fastener heads. This substitution maintains paint quality control through automated film thickness management while significantly increasing painting speed and reducing labor requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The painting apparatus is designed to automatically control the paint application process without manual intervention. The supply system automatically provides paint to the cup, and the liquid discharging system automatically removes excess paint, enabling the system to self-regulate film thickness and operate continuously at high speed.
2Productivity
If automated painting equipment is introduced, then productivity increases, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The painting apparatus is divided into distinct functional modules: a cup for paint storage, a supply system for paint delivery, and a liquid discharging system for excess paint removal. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while working together to achieve high-speed automated painting with controlled film thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent controls paint application by adjusting parameters such as the volume of paint supplied to the cup, the discharging rate of excess paint, and the positioning of the cup relative to the fastener head. By precisely controlling these parameters, the system achieves consistent film thickness at high speeds without requiring overly complex mechanisms.
3Reliability
If paint is applied to fastener heads, then rust protection is achieved, but excess paint may attach to painted parts
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid discharging system functions as a feedback mechanism that continuously monitors and removes excess paint from the cup during the painting process. This feedback control ensures that only the appropriate amount of paint is transferred to the fastener head, preventing excess paint from attaching to surrounding painted parts while maintaining adequate rust protection coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system deliberately supplies slightly more paint to the cup than the exact amount needed for perfect coverage, then uses the liquid discharging system to remove the excess. This approach ensures that sufficient paint is available for complete rust protection while the discharging system prevents harmful excess paint attachment to adjacent surfaces.
Data Source
AI summary
A fastener painting system is a system for painting a head of a fastener. The system includes: a cup for covering the head of the fastener by contacting an edge of the cup with a surface of the object; a supply system; a liquid discharging system; and a moving mechanism. The cup has a cavity for being filled up with paint. The supply system is configured to store the paint and supply the paint into the cavity of the cup. The liquid discharging system is configured to discharge surplus paint in the cavity out of the cup. The moving mechanism is configured to change a position of the cup relative to the object. The cup has a supply port for supplying the paint into the cavity, a vent for discharging air in the cavity out, and a liquid discharging port for discharging the surplus paint out of the cavity.