Ferrule Spindle Packaging With Retainer for Accurate Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for packaging and dispensing ferrules for stud welding are inefficient, leading to inaccurate ordering, damage during shipping, and labor-intensive placement on work surfaces, with prior ferrule retainers and applicators experiencing issues with jamming and inconsistent operation.
Innovation Solution
A container and dispenser system that uses a spindle to align and retain ferrules, with a retainer at one end to prevent them from moving off, and a spring-loaded cam system to reliably release ferrules onto the work surface, ensuring consistent and damage-free operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If ferrules are packaged based on weight, then packaging efficiency is improved, but ordering accuracy deteriorates because moisture content and density variations cause significant differences in the number of ferrules per package
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging system is segmented into individual compartments within the container, with each compartment designed to hold a specific number of ferrules (e.g., 50 or 100 ferrules per compartment). This segmentation allows for precise counting and ordering while maintaining efficient packaging operations.
2Ease of manufacture
If ferrules are randomly packaged in boxes, then packaging simplicity is improved, but ferrule damage increases during shipping
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into multiple compartments, each holding a specific number of ferrules in an organized arrangement. This segmentation prevents random packaging while maintaining simplicity, and simultaneously protects ferrules from damage during shipping by preventing movement and tangling.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple compartments are nested within the container structure, with each compartment containing ferrules in a protected arrangement. The compartments themselves are nested within the larger container, creating a hierarchical protection system that simplifies packaging while preventing damage.
3Reliability
If two restraining features are added to ferrule retainers, then ferrule retention reliability is improved, but device complexity and operational burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer features an asymmetric design with a first end that has a restraining feature and a second end that is open without a restraining feature. This asymmetric configuration provides sufficient retention reliability while reducing complexity and operational burden compared to symmetric designs with restraining features at both ends.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a non-rigid wire structure is used to hold ferrules, then packaging flexibility is improved, but ferrule integrity deteriorates due to tangling and breaking
Solution Approach 1:
The container is segmented into rigid or semi-rigid compartments that provide structural support while maintaining packaging flexibility. Each compartment holds ferrules in a fixed arrangement, preventing tangling and breaking while allowing the overall package to adapt to shipping requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a flexible wire structure to hold ferrules, the invention inverts the approach by using rigid compartments to contain the ferrules. This inversion provides the necessary structural support to prevent damage while maintaining packaging flexibility at the container level.
5Productivity
If multiple workers are required to load and unload ferrules, then loading efficiency is improved, but labor cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The container is segmented into compartments with standardized dimensions and restraining features that allow a single worker to efficiently load and unload ferrules. The segmentation creates manageable sections that can be handled individually, maintaining high productivity while reducing labor resource requirements.
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 system allows for accurate and efficient loading, reduces ferrule damage, and enables single-worker operation with consistent and reliable placement of ferrules on the work surface, improving labor efficiency and reducing physical strain.
Implementation Method 1
a spring-loaded cam system to reliably release ferrules onto the work surface
Data Source
AI summary
A container for packing and shipping stud welding ferrule aligned along a spindle. The container comprises a body having a top, a bottom, opposing side walls and opposing end walls defining a storage space therein. The container further comprises a spindle retainer operatively connected to the body. The spindle retainer has a transverse portion and a longitudinal portion connected to the transverse portion. The transverse portion extends from one of the end walls and toward and into the storage space, while the longitudinal portion extends from the transverse portion and toward the bottom of the body. The transverse portion and the longitudinal portion are sized and shaped to accept and to retain ends of the spindle to contain the spindle within the body.