Molding of fiber blanks into three-dimensional fiber block articles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current fiber block molding processes face challenges in achieving efficient manufacturing of cushion members with desired mechanical and resilient properties, particularly in maintaining low residence time in the mold and ensuring high resilience perpendicular to the fiber orientation, while handling fiber blanks with fibers arranged perpendicularly to the mold direction is difficult due to low mechanical resistance.
Innovation Solution
A fiber block molding apparatus with a mold having cooling channels for rapid cooling and a conveyor system that gently positions heated fiber blanks with low tensile strength, allowing for controlled temperature and geometry of the molded fiber block article, and a process that separates heating and cooling steps to reduce cycle time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If residence time in the mold is kept low to enable efficient manufacturing, then productivity increases, but it becomes difficult to achieve desired mechanical and resilient properties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-heating the fiber blank before molding to activate the binding agent. This preliminary thermal treatment ensures that the fiber blank has sufficient mechanical resistance for handling and molding, allowing for reduced residence time in the mold while still achieving the desired mechanical and resilient properties in the final product.
2Strength
If fiber blanks with fibers arranged perpendicularly to the mold direction are used to provide high resilience in the load direction, then resilient properties perpendicular to fiber orientation are improved, but handling becomes difficult due to very low mechanical resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by heating the fiber blank to activate the binding agent, which transforms the mechanical properties and increases mechanical resistance. This enables easy handling of fiber blanks with perpendicular fiber arrangement while maintaining the high resilience properties in the load direction.
3Device complexity
If conventional molding processes are used without separating heating and cooling steps, then process simplicity is maintained, but cycle time increases reducing manufacturing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by separating the heating and cooling steps into distinct phases of the molding process. The fiber blank is heated and activated before being placed in the mold, then cooled separately to set the final properties. This temporal segmentation reduces the overall cycle time while maintaining reasonable process complexity.
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 solution enables the production of resilient three-dimensional fiber block articles with improved consistency and surface properties, tailored geometry, and enhanced mechanical resistance in all directions, while maintaining a short residence time in the mold, thus addressing the limitations of existing processes.
Implementation Method 1
at least one of parts of the mold is provided by cooling means to allow for rapid cooling of the molded fiber block article
Implementation Method 2
a fiber blank, such as non-woven fiber bat, comprising a thermally activated binding agent
Data Source
AI summary
A fiber block molding apparatus comprising: —a mold having a lower part and an upper part forming between them a cavity for forming a fiber blank into a fiber block article upon closing the mold; —a conveyor system for receiving the fiber blank to be molded at a receiving position, transporting the fiber blank via a heater for activation of a binding agent, and delivering the heated fiber blank into the lower part of the mold at a delivery end of the conveyor system, and —a horizontal position shifting arrangement for shifting the horizontal position of the delivery end of the conveyor system relative to the lower part of the mold between a first and a second position to lay the fiber blank on the lower part of the mold.