Filter Bellows Production via Transverse Cutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing filter bellows result in significant waste of filter medium and are not cost-effective, especially when manufacturing bellows for confined installation spaces in internal combustion engines.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the production of filter bellows with folded edges, where the cutting path is made transversely to the fold edges to create point-symmetrical designs, allowing multiple bellows to be cut from a single endless belt without waste, and using sealants or flexible strips for lateral sealing, enabling flexible geometry and reduced material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If conventional cutting methods are used to produce filter bellows, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but material waste increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by designing the filter bellows with an irregular geometry that precisely fits the available installation space. The cutting path is optimized to create a bellows shape that is asymmetric relative to the endless belt, allowing maximum utilization of the filter medium while minimizing waste. The bellows has varying width and fold patterns that adapt to the specific spatial constraints of the engine compartment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the width dimension of the endless belt by producing multiple filter bellows simultaneously in parallel. The cutting path extends across the width of the belt, creating several bellows side-by-side. This dimensional approach transforms a traditionally one-dimensional production process into a two-dimensional utilization of the filter medium, significantly reducing waste.
2Adaptability or versatility
If standard rectangular filter bellows are produced, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but adaptation to confined installation spaces is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the geometry of different sections of the filter bellows to suit specific installation requirements. Different portions of the bellows have different widths, fold patterns, and orientations. The cutting path creates regions with concentrated folds in some areas and spaced folds in others, allowing the filter element to adapt to localized spatial constraints within the engine compartment.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter bellows is designed with asymmetric geometry that mirrors the asymmetric nature of engine compartment installation spaces. The bellows does not follow a uniform rectangular pattern but instead has irregular contours, varying fold densities, and non-uniform width that precisely match the available space in different directions.
3Productivity
If multiple filter bellows are produced in parallel, then productivity increases, but cutting path complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple production operations into a single cutting process. Instead of producing filter bellows sequentially or in separate operations, the optimized cutting path creates multiple bellows in parallel within one continuous cutting action. The cutting path is designed to simultaneously define several bellows geometries, combining what would traditionally require multiple separate cutting operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting path is pre-optimized to account for the geometry of multiple bellows before production begins. The path planning considers the spatial arrangement, fold patterns, and dimensions of all bellows to be produced in parallel, allowing for precise material utilization. This preliminary optimization of the cutting trajectory enables efficient production without requiring complex real-time adjustments during manufacturing.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing at least two filter bellows (12) from a bellows (15) having a filter medium (14) which has folding edges (26) and runs in a running direction (80). The filter bellows (12) are produced in parallel in that a cutting path (82, 84) is made in the bellows (15) between end edge surfaces (20a, 20b) and/or side surfaces (36, 38) of the filter bellows (12), in a direction transverse to the folding edges (26) at least in certain regions, such that the filter bellows (12) are formed one beside the other, and symmetrically or point-symmetrically in relation to one another, as seen in the running direction (80) and/or in a direction transverse to the running direction (80). The invention also relates to a filter element (10) having such a filter bellows (12) and to the use of the filter element (10) as a flat air filter, in particular as a flat air filter of an internal combustion engine, and to a filter system having such an interchangeable filter element (12).