Flexible Mold Vacuum Removal for Wet-Cast Concrete Demolding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wet-cast concrete products often get stuck in flexible molds during demolding due to vacuum formation, requiring manual labor and hindering automation in the manufacturing process.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that involves moving at least one side edge of the flexible mold away from an adjacent portion to remove the vacuum, allowing for easier demolding by using a mold-bending mechanism integrated with a conveyor system to facilitate the separation of the mold from the concrete products.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wet-cast concrete is poured into a flexible mold and vibrated to release air bubbles, then the concrete achieves proper consolidation and curing, but the concrete creates a vacuum on the mold resulting in a tight connection that prevents automated demolding
Solution Approach 1:
The mold-bending member is positioned and activated before the demolding operation to pre-bend the mold edges away from the concrete products. This preliminary action removes the vacuum formation that would otherwise cause the products to stick to the mold, enabling subsequent automated demolding without manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible mold is dynamically deformed by applying a bending force through the mold-bending member to change the mold's shape from a rigid sealed state to a slightly opened state. This dynamic adjustment allows the mold to release the vacuum seal while maintaining structural integrity, facilitating automated demolding.
2Ease of operation
If the mold is raised face-down from a table or conveyor for demolding, then large and heavy products can be easily removed, but smaller products get stuck in the mold due to vacuum formation
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniformly lifting the entire mold, the invention applies localized bending force to specific edges or portions of the mold using the mold-bending member. This local deformation creates opening(s) that allow vacuum release and product removal, while the rest of the mold maintains its structural integrity and can be easily handled.
Solution Approach 2:
The mold edges are pre-bent away from the concrete products before the demolding operation begins. This preliminary action removes the vacuum seal that causes sticking, allowing subsequent demolding to proceed easily without requiring complex manual manipulation or causing damage to small products.
3Reliability
If manual labor is used for demolding small wet-cast concrete products, then the vacuum problem can be addressed, but productivity decreases and labor costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service demolding where the mold-bending member automatically performs the vacuum removal and product release function. The flexible mold is designed to be slightly bendable, allowing it to open and close automatically during the demolding process without requiring manual intervention, thereby maintaining reliability while increasing productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible mold transitions from a rigid sealed state during curing to a dynamically adjustable state during demolding. The mold-bending member applies controlled force to open the mold edges, allowing automatic product release. This dynamic approach eliminates manual labor while maintaining reliable demolding, significantly improving manufacturing throughput.
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
Enables automated and labor-efficient demolding of wet-cast concrete products by breaking the vacuum between the mold and the products, preventing sticking and allowing for simultaneous processing of multiple molds.
Implementation Method 1
removing a vacuum on the at least one flexible mold by moving at least one portion of the peripheral edge away from another portion of the flexible mold that is adjacent to the at least one portion of the peripheral edge
Data Source
AI summary
The problem of wet-cast concrete products getting stuck in a flexible mold during demolding is solved, prior to demolding the wet-cast concrete products, by removing a vacuum on the flexible mold by moving at least one side edge of the flexible mold away from a part of the flexible mold that is adjacent to the at least one side edge in a direction opposite the open side of the flexible mold.