Floating Unit Pressure-Vacuum Layout for Precise Glass Pane Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floating units for carrying and positioning flat bodies, such as glass panes, suffer from high compressed air consumption and insufficient stiffness, leading to positioning inaccuracies and increased energy costs, particularly when transferring glass panes between units.
Innovation Solution
A floating unit design featuring channels extending from pressure and vacuum nozzles with alternating perpendicular arrangements, optimized nozzle sizes, and edge channels for additional support, ensuring precise positioning and reduced air consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by stationary object
If conventional floating units with pressure and vacuum nozzles are used, then flat bodies can be carried and positioned, but compressed air consumption is high leading to significant energy costs
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier plate is divided into multiple zones with pressure nozzles and vacuum nozzles arranged in alternating patterns. Each nozzle type creates localized pneumatic fields that work together to hold and position the flat body, replacing the need for high overall pressure consumption with targeted local action.
Solution Approach 2:
Pressure nozzles and vacuum nozzles are distributed across the carrier plate surface with specific spacing and arrangement patterns. This creates localized regions of positive and negative pressure that collectively achieve stable positioning with reduced total air consumption compared to uniform pressure application.
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional floating units are used, then flat bodies can be carried, but the systems are not sufficiently stiff leading to unacceptable tolerances in distance between carrier plate and glass pane
Solution Approach 1:
The pneumatic system is segmented into multiple pressure zones and vacuum zones with nozzles arranged in alternating patterns. This segmentation creates a distributed support structure that provides both flexibility for positioning and stiffness for maintaining consistent distance tolerances across the entire carrier plate surface.
Solution Approach 2:
Pressure nozzles and vacuum nozzles are combined in an alternating arrangement to create a hybrid pneumatic field. This merging of positive and negative pressure systems provides both the compliance needed for precise positioning and the stiffness required to maintain stable distance tolerances.
3Reliability
If conventional floating units are used, then flat bodies can be carried, but there is insufficient support for the glass pane in the edge area making transfer difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle arrangement includes edge-specific positioning where pressure and vacuum nozzles are distributed to provide enhanced support in edge areas. This segmented approach ensures reliable support across the entire glass pane surface including edges, while maintaining ease of transfer through controlled pneumatic fields.
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 design achieves precise and stable positioning with low compressed air usage, reducing energy costs and improving stiffness, allowing for efficient transfer of flat bodies between units.
Implementation Method 1
During the coating, such a glass pane hovers over the carrier plate at a defined distance of, for example, a few μm to the carrier plate. This is achieved by the interplay of pressure nozzles and vacuum nozzles. This means that an air cushion is not simply afforded by pressure nozzles which operate against the ambient pressure
Implementation Method 2
The interaction of positive pressure and negative pressure makes it possible to position the glass panes so precisely
Implementation Method 3
The interaction of positive pressure and negative pressure makes it possible to position the glass panes so precisely that they can be moved in the narrow focus of a stationary laser
Data Source
AI summary
A floating unit carries and transport is a substantially flat body, with a carrier plate which has a first multiplicity of pressure nozzles and a first multiplicity of vacuum nozzles on a first surface, wherein a first multiplicity of channels which extend both from the pressure nozzles of the first multiplicity of pressure nozzles and from the vacuum nozzles of the first multiplicity of vacuum nozzles is provided in the first surface.