Motor Vehicle Floor Covering Manufacturing via Loop-Forming and Brush Accumulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing interior coverings for motor vehicles, such as those using needlepunching machines, fail to achieve dense enough piles comparable to tufted piles and are not formable to fit complex vehicle shapes, requiring adhesives that increase mass and cost, and combine textile and chemical processes, leading to pollution issues.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the production of elongated fiber batts, passing through a loop-forming device to create undulations, which are then mechanically trapped in brushes without adhesive, allowing for high pile densities and formability, using a Dilour machine with a conveyor equipped with brushes to achieve the desired density and associating a second nonwoven batt for cohesive and formable back layers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a needlepunching machine with brushes is used to form homogeneous pile, then the production process is simple and cost-effective, but the pile density is not dense enough to rival tufted piles
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the manufacturing process into two distinct stages: first forming undulations in the fiber batt using a loop-forming device, then accumulating these undulations in conveyor brushes to achieve high density. This segmentation allows each stage to optimize for its specific function, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and pile density.
Solution Approach 2:
The loop-forming device creates undulations in the fiber batt before the accumulation stage. This preliminary action prepares the fibers in a configuration that enables high-density accumulation in the brushes, allowing the final product to achieve tufted-like density without the complexity of tufting machinery.
2Quantity of substance
If adhesive is used to trap undulations in the substrate, then the pile density can be high, but the mass and cost of the product increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the adhesive component from the manufacturing process. Instead of using chemical adhesives to trap undulations, it employs purely mechanical accumulation of undulations in conveyor brushes, achieving high pile density without the added mass and cost of adhesive materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the chemical bonding mechanism (adhesive) with a mechanical accumulation mechanism. The conveyor brushes mechanically trap and accumulate undulations through physical interlocking, substituting chemical processes with mechanical ones to reduce product mass and cost.
3Quantity of substance
If adhesive is used to trap undulations, then high pile density is achieved, but the requirement for thick adhesive layer increases cost and creates pollution from combined textile and chemical processes
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces chemical processes (adhesive application and curing) with purely mechanical processes (undulation formation and accumulation). This substitution eliminates pollution from chemical processes while maintaining high pile density through mechanical accumulation in conveyor brushes.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and removes the chemical adhesive component from the manufacturing system, separating textile processes from chemical processes. This eliminates the pollution associated with combined textile-chemical production while achieving high density through mechanical means alone.
4Quantity of substance
If the batt is passed through a loop-forming device to generate undulations, then high pile density is achieved, but the resulting product is not formable to fit complex vehicle shapes
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates a dynamic structure where undulations are accumulated in flexible conveyor brushes rather than being rigidly bonded to substrate. This dynamic accumulation allows the final product to be formable and adaptable to complex vehicle shapes while maintaining high pile density through the flexible brush medium.
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 method achieves high pile densities and formability, eliminating the need for adhesives and allowing the production of motor vehicle coverings that can conform to complex shapes, while maintaining cost-effectiveness and avoiding pollution from combined textile and chemical processes.
Implementation Method 1
a step for passing the batt of fibers through a loop-forming device comprising a set of rotary discs and stationary loop-forming elements, so as to generate undulations
Implementation Method 2
a step for bringing the batt of fibers onto a conveyor equipped with brushes, and accumulating the undulations in the brushes so as to achieve a predetermined density
Data Source
AI summary
A manufacturing method includes: a step for producing a batt of fibers, elongated in a longitudinal direction, by batting with interlacing of the fibers, a step for passing the batt of fibers, in the longitudinal direction, through a loop-forming device having a set of rotary discs and stationary loop-forming elements, so as to generate undulations, and, following the passing step, a step for bringing the batt of fibers onto a conveyor equipped with brushes, and accumulating the undulations in the brushes so as to achieve a predetermined density.