Folding Device with Movable Pivot Shaft for Crease-Free High-Speed Operation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional folding devices face issues with folding items at increased speeds, leading to creases and defective products due to the folding bar getting caught, which prevents items from being folded into the intended shape.
Innovation Solution
A folding device with multiple units arranged circumferentially on a rotating drum, featuring a pad for holding the workpiece, first and second folding members with pivot shafts that displace and rotate to define and create folding lines, allowing for efficient folding without creases even at higher speeds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the arm speed is increased to shorten folding time, then productivity is improved, but the folding bar gets caught on the item causing creases and defects
Solution Approach 1:
The pivot shaft is made movable in the diameter direction of the drum, allowing the folding member's rotation center to dynamically adjust during operation. This dynamic adjustment enables the folding member to maintain proper contact with the workpiece at high speeds without catching, resolving the contradiction between high productivity and folding quality
Solution Approach 2:
The folding line is defined in advance by the movable pivot shaft before the actual folding action occurs. This preliminary definition of the folding line ensures that the workpiece is properly positioned and prepared for folding, preventing creases and defects even when operating at high speeds
2Loss of time
If the folding bar moves quickly to reduce folding time, then productivity is improved, but creases occur in the item resulting in defective products
Solution Approach 1:
The movable pivot shaft allows the folding member to dynamically adjust its position during the folding process. This dynamic capability enables the system to complete folding quickly while maintaining precision, as the pivot shaft can move to optimize the folding path and prevent creases
Solution Approach 2:
The folding member with its folding surface creates a precise copy or imprint of the desired fold line on the workpiece. By ensuring the folding surface properly contacts the workpiece at the defined folding line, the system achieves high manufacturing precision even at high speeds
Data Source
AI summary
A plurality of folding units is arranged in a circumferential direction of a drum that rotates about an axis. Each of the folding units includes: a pad for holding one part of a workpiece on a pad surface; a first folding member and a second folding member each having a folding surface for folding a different part of the workpiece so as to stack the different part over the one part; and a pivot shaft arranged parallel to the pad surface. The first folding member, the second folding member, and the pivot shaft are configured to be rotated together until the folding surface reaches a facing position and a facing posture at which the folding surface faces the pad surface. The pivot shaft is configured to be displaced in a diameter direction of the drum crossing the pad surface.