Automatic Gel Ribbon Thickness Adjustment Using Elastic Blocking Plate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gel ribbon thickness adjustment devices suffer from inaccuracies in thickness measurement, excessive load on driving motors leading to malfunctions, and contamination issues due to gelatin overflow, necessitating manual adjustment and complex cleaning processes.
Innovation Solution
An automatic gel ribbon thickness adjustment device with an elastically supported blocking plate and modular driving device that minimizes motor load, allows easy cleaning, and ensures accurate thickness measurement through a displacement sensor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If the blocking plate is moved up and down by driving motors to adjust outlet opening width, then the gel ribbon thickness can be adjusted automatically, but a considerable load is applied to the driving motors causing failures
Solution Approach 1:
The blocking plate is divided into multiple segments that can move independently. Each segment is actuated by a separate driving motor, distributing the load across multiple motors rather than requiring one motor to move the entire plate. This segmentation reduces the load on each individual motor and improves system reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The blocking plate is designed with dynamic movement capability, allowing it to adjust its position and opening width continuously rather than in fixed discrete positions. This dynamic adjustment enables smoother operation and reduces peak loads on the driving motors during thickness adjustment.
2Extent of automation
If the blocking plate is moved up and down to adjust thickness, then automatic control is achieved, but unbalanced operation of driving motors causes malfunction
Solution Approach 1:
A thickness measurement device continuously measures the gel ribbon thickness and provides feedback to the controller. The controller uses this feedback to adjust the position of each blocking plate segment independently, ensuring balanced operation of all driving motors and preventing malfunction due to unbalanced loads.
Solution Approach 2:
The blocking plate segments can be positioned at different heights independently, allowing asymmetric adjustment to compensate for variations in motor performance or wear. This asymmetric capability enables each motor to operate within its optimal range, improving overall system balance and reliability.
3Productivity
If pressure is applied to the spreader box with limited space, then the gelatin can be discharged, but liquid gelatin overflows and contaminates the area around the outlet
Solution Approach 1:
A discharge guide structure is introduced as an intermediary between the spreader box outlet and the casting drum. This guide structure channels the liquid gelatin flow, preventing it from spreading and contaminating the surrounding area while ensuring complete discharge of the gelatin material.
Solution Approach 2:
A flexible discharge channel or film structure is used to contain and direct the liquid gelatin flow. This flexible structure can adapt to the flow dynamics and prevent overflow while maintaining the limited space constraint of the spreader box design.
4Manufacturing precision
If the blocking plate is moved frequently to adjust thickness, then accurate thickness control is achieved, but the driving motors experience excessive wear and pressure differences
Solution Approach 1:
Elastic elements or damping mechanisms are incorporated into the blocking plate assembly to cushion the motors against sudden pressure changes and mechanical shocks during frequent adjustments. This beforehand cushioning protects the motors from excessive wear while enabling precise and frequent thickness adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The thickness adjustment operates in periodic cycles rather than continuous movement. The blocking plate segments move to predetermined positions based on measured thickness deviations, allowing the motors to rest between adjustments and reducing cumulative wear while maintaining accurate thickness control.
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
Stable and accurate gel ribbon thickness adjustment is achieved, reducing waste and simplifying maintenance by minimizing motor load and enabling easy cleaning, while improving measurement precision.
Implementation Method 1
a blocking plate (13) elastically supported by an elastic body (18) and vertically movable
Implementation Method 2
a thickness measurement device (40) installed on a supply path of the gel ribbon to measure information on a thickness of the gel ribbon
Data Source
AI summary
An automatic gel ribbon thickness adjustment device is provided. The automatic gel ribbon thickness adjustment device includes a driving device installed on a spreader box for supplying liquid gelatin to a casting drum by spreading the liquid gelatin in a sheet form, a blocking plate of the spreader box moves vertically by the driving device to adjust an opening width of an outlet, a thickness measurement device is installed on a path through which the gel ribbon in the casting drum is supplied to a forming machine, and a controller controls the driving device, the spreader box includes a blocking plate elastically supported on a box body having a hollow portion and is movable vertically, and the driving device presses the elastically supported blocking plate to stably adjust the thickness of the gel ribbon while adjusting the opening width of the outlet.