Glass Forming Machine Online Shape Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing glass forming machines face challenges in maintaining consistent product quality and fully utilizing production capacity due to wear-related changes and environmental fluctuations, which require manual interventions and result in incomplete utilization of production capacity and reduced throughput.
Innovation Solution
A method that uses cameras with high measurement accuracy to detect geometric distortions and deformations in hollow glass articles immediately after shaping, feeding this data into a control system with a mechanical model to adjust process parameters automatically, thereby minimizing delays and optimizing production settings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual intervention is used to adjust machine settings, then product quality consistency can be maintained to some extent, but production capacity utilization is reduced and throughput decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements an automated feedback control system that continuously monitors geometric distortions of hollow glass articles using cameras and measurement devices. The measured deviations are fed back to the control system, which automatically adjusts forming parameters (blowing pressure, blowing time, mold temperature) to compensate for deviations, eliminating the need for manual intervention while maintaining product quality consistency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical adjustment operations with an automated optical measurement and control system. Cameras and sensors detect geometric distortions, and a control algorithm automatically calculates and applies corrections to forming parameters, substituting human operators with an automated measurement-control system that operates continuously without reducing throughput.
2Reliability
If manual adjustment of machine settings is performed, then critical settings can be maintained safely, but complete utilization of production capacity is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The control system performs self-adjustment by automatically detecting geometric distortions and correcting forming parameters without human intervention. The system monitors its own performance through continuous measurement and autonomously optimizes process parameters, enabling safe operation at maximum production capacity without relying on manual adjustments that limit throughput.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated feedback loop continuously monitors article geometry and immediately adjusts forming parameters to maintain safe operating conditions. This real-time feedback enables the system to operate reliably at higher speeds and capacities that would be unsafe with manual adjustment, as the control system responds instantly to deviations without human reaction time delays.
3Productivity
If automated control is implemented, then production capacity can be fully utilized, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a multi-functional control system that integrates geometric measurement, deviation analysis, and parameter optimization in a single automated platform. The same control system handles multiple forming parameters (blowing pressure, blowing time, mold temperature) and can adapt to different article types, reducing the need for separate specialized devices and minimizing overall system complexity despite the advanced capabilities required for full capacity utilization.
4Manufacturing precision
If existing control methods are used, then some quality aspects can be monitored, but online control with minimal delay is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous online measurement and control where cameras and sensors continuously monitor article geometry during production, and the control system continuously adjusts forming parameters without interruption. This eliminates the time delays inherent in batch sampling and offline analysis, maintaining both measurement precision and minimal control delay by keeping the measurement-control loop continuously active throughout production.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for controlling the process parameters of a glass forming machine is proposed, in which method the shape of a finally formed hollow glass article is measured directly after the shaping online by means of at least one camera, wherein changes with respect to a reference shape are recorded and wherein these changes are used to correct the changes with the aid of a storage medium in which the functional relationship between the ascertainable shape-related changes of the article and the current settings of the process parameters is defined. The method may be used variously for assuring a consistent quality of the articles and for improved utilization of the available machine capacity, for example by maximizing the number of shear cuts per unit time up to the limit of stability.