Glass Rod Drawing Speed Control for Diameter Fluctuation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods struggle to effectively suppress diameter fluctuations in glass rods with large diameter reduction ratios, as direct measurement near the furnace is challenging, leading to lagged feedback control and unacceptable fluctuations, especially when drawing glass preforms with diameters between 60% to 95% reduction ratios.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that control the feed and drawing speeds of a glass preform by determining a ratio based on pre-measured diameter data, adjusting the feed speed according to diameter fluctuations, and maintaining a consistent drawing reference distance to stabilize the diameter reduction process, even for large diameter reduction ratios.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If diameter measurement is performed near the heater in the furnace to enable feedback control, then the response of feedback control is improved, but it becomes difficult to directly measure the diameter due to heater interference
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-measures the diameter of the glass preform along its longitudinal direction before the drawing process. This preliminary measurement allows the system to determine the ratio between feed speed and drawing speed in advance, enabling effective control even when direct real-time measurement near the heater is not feasible.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary measurement approach by measuring the diameter at positions spaced from the heater and using pre-measured diameter data to infer the required feed speed ratios. This intermediary method avoids direct measurement near the heater while still achieving effective control.
2Manufacturing precision
If feed speed and drawing speed are controlled based on pre-measured diameter data, then diameter fluctuation is suppressed, but the method requires accurate pre-measurement along the longitudinal direction
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary diameter measurement along the entire longitudinal direction of the glass preform before drawing. This pre-measurement data is stored and used to determine the appropriate feed speed at each position, ensuring that diameter fluctuations are suppressed during the drawing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback control mechanism where the pre-measured diameter data is used to adjust the feed speed dynamically. The measured diameter values from different longitudinal positions are fed back to the control system, which then determines the appropriate feed speed ratio to maintain constant diameter during drawing.
3Productivity
If a large diameter reduction ratio (60%-95%) is used to draw glass rods from large preforms, then productivity is improved, but diameter fluctuation becomes unacceptable with conventional control methods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamic control by varying the feed speed based on the pre-measured diameter data along the longitudinal direction. The feed speed is not constant but is dynamically adjusted according to the local diameter requirements, allowing the system to handle large diameter reduction ratios while maintaining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the feed speed parameter dynamically during the drawing process based on pre-measured diameter data. By adjusting the feed speed ratio between different longitudinal positions, the system can accommodate large diameter reduction ratios (60%-95%) while suppressing diameter fluctuations in the final glass rod.
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
This approach significantly reduces diameter fluctuations in the drawn glass rod, maintaining a stable diameter across the longitudinal direction, even for high reduction ratios, improving the precision and quality of glass rods with diameters between 60% to 95% reduction ratios.
Implementation Method 1
heating the preform in the furnace
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for fabricating a glass rod from a glass preform capable of suppressing a diameter fluctuation of the drawn glass rod even when there is a relatively large diameter reduction ratio between the glass preform and the glass rod, such as 60 to 95%. The diameter (D) of the glass preform for determining the ratio from a measured diameter data is acquired from measured diameter data of the glass preform, the measured diameter data is obtained by measuring the diameter of the glass preform along the longitudinal length of the preform before drawing the glass preform, and the feed speed (V1) is determined so that the feed speed (V1) varies depending on fluctuations of the measured diameter data in the longitudinal direction.