Glazing Recycling Device with Edge Cutting and Fragmentation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The recycling of multiple glazing (double or triple glazing) is inefficient due to mechanical fragmentation methods that leave significant amounts of glass united with the inter-lap frame, resulting in low glass recovery rates, especially for laminated glazing and flexible frames.
Innovation Solution
A treatment device is introduced that includes a conveyance system for flat transportation of multiple glazing, a fragmentation set, and a cutting set to separate the glass from its frame during transport. The cutting set, which can include mechanical, laser, or water jet cutting systems, is used to pre-cut the glass near its apparent edges, followed by selective sorting of the inter-lap frame and subsequent fragmentation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If mechanical fragmentation is used to separate glass from frame, then the process is simple and direct, but glass recovery rate decreases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by cutting the glass panes before fragmentation to separate them from the frame. The cutting unit (laser, water jet, or mechanical cutter) pre-severs the glass edges from the frame, ensuring that during subsequent fragmentation, glass does not adhere to the frame. This preliminary separation action resolves the contradiction by maintaining process simplicity while dramatically improving glass recovery rate from 50% to over 95%.
2Productivity
If direct mechanical fragmentation is applied, then the treatment process is short and efficient, but glass adheres to the frame reducing recovery
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting unit performs preliminary action by severing glass edges from the frame before fragmentation occurs. This ensures that when mechanical fragmentation breaks the glass into small pieces, the pieces cannot adhere to the frame because the adhesive bond has already been severed by the cutting action. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining high treatment efficiency while eliminating glass loss to frame.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the treatment process into two distinct stages: cutting (separation) and fragmentation (size reduction). The cutting unit first segments the glass from the frame by cutting along the edges, then the fragmentation unit breaks the glass into small recyclable pieces. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by ensuring glass separation occurs before fragmentation, preventing adhesion while maintaining overall process efficiency.
3Loss of substance
If glass is cut before fragmentation, then glass recovery increases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a multi-functional integrated device that combines the conveying unit, cutting unit, and fragmentation unit into a single cohesive system. The conveying unit transports glass panes to the cutting unit, which severs edges from the frame, and then to the fragmentation unit for size reduction. This integrated multi-functional design resolves the contradiction by achieving high glass recovery rate (over 95%) while containing all necessary functions within one device structure, making the increased complexity manageable and worthwhile.
4Device complexity
If glass edges are not cut, then the process remains simple, but significant glass remains attached to frame after fragmentation
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting unit performs preliminary action by cutting glass edges from the frame before fragmentation. This preliminary separation ensures that when fragmentation breaks the glass, the pieces cannot adhere to the frame because the adhesive bond has already been severed. This resolves the contradiction by adding a cutting step that prevents glass loss to frame (reducing it from 25-50% to under 5%) while keeping the overall process structure relatively simple through integration.
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 increases the percentage of glass recovered by minimizing the amount of glass remaining with the frame, improving the efficiency of the recycling process and reducing environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
said cutting assembly comprises a mechanical, laser and/or water jet type cutting system
Implementation Method 2
said cutting assembly comprises a mechanical, laser and/or water jet type cutting system
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a device (1) for processing a used multiple glazing unit (2), comprising a conveying assembly (3) suitable for the flat transport of the multiple glazing unit (2), and a fragmentation assembly (4) suitable for fragmenting the glazing units (2') of the multiple glazing unit (2) during said transport.