Grass Stem Dartboard Manufacturing with Insect Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dartboards made from grass stems are prone to damage from insect eggs that can hatch and cause internal structural issues, and they are often costly due to the use of imported sisal materials.
Innovation Solution
A manufacturing method involving rolling, cutting, bundling, and compressing grass stems to form a target body, which is then coated with adhesive, insect repellent, and preservative, followed by heating and baking to remove moisture and ensure pest control, resulting in a durable and cost-effective dartboard.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If grass stems are used to manufacture dartboards, then the cost is reduced and availability is improved, but the dartboards become vulnerable to insect damage and mildew from hatched insect eggs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by conducting multiple pre-processing treatments on grass stems before manufacturing dartboards. These include cutting grass stems lengthwise to remove insect eggs, soaking in water and lime solution to kill remaining eggs and disinfect, and drying to prepare for compression. This preliminary treatment ensures that the grass stems are free from insect eggs and disinfected before being used in dartboard production, thereby preventing future insect damage while maintaining cost-effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by transforming the physical and chemical parameters of grass stems through various processing steps. The grass stems undergo changes in moisture content (drying), chemical composition (lime treatment), and physical structure (cutting and compression). These parameter transformations make the grass stems suitable for dartboard manufacturing while eliminating biological contaminants, thus resolving the contradiction between cost-effectiveness and reliability
2Strength
If traditional sisal materials are used for dartboards, then durability and strength are improved, but the cost increases due to import requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies this principle by replacing expensive imported sisal material with locally available, inexpensive grass stems. Although grass stems are generally less durable than sisal, the patent enhances their durability through multiple processing steps including lime treatment, drying, and high-pressure compression that creates a dense, durable structure. This substitution achieves cost reduction while maintaining adequate durability for dartboard use
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies composite materials by combining processed grass stems with binding agents and undergoing high-pressure compression to create a composite structure. The grass stems are bundled and compressed together with adhesive materials, forming a composite dartboard structure that achieves durability comparable to traditional sisal dartboards while using cheaper local materials
3Strength
If grass stems are compressed tightly to form the target body, then structural strength is improved, but the internal insect eggs are more likely to hatch and cause damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by removing and killing insect eggs through pre-processing treatments before the compression step. The grass stems are cut lengthwise to expose and remove eggs, soaked in lime solution to kill remaining eggs, and dried before compression. This eliminates the harmful factor of insect eggs beforehand, allowing subsequent high-pressure compression to proceed without risk of egg hatching, thus achieving both structural strength and safety
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
The method produces a structurally strong and cost-effective dartboard that prevents insect damage and mildew, matching the durability of sisal dartboards while reducing material costs.
Implementation Method 1
heating and baking the target surface to remove moisture
Implementation Method 2
vaporize the preservative and insect repellent to permeate into the target body
Implementation Method 3
Fix the target body on a surface of a backplane coated with an adhesive
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing a dartboard by grass stem includes the steps of rolling grass stems and removing insect eggs, binding the grass stems into a bundle and then cutting the bundle into grass stem cakes, compressing the grass stem cakes into a target body of the dartboard, fixing a backplane of the target body coated with an adhesive, an insect repellent, and a preservative, and flattening a target surface before performing a printing process and a baking process, so as to prevent the dartboard from being damaged by insects and mildews.