Additively Manufactured Guide Roller Wear Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacture of polygon rollers is complex and costly, and existing materials with higher hardness, such as steel, exhibit high wear resistance but are difficult to machine, while softer materials like aluminum wear quickly when in contact with substrate webs.
Innovation Solution
A guide roller with a polygon body comprising a base made of a first material, where at least one web is applied using a deposition welding, thermal spraying, plasma transferred arc spraying, or additive manufacturing process, utilizing a second material that differs from the base, such as wear-resistant steel or ceramic, to enhance durability and reduce production costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hard materials like steel are used for the webs to improve wear resistance, then wear resistance is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase due to difficulty in machining
Solution Approach 1:
The guide roller is divided into two distinct parts: a base body made of easily machinable material (aluminum or plastic) and separate webs made of hard wear-resistant material (steel). This segmentation allows each part to be manufactured independently using optimal processes for that material, resolving the contradiction between wear resistance and manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite construction by combining different materials - a soft base body material with hard web materials. The webs are applied to the base body through various joining methods (welding, adhesive bonding, mechanical attachment), creating a composite structure that exhibits both the ease of manufacture of the base material and the wear resistance of the web material.
2Ease of manufacture
If soft materials like aluminum are used for the base body to simplify manufacturing, then ease of manufacture is improved, but wear resistance deteriorates due to higher wear from substrate web contact
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the entire roller from hard material, only the specific regions that contact the substrate webs (the webs themselves) are made from hard wear-resistant material. The base body remains made of soft, easily machinable material. This local application of hard material resolves the contradiction by providing wear resistance only where needed while maintaining ease of manufacture for the majority of the component.
3Stability of the object's composition
If polygonal cross-section is used to reduce web tension variation, then web tension consistency is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases due to complex web machining
Solution Approach 1:
The polygonal structure is achieved by attaching separate web elements to the base body rather than machining the entire polygonal shape from a solid block. This segmentation allows the base body to be manufactured simply as a cylinder, while the polygonal geometry is created by adding discrete web components, significantly reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining the web tension consistency benefits.
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 enables cost-efficient production of guide rollers with high wear resistance, using hard materials like steel or ceramic for the webs, which reduces wear and maintains consistent web tension even under strong deflection.
Implementation Method 1
the at least one web is applied to the base body by means of a deposition welding process
Implementation Method 2
a thermal spraying process
Implementation Method 3
a laser deposition welding process
Data Source
AI summary
A guide roller and a method for manufacturing a guide roller combines a cost-efficient manufacture and hard, wear-resistant webs for contact with a substrate. An at least one web consists of a second material which differs from a first material of a base body. The webs or the at least one web is applied to the base body by means of a deposition welding process, a thermal spraying process, a plasma transferred arc spraying process, a laser deposition welding process, or by means of an additive manufacturing process. Guide rollers of this type are used on machines that process substrate webs or substrate strands, such as web-fed printing presses, systems for processing already printed substrate webs or similar systems.