Handling Device for Plastic Injection-Molded Parts

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing handling devices for removing plastic injection-molded parts from injection molds are complex and demanding in terms of tolerances, leading to instability and inefficiency, especially when trying to rearrange parts into cavity-free or sorted arrangements for packaging.

Innovation Solution

A handling device with a slide arrangement comprising two interlocking slides that can be displaced relative to each other along the x-axis, allowing for a simple and robust movement of plastic injection-molded parts, enabling the formation of parallel rows and subsequent transfer to a transfer gripper, thereby reducing tolerance requirements and improving precision.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If multiple slides are mechanically connected via elongated hole connections and stretched like an accordion to realize locking strokes, then the receiving positions can be displaced along the x-axis, but the design becomes technically very demanding with high tolerance requirements leading to instability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisplacement of receiving positionsVSAvoidstability of slide arrangement

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The removal gripper is divided into multiple independent slides (first slide, second slide, third slide) that can be displaced independently along the x-axis. Each slide carries receiving positions and can be controlled separately by individual drives, eliminating the need for mechanical connections between slides. This segmentation allows displacement functionality while avoiding the stability issues of interconnected accordion-style mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Individual drive mechanisms serve as intermediaries between the control system and each slide. These drives enable precise displacement of each slide along the x-axis without requiring mechanical coupling between slides. The intermediary drives translate control commands into slide displacement, maintaining independence between slides while achieving the required movement functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If slides are mechanically connected and stretched like an accordion for locking strokes, then receiving positions can be displaced, but the complexity of the mechanism increases with interlinked arrangements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisplacement of receiving positionsVSAvoidstructure of slide arrangement

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The removal gripper is divided into multiple independent slides (first slide, second slide, third slide) that can be displaced independently along the x-axis. Each slide carries receiving positions and can be controlled separately by individual drives, eliminating the need for mechanical connections between slides. This segmentation allows displacement functionality while avoiding the stability issues of interconnected accordion-style mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Each slide is designed as a universal component that can independently perform the function of carrying and displacing receiving positions. The slides have identical or similar structures that can be independently actuated, allowing the system to achieve complex displacement patterns through simple, repeated modular units rather than a complex interlinked mechanism.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Ease of operation

If multiple slides are mechanically connected via elongated hole connections, then receiving positions can be displaced along the x-axis, but small tolerances lead to instability of the entire field

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisplacement of receiving positionsVSAvoidtolerance requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The removal gripper is divided into multiple independent slides (first slide, second slide, third slide) that can be displaced independently along the x-axis. Each slide carries receiving positions and can be controlled separately by individual drives, eliminating the need for mechanical connections between slides. This segmentation allows displacement functionality while avoiding the stability issues of interconnected accordion-style mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The mechanical connection system (elongated hole connections and accordion-style stretching) is replaced with independent drive mechanisms for each slide. Instead of relying on mechanical couplings that accumulate tolerance errors, each slide is independently actuated by its own drive, eliminating the tolerance accumulation problem while maintaining the displacement functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS10857711B2Handling device for plastic injection-molded parts, injection molding system and method for operation

Publication Date: 2020.12.08 WALDORF TECHNIK GMBH & CO KG

AI summary

This invention relates to a handling device for the removal of plastic injection-molded parts, designed as pipette tips, medical reaction vessels or contact-lens molds, from an injection mold tool (11), having a removal gripper having a plurality of receiving positions (1-32; 104, 105) for receiving one injection-molded part from each of the cavities in each instance.