Head Welding Assembly with Segmented Cooling and Insulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing head welding assemblies produce poor-quality welds due to undesired cooling of heated components, leading to overheating and subsequent distortions that increase the rejection rate.
Innovation Solution
A single-station head welding assembly featuring a mandrel, a coaxial cooling element with a heat-insulating ring of low thermal conduction material, and a nozzle for controlled heating gas distribution, forming two temperature zones for precise heating and cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If components are overheated to compensate for cooling, then welding temperature is maintained, but tube body overheating causes distortions and poor weld quality
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling element is divided into multiple zones with different cooling intensities: a first cooling zone with strong cooling action and a second cooling zone with weak or no cooling action. This segmentation allows the head to be cooled sufficiently while preventing excessive cooling of the tube body, eliminating the need for overheating compensation and avoiding distortions.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the cooling element have different cooling properties. The first cooling zone is designed to cool the head effectively, while the second cooling zone is designed to minimize cooling of the tube body. This local differentiation of cooling quality enables precise temperature control in different regions, achieving good weld quality without tube body distortions.
2Temperature
If cooling element is positioned to cool the head, then welding temperature is controlled, but tube body cooling causes distortion
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling element is segmented into a first cooling zone for the head and a second cooling zone for the tube body, with different cooling intensities. This segmentation allows independent control of cooling in different regions, maintaining head temperature for welding while preventing tube body distortion.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling element provides different cooling qualities to different locations: strong cooling at the head region and weak or no cooling at the tube body region. This local quality differentiation enables precise temperature management that prevents both overheating and distortion.
3Ease of manufacture
If two work stations are used for heating and forming, then process completeness is achieved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heating and forming operations are merged into a single work station. The cooling element is designed to perform both cooling the head for welding and forming the tube body in one integrated operation, eliminating the need for separate work stations and reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining process completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling element is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a cooling device for the head and as a forming device for the tube body. This universal design allows one element to perform multiple functions that previously required separate dedicated components and work stations.
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 configuration enhances weld quality and significantly reduces the rejection rate by preventing overheating and allowing immediate forming after heating, resulting in high-quality welds with minimal defects.
Implementation Method 1
different heating is provided for the end of the tube body by forming two zones for its cooling - an internal one, cooled to a temperature lower than the melting point of the foil, and an end one, almost non-cooled and having a temperature which is a bit above the melting point of the foil. In the same time, the head is heated in the welding zone to a temperature being a bit higher than the melting point of the material of which said head is made.
Implementation Method 2
an internal one, cooled to a temperature lower than the melting point of the foil
Implementation Method 3
There is a heat-insulating ring between the latter and said cooling metal ring. In the position of heating, said heat-insulating ring is positioned around the end of the tube body.
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The assembly is intended for application to manufacturing of tubes, bottles, boxes. Characterized by improved quality of the weld and low reject percentage. It has a mandrel (1), on which there is a head (3) and a tube body (2), put over in a typical manner, as well as a cooling element, coaxial with the mandrel (1), and a nozzle D, coaxial with the mandrel. Said nozzle contains two parts - internal 7 and external (8) - which form channel (9) for feeding heating gas HG. The assembly consists of only one work station. The cooling element is also forming element OFE and consists of cooling metal ring 4, located in forming metal ring (6). There is heat-insulating ring (5) between the latter and the cooling metal ring (4). In the position of heating, said heat-insulating ring (5) is positioned around the end of the tube body (2). The heat-insulating ring (5) is of solid-state material or gas of low thermal conduction.