Heating Head Shielding for Capsule Shrinkage
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heating heads for thermally shrinking sealing capsules on bottling lines face issues with inconsistent heating times due to varying carousel speeds, leading to incomplete shrinkage or material damage, and uneven heating distribution across the capsule height.
Innovation Solution
A heating head with a movable thin-walled tubular shield controlled by a vertical axis cylindrical actuator, which can be raised and lowered to shield the capsule from the heating action for a predetermined time, ensuring consistent heating duration independent of carousel speed and minimizing weight for faster movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If each heating head is provided with its own driving means to engage the bottle neck for a predetermined period of time, then the heating time becomes fixed and independent of carousel speed, but the device complexity and cost increase significantly due to the need for sizable actuators
Solution Approach 1:
A movable shield is introduced as an intermediary element between the heating resistor and the capsule. The shield is controlled by a lightweight actuator that moves it between a first position (shielding the capsule from heating) and a second position (allowing heating). This intermediary mechanism enables precise control of heating duration without requiring complex actuators at each heating head, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining fixed heating time.
2Productivity
If the heating heads drop onto the bottle neck with maximized speed, then the processing time is reduced, but the heating action becomes uneven across the capsule height due to inertia and geometrical restrictions
Solution Approach 1:
The shield is raised in advance before the heating head reaches the capsule, and lowered in advance before the heating head leaves the capsule. This preliminary action ensures that the capsule is shielded from heating during the head's movement, and only exposed to heating when the head is stationary and properly positioned. This eliminates uneven heating caused by gradual descent while maintaining fast processing speeds.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the heating heads are made heavier to increase stability, then the structural stability improves, but the movement speed decreases and heating uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The heating head is segmented into distinct functional components: a heavy heating element (resistor) that provides thermal stability, and a lightweight movable shield that enables rapid position changes. By separating these functions, the heating element can remain stable and heavy while the shield moves quickly to control heating timing, thus achieving both structural stability and high movement speed without compromise.
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 solution allows for consistent, even heating of capsules for a fixed period, reducing rejects and enabling efficient shrinkage regardless of carousel speed, while maintaining a lightweight design for rapid movement and uniform heating across the capsule.
Implementation Method 1
a spiral-shaped resistor (30) coaxially supported within said shell (24) and defining a substantially cylindrical heated chamber (30a)
Implementation Method 2
a thin-walled tubular shield (32) which is insertable between said resistor (30) and the bottle neck with capsule (12)
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~6
AI summary
A heating member (30) integral with the head has a cylindrical heated cavity (30a) in which the bottle neck with capsule is insertable. The head (20) is mountable on a heating machine adapted to movably support the head between a resting position in which the heating member (30) is axially spaced from the capsule, and an operative position in which the heating member (30) surrounds the capsule and interacts with it by heating it. A shield (32) having a tubular profile is insertable between the heating member (30) and the bottle neck and is movably supported in an axial direction with respect to the heating member (30) under control of actuator means (34), between a resting position external to the heated cavity (30a), and an working position in which it is interposed between the capsule and the heating member (30) and shields the capsule from the heating action applied by the heating member (30).