Horizontal Expanding Machine Automatic Shaft Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Horizontal expanding machines require lengthy manual reconfiguration for different products, leading to significant idle times and reduced productivity due to the need for manual selection and removal of expanding shafts, which hampers their flexibility and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The integration of automatic selection means for expanding shafts, including pneumatic actuation and recognition systems, allows for autonomous selection and deactivation of shafts based on product geometry, enabling quick format changes without operator intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If manual reconfiguration is used for changing product formats, then the machine can be operated with simple structure, but the change-of-format time becomes excessively long
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-organizing expanding shafts in a storage magazine according to product formats. Before production begins, shafts are arranged in predetermined sequences corresponding to different product types. When a format change is needed, the system simply activates the pre-arranged shaft configuration rather than manually selecting each shaft, thus reducing changeover time while maintaining manageable complexity through advance preparation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary device - an automated shaft selection mechanism with a storage magazine and selection means - that mediates between the operator and the expanding shafts. This intermediary automatically retrieves and positions the required shafts based on product format requirements, eliminating manual intervention while managing system complexity through a dedicated automated subsystem rather than redesigning the entire machine.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple expanding shafts are used for different products, then the machine can handle diverse products, but the time required to select and remove shafts increases idle time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements universality by designing a storage magazine that can accommodate multiple types of expanding shafts for different product formats simultaneously. The selection means can rapidly switch between different shaft configurations based on the product being produced. This allows a single machine to handle diverse products with multiple formats without requiring separate equipment for each product type, thus improving adaptability while minimizing idle time through quick format switching.
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares multiple shaft configurations in advance within the storage magazine, organized by product format. When a format change is required, the pre-arranged shafts are already in position and can be activated immediately without manual selection or reconfiguration. This preliminary organization eliminates the time-consuming process of selecting and removing individual shafts during production changes.
3Productivity
If manual operator intervention is used for shaft selection, then the system remains simple to operate, but productivity decreases due to lengthy reconfiguration times
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by enabling the machine to automatically select and configure expanding shafts without operator intervention. The selection means reads product format requirements and autonomously retrieves the appropriate shafts from the storage magazine, positions them on the carriage, and prepares them for operation. This self-service capability eliminates the time-consuming manual reconfiguration process, significantly improving productivity while maintaining ease of operation through a user-friendly control interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical process of shaft selection with an automated system combining mechanical retrieval mechanisms and electronic control. The selection means uses automated positioning and locking mechanisms instead of manual operator actions, substituting human labor with an integrated mechanical-electronic system that rapidly configures shafts according to product requirements, thereby increasing production speed without compromising operational simplicity.
4Speed
If the machine is re-equipped for each product change, then it can maintain high execution speed, but the frequent reconfiguration causes substantial production losses
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary organization of expanding shafts in the storage magazine according to different product formats before production begins. When a format change is needed, the pre-arranged shaft configurations are already in position and can be activated instantly, allowing the machine to maintain high execution speed during actual production while minimizing reconfiguration time to nearly zero through advance preparation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic adaptability through an automated selection system that can rapidly reconfigure shaft arrangements based on real-time production requirements. The storage magazine and selection means work together as a dynamic system that adapts shaft configurations on-demand without disrupting the high-speed expansion process, allowing the machine to switch between formats quickly while maintaining optimal execution speed during each production run.
Data Source
AI summary
A horizontal expanding machine, including a support frame defining a horizontal expanding axis (A), at least one guide associated with said frame and parallel to said expanding axis (A), at least one carriage moveable along said guide, a plurality of expanding shafts able to be associated with said carriage and arranged along said expanding axis (A). The machine includes automatic selection means of the expanding shafts adapted for selectively positioning said shafts on said carriage.