Infrared Heater Power Control for Container Startup
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to start up the production of plastic containers without waiting for the forming unit to reach its full rate while maintaining the quality of the containers produced during the start-up phase, as the quality depends on the thermal profile acquired by the blanks in the furnace, and existing solutions do not provide practical methods for implementing heating power or angle variations effectively.
Innovation Solution
A facility with a rotating carrousel and infrared emitters, where the electrical power to the emitters is adjusted based on the instantaneous speed of the carrousel, ensuring that the blanks receive a consistent energy dose regardless of the acceleration phase, and a feed device control system that opens only when the carrousel reaches a certain speed threshold to manage the passage of blanks through the heating unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If production is started up immediately without waiting for the forming unit to reach full rate, then productivity is improved, but the quality of containers deteriorates due to inconsistent thermal profiles
Solution Approach 1:
The heating system dynamically adjusts the power of infrared emitters based on the real-time rotation speed of the carrousel. During acceleration phase, when the carrousel rotates slower than nominal speed, the emitter power is reduced proportionally to prevent overheating. This dynamic adaptation allows immediate startup while maintaining consistent thermal profiles and container quality throughout the acceleration phase.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit continuously monitors the actual rotation speed of the carrousel and uses this feedback to regulate the power supplied to infrared emitters. The control algorithm calculates the required emitter power based on the ratio of actual speed to nominal speed, ensuring that the thermal energy received by blanks remains constant regardless of variations in carrousel speed during startup.
2Temperature
If the heating power is increased to compensate for longer exposure time during acceleration, then the thermal profile is improved, but the blanks become overheated and misshapen
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the power parameter of infrared emitters in real-time based on the carrousel's rotation speed. During acceleration, when exposure time is longer due to lower speed, the emitter power is reduced proportionally. This parameter adjustment ensures that the total thermal energy received by blanks remains appropriate, preventing both underheating and overheating that would cause misshapen containers.
3Manufacturing precision
If the carrousel acceleration phase is extended to maintain quality, then container quality is preserved, but productivity is reduced due to longer time to reach full rate
Solution Approach 1:
The heating system dynamically adapts to the carrousel's acceleration profile by continuously adjusting emitter power based on actual rotation speed. This allows the carrousel to accelerate at its natural rate without extending the acceleration phase, while the dynamic power adjustment ensures consistent thermal profiles and container quality are maintained throughout the acceleration process.
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 allows for immediate startup of production without waiting for the full production rate, ensuring consistent container quality by regulating the energy input to match the carrousel's speed, thereby increasing productivity without compromising the quality of the containers produced during the transient phase.
Implementation Method 1
emitters equipped with monochromatic electromagnetic radiation sources (in particular lasers), whose emission spectrum essentially extends in the infrared range
Implementation Method 2
The emitters radiate in the infrared without heat diffusion
Data Source
AI summary
A facility for the production of containers from blanks, which facility includes: a forming unit equipped with a rotating carrousel driven by a motor; a unit for heating blanks, equipped with infrared emitters and a power feed for each emitter; a control unit having in the memory a nominal speed setpoint ωN of the rotation of the carrousel and a nominal electrical power setpoint PN. The control unit is programmed for: controlling the rotation of the carrousel according to the nominal speed setpoint ωN. During its acceleration: taking into account the real instantaneous speed ω of rotation of the carrousel, and regulating the electrical power of the feed to an instantaneous value P such that:P(t)=PN·ωωN