Label Carrier Frame Mounting for Flat, Stable Printing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Labeling cards used for identifying electrical and electronic components often distort due to internal friction from injection molding and thermal stress, affecting their flatness and usability in continuous printing processes.
Innovation Solution
A label transport device with a carrier frame made of synthetic plastic, featuring parallel longitudinal and transverse spars, locking projections, and catch and centering elements that allow for secure mounting and compensation of minor dimensional changes caused by temperature or moisture, ensuring the labeling cards remain flat and stable during printing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If labeling cards are made of synthetic plastic and manufactured by injection molding, then they can be produced efficiently and with good material properties, but internal friction from the molding process causes distortion and affects flatness
Solution Approach 1:
The labeling card is divided into two separate components: a stable carrier frame (manufactured by injection molding) and a flexible label element (attached separately). This segmentation isolates the label from the molding-induced internal stresses, allowing the carrier to maintain structural stability while the label can be replaced or adjusted without distortion affecting the overall assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a mounting arrangement with positioning tabs and locking mechanisms as an intermediary between the carrier frame and the label. This intermediary system allows for secure attachment while accommodating dimensional changes in the label due to thermal or moisture effects, preventing distortion from transferring to the printed image.
2Reliability
If labeling cards undergo thermal fusing of printed images, then print quality and resistance to smear and scratch are improved, but thermal stress causes distortion due to disengagement of internal friction
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the label from the carrier frame, the patent allows the label to undergo thermal fusing independently. The carrier frame remains stable and flat, while the label can be heated and fused without causing distortion to the overall structure, as the mounting arrangement accommodates the label's dimensional changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting arrangement with positioning tabs and locking mechanisms is designed beforehand to accommodate thermal expansion and contraction of the label. This pre-designed flexibility cushiones against the distortion that would otherwise occur during thermal fusing, allowing the printed image to be heat-set without compromising the flatness of the overall assembly.
3Adaptability or versatility
If separate manufacturing of carrier frameworks and labeling cards is implemented, then assembly flexibility and compensation for dimensional changes are improved, but device complexity increases due to mounting arrangements
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting arrangement incorporates localized flexibility only where needed - at the positioning tabs and locking mechanisms that interface with the label. The majority of the carrier frame remains simple and rigid, providing structural stability. This localized application of complexity achieves the necessary adaptability without unnecessarily complicating the entire device.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting arrangement is designed with dynamic elements that allow for movement and adjustment. The positioning tabs can flex, and the locking mechanisms can engage and disengage, allowing the system to adapt to dimensional changes in the label while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure. This dynamic design provides adaptability without requiring complex active control systems.
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
The solution ensures labeling cards remain flat and stable, preventing distortion and maintaining high-quality prints, even under thermal stress, and allows for easy separation of the printable area without tools, enhancing the efficiency of the printing process.
Implementation Method 1
a positioning lug arranged on one of the frame and tab members for engagement with an opening contained in the other of the tab and frame members, thereby to position the label at a given transport location on the carrier frame member
Implementation Method 2
The catch, clamping and centering elements are arranged in a way that temperature induced or moisture induced minor changes in the dimensions can be compensated for
Data Source
AI summary
A label transport device for transporting indicia-bearing labels for identifying electrical and electronic components, comprising a generally rectangular carrier frame member having a generally planar support surface, a generally rectangular planar indicia-bearing label, and a mounting arrangement for mounting the label on the carrier frame, including at least one positioning tab member connected with one edge of the label, and a positioning lug arranged on one of the frame and tab members for engagement with an opening contained in the other of the tab and frame members, thereby to position the label at a given transport location on the carrier frame member. The frame is injection-molded from a synthetic plastic material and includes a plurality of parallel spaced longitudinal spars that are connected together integrally by a plurality of parallel transverse spars.