Laminator Support Surfaces for Sheet Material Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laminating devices face difficulties in precisely positioning sheet material within plastic film, especially with larger formats, leading to inconsistent lamination results due to slipping and misalignment.
Innovation Solution
The laminating device features separate support surfaces for the lower half of the film and sheet material, with side stop surfaces to guide and secure the materials during insertion, and optionally includes rotatable rollers on the film support surface to reduce friction, allowing for precise alignment and secure positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a single support surface is used for both film and sheet material, then the device structure is simple, but positioning precision deteriorates due to material slipping and misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The support surface is divided into two separate, identical surfaces: one for the plastic film and one for the sheet material. Each surface is equipped with its own pair of side stop surfaces, allowing independent positioning and preventing material slipping during the lamination process.
2Stability of the object's composition
If support surfaces are extended laterally to prevent slipping, then positioning stability improves, but the device width increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of extending the support surfaces laterally in the horizontal plane, the patent uses side stop surfaces that extend in the vertical dimension. These stops protrude upward from the support surfaces to physically block lateral movement of materials without increasing the device's footprint width.
3Manufacturing precision
If side stop surfaces are made tall to prevent slipping, then positioning precision improves, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in placing materials
Solution Approach 1:
The side stop surfaces have varying heights at different locations. They are taller at the rear (away from insertion slot) to prevent slipping during lamination, but shorter or absent at the front (near insertion slot) to allow easy placement of materials. This gradient in stop height optimizes both positioning precision and ease of operation.
4Manufacturing precision
If the front flap is made rigid to maintain alignment, then positioning precision improves, but adaptability deteriorates when changing film sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The front flap is made pivotable about a horizontal axis, allowing it to be rotated between a closed position (for lamination) and an open position (for accessing the film support surface). Additionally, the film support surface itself can be adjusted or replaced depending on the film size being used, combining structural rigidity with operational flexibility.
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 ensures accurate and consistent lamination by preventing slipping and facilitating easier handling of larger formats, resulting in improved lamination quality and reduced operational complexity.
Implementation Method 1
The support surfaces have rollers arranged on them, which protrude slightly from the support surfaces and can be rotated about rotation axes running transversely to the conveying direction
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a laminating device (10) with a housing (12), with a laminating device received in the housing (12) for laminating material to be laminated from sheet material and plastic film to form a laminate, and with a flow channel for feeding the material to be laminated to the laminating device and for transporting the laminate away from the laminating device, wherein the flow channel begins at an insertion slot (14) in the housing (12) and ends at an ejection slot in the housing (12). According to the invention, the housing (12) has at least two support surfaces (22, 32, 38, 48) for the material to be laminated on the side of the insertion slot (14), the support surfaces being located in the extension of the flow channel, wherein at least one support surface (38, 48) for the support of sheet material is formed by the surfaces of two support elements (34) arranged at a distance from each other and removable on or above at least one film support surface (22, 32) for the support of plastic film.