Laser-Cut Fly Ring Segments with Custom Fasteners
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional rotary drum washer fly ring manufacturing methods are labor-intensive and fail to achieve tight tolerances due to reliance on laser cutting, welding, machining, and straightening processes.
Innovation Solution
A new manufacturing method utilizing high-precision laser cutting to form ring segments with lap joints and custom fasteners, eliminating the need for welding, machining, and straightening, allowing for precise assembly by non-skilled personnel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional laser cutting, welding, machining, and straightening processes are used to manufacture fly rings, then structural integrity is achieved, but manufacturing complexity and labor intensity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The fly ring is divided into multiple segments that are laser-cut from plate material. Each segment is manufactured separately with precise dimensions, allowing for modular assembly without requiring complex welding or straightening operations. The segments are connected using simple fasteners that maintain structural integrity while simplifying the overall manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The traditional welding and machining processes are replaced with a mechanical fastening system. Instead of joining segments through welding which requires grinding and straightening, the invention uses fasteners to mechanically connect the laser-cut segments, eliminating the need for post-weld machining and straightening operations.
2Strength
If traditional welding and machining processes are used, then structural integrity is maintained, but manufacturing time and labor requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fly ring segments are laser-cut to precise dimensions before assembly, with all necessary features prepared in advance. This preliminary precision cutting eliminates the need for subsequent machining and straightening operations during assembly, significantly reducing manufacturing time while maintaining structural integrity through the fastening system.
Solution Approach 2:
Time-consuming welding and machining operations are replaced with a simple mechanical fastening process. The segments are connected using pre-designed fasteners that can be installed quickly without requiring skilled welding or machining operations, thereby increasing manufacturing productivity while preserving structural strength.
3Manufacturing precision
If laser cutting is used to create fly ring segments, then manufacturing precision can be improved, but tight tolerances cannot be achieved without additional machining
Solution Approach 1:
The fly ring is segmented into multiple laser-cut pieces, each manufactured to precise dimensions. The segmentation allows laser cutting to achieve the required tolerances for each individual segment, while the overall assembly tolerance is managed through the design of the connection interfaces and fasteners, eliminating the need for additional machining operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the approach to tolerance management by transitioning from a continuous ring requiring tight overall tolerances to segmented components where tolerances are managed at the segment level. The laser cutting parameters are optimized for each segment, and the assembly design accommodates cumulative tolerances through the fastening mechanism, maintaining manufacturing precision without requiring complex machining.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a fly ring adapted to be used in a rotary drum filtering apparatus, and a method of forming such a fly ring. The fly ring comprises a plurality of ring segments, each ring segment being laser cut. Each ring segment has a first end which overlaps a second end of an adjacent ring segment, forming a lapped joint. Each ring segment first and second end has at least two spaced apart through holes, the through holes of the first end being aligned with the through holes of the second end. A custom fastener extends through the first end and second end aligned through holes.