Laser Substrate Stitching for Composite Panel Thread Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for stitching composite panels, commonly used in automotive interiors, face challenges in accurately forming openings in the substrate without damaging the outer layer, which can lead to issues like thread breakage and uneven stitching.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that utilize a laser to create openings in the substrate beneath the outer layer of a composite panel, allowing a needle to pierce the outer layer and thread to pass through both layers, while the laser and needle are synchronized to ensure precise alignment and spacing for successive stitches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a needle is used to pierce both the outer layer and substrate simultaneously, then stitching can be performed in one action, but the needle may cause outer layer damage or thread breakage due to excessive resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The laser creates openings in the substrate before the needle pierces the outer layer and substrate. This preliminary action removes the obstacle (substrate material) that would otherwise cause excessive resistance and thread breakage, allowing the needle to pass through smoothly with reduced stress on the thread
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the purely mechanical needle-piercing process with a hybrid system where a laser (optical/thermal system) pre-processes the substrate by creating openings. This substitution eliminates the need for the needle to mechanically force its way through the substrate, reducing friction and thread stress
2Reliability
If openings are pre-formed in the substrate, then needle penetration is easier and thread stress is reduced, but additional processing steps are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the laser opening creation and needle stitching operations into a single integrated apparatus and synchronized process. The laser and needle are positioned on the same workstation and coordinated through the panel's indexed movement, so that opening formation and stitching occur as one combined operation rather than separate steps
Solution Approach 2:
The panel's own indexed movement serves dual purposes: it positions the panel for both laser opening creation and needle stitching. The same mechanical indexing system that drives the stitching process also controls the laser's relative position to the panel, eliminating the need for separate positioning mechanisms
3Ease of manufacture
If the laser forms openings through both the outer layer and substrate, then the stitching process is simplified, but the outer layer is damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The laser beam parameters are specifically controlled to create openings with precise depth and location characteristics. The laser forms openings only in the substrate layer at specific locations where stitches are needed, while carefully avoiding damage to the outer layer. This local precision allows the outer layer to remain intact for aesthetic purposes while still enabling easy needle penetration at the targeted opening locations
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 enables accurate and efficient stitching by reducing thread stress and breakage, ensuring precise alignment of substrate openings with needle penetration points, thereby improving the quality and consistency of stitches in composite panels.
Implementation Method 1
providing a laser beam onto the substrate, with the laser beam forming an opening through the substrate but not through the outer layer
Data Source
AI summary
In at least one implementation, a method for forming openings for a stitched seam in a composite panel having an outer layer, and a substrate behind the outer layer includes providing a laser beam onto the substrate, with the laser beam forming an opening through the substrate but not through the outer layer, and moving at least one of the laser or the substrate relative to the other so that a new opening can be formed that is spaced from the already formed opening. Successive openings can be formed in desired locations around the panel to facilitate subsequent panel stitching. In at least some implementations, the laser may form such openings while stitches are formed in the panel, wherein a stitch is provided in a previous opening while or nearly at the same time the laser forms a different opening for a subsequent stitch.