Log End Edge Gluing Device with Movable Tips
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gluing devices for end edges of logs face issues with compactness, edge phasing, and adaptability to varying log diameters, particularly struggling with the processing of logs with small diameters which require minimizing the size of openings to prevent accidental log falling and ensuring precise gluing.
Innovation Solution
A gluing device with an inclined feeding plane, a handling assembly of rollers with independent motorization, and a glue dispensing assembly featuring a transverse tank with movable tips and a suctioned plane to securely hold the edge, allowing for precise glue application and rewinding, along with photocells for edge detection and pressure rolls for phasing, all designed to be compact and adaptable to different diameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a multi-station gluing device with separate edge searching and glue dispensing stations is used, then the gluing process can be performed, but the machine becomes less compact and edge phasing control becomes more critical and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the edge searching function and glue dispensing function into a single integrated station. The photocells for detecting the end edge and the glue tips for dispensing glue are positioned together at the same location, eliminating the need for separate stations and the complex phasing control between them. This merging of functions directly resolves the technical contradiction by maintaining gluing capability while improving machine compactness and reducing control complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The single station is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: edge detection by photocells, edge opening by air blow, and glue dispensing by movable tips. This multi-functional design allows the same station to handle both searching and gluing operations, eliminating the need for multiple specialized stations and reducing overall device complexity while maintaining full gluing functionality.
2Reliability
If the size of openings along the log transfer plane is minimized to prevent accidental log falling for small-diameter logs, then safety is improved, but the length of unwound edge becomes minimum making gluing more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the glue dispensing tips in a transverse direction perpendicular to the log axis, allowing glue to be applied from the side rather than requiring the edge to be unwound over a long distance. The movable tips can extend transversely to apply glue directly to the end edge surface, enabling effective gluing of small-diameter logs even with minimal edge unwinding, thus resolving the contradiction between safety and gluing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces air blow as an intermediary mechanism to open and spread the end edge of the log. The air stream separates the paper layers at the end edge and spreads them outward, creating a sufficient effective gluing area even when the physical opening size is minimized. This intermediary action allows the system to maintain both small opening sizes for safety and adequate edge exposure for gluing.
3Manufacturing precision
If a transverse tank with movable tips is used for glue dispensing, then precise glue application is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The movable tips are designed to be cyclically extracted and retracted automatically as part of the normal operation cycle. The tips extend when needed for glue dispensing and retract when not needed, with the system self-managing the tip positioning without requiring complex external control mechanisms. This self-service approach achieves precise glue application while minimizing the overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The glue dispensing system uses dynamically movable tips that can extend and retract as needed rather than permanently fixed structures. The tips are positioned to extend from the transverse tank only when glue dispensing is required, allowing precise application while reducing the permanent structural complexity of the device. The dynamic nature of the tips allows the system to achieve precision without permanent complex mechanisms.
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 device achieves rapid, precise, and efficient gluing with minimized risk of edge accidental falling, optimized processing of small-diameter logs, and improved compactness with fewer transfers between processing stations, ensuring effective gluing while maintaining efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a suctioned plane to securely hold the edge
Implementation Method 2
the search for the end edge is performed by photocells, which is opened with respect to the log by an air blow
Implementation Method 3
an air blow opened the log in order to find the edge
Data Source
AI summary
A gluing device of an end edge of a log including an introduction assembly into the gluing device of a log, a handling assembly for a log associated to detection device of the end edge and including a pair of rolls for advancement and holding in rotation of the log, a glue dispensing assembly and a transfer assembly of the log including a transfer plane positioned downstream of the lower handling roller. The glue dispensing assembly is placed in series between the lower handling roll and the transfer plane and includes a transverse tank for the glue, housing cyclically movable glue transfer members. The transverse tank is provided with an upper cover provided with a plurality of openings provided in succession side by side at a set distance along a transverse row. The movable glue transfer members include a plurality of tips provided in succession along a transverse row, alternatively projecting through the relevant openings and retracted within the transverse tank because of the cyclical movement.