Magnetic Transport Carrying Elements for Flexible Packaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing horizontal packaging machines face limitations such as inertia issues when handling liquids, leading to reduced productivity and the need for larger, more costly machines to increase efficiency, and previous solutions like using magnetic fields for independent container transport are expensive.
Innovation Solution
A device with guide means forming a closed horizontal route, where carrying elements with movable arms on either side of a vertical plane can securely and transport containers independently, using a magnetic field effect to control their movement, allowing for simultaneous transport of two containers at different velocities to optimize productivity and reduce costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional carousels or chain conveyors are used to transport containers, then containers can be moved along a closed horizontal trajectory, but inertia occurs when containers are held in work stations and transport movement starts up, causing product to move inside liquid-filled containers
Solution Approach 1:
The transport system is divided into independent motor elements that can operate autonomously. Each motor element carries a tool and can be controlled individually, allowing selective acceleration and deceleration of specific container positions without affecting the entire train, thereby eliminating inertia-induced product movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from rigid synchronous movement to dynamic independent control. Motor elements can adjust their velocity and acceleration profiles independently based on real-time requirements, enabling smooth start-stop operations that prevent liquid product movement while maintaining high overall productivity.
2Productivity
If the number of work stations is doubled to increase productivity and compensate for slow transitions between stations, then more containers can be processed simultaneously, but the machine size increases and costs rise
Solution Approach 1:
The container train is segmented into independently controllable sections, each with its own motor element. This allows multiple containers to be processed simultaneously at different velocities and acceleration rates, effectively doubling productivity without requiring duplicate work stations or increasing machine footprint.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the velocity parameter dynamically for different segments of the container train. By allowing adjacent motor elements to operate at different speeds, the system can process twice as many containers per cycle while maintaining the same physical machine size, as containers move through work stations at optimized individual rates.
3Productivity
If magnetic field control is used to move motor elements independently along a track, then containers can be transported at different velocities and held independently, but the system cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical drive systems with magnetic field-based motor elements. Each motor element uses electromagnetic propulsion to move independently along the track, eliminating the need for mechanical transmissions, gears, and coupled drive mechanisms, thereby reducing overall system complexity and cost while maintaining high productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The motor elements serve multiple functions: they propel the carrying elements, position containers precisely, control acceleration and deceleration rates, and enable independent holding of containers at different positions. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate mechanical systems for each function, lowering overall system cost.
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 solution enhances productivity by reducing transportation time and doubling the capacity of each cycle while minimizing mechanical stress and costs, avoiding the limitations of previous technologies.
Implementation Method 1
using a magnetic field effect to control their movement
Data Source
AI summary
Device for transporting containers in a packaging line, having a number of guides that determine a closed route including a horizontal stretch and upon which a first and second carrying element slide. The guides are directed on a vertical plane and each carrying element has two arms, each one of which extends to one side of the vertical plane, each arm (5a; 6a) of a carrying element is designed to work alongside the arm arranged on a same side of the vertical plane of the other carrying element adjacent to them, to jointly secure and transport a corresponding container, so as to be secured and transported along the length of the horizontal stretch of the route and at least two containers between each two adjacent carrying elements at the same time, one at each side of the vertical plane.