Manipulator Clamp Structure for Bending Small-Sized Sheet Material
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bending machines with C-shaped manipulators struggle to effectively bend small-sized board materials, as they cannot clamp and bend all four sides of the material due to size limitations and instability issues.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a suction holding unit with a front surface suctioning unit and a lower surface suctioning unit, allowing for auxiliary holding of the board material's sides and edges, enabling the bending of small-sized materials that cannot be clamped by the main clamp.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a main clamp is used to hold board material, then holding stability is improved, but small-sized board materials cannot be clamped or all four sides cannot be bent
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp structure is divided into a main clamp and an auxiliary clamp unit. The main clamp provides stable holding for larger board materials, while the auxiliary clamp unit supplements clamping for small-sized materials or enables bending of all four sides by alternating clamping positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The auxiliary clamp unit is designed to serve multiple functions: it can clamp small-sized board materials that the main clamp cannot hold, and it can alternatively clamp board materials during the bending process to enable bending of all four sides. This multi-functional design increases the versatility of the bending machine.
2Measurement precision
If the manipulator size is increased to improve holding stability, then accuracy in setting rotational position is improved, but the device becomes too large for small-sized board materials
Solution Approach 1:
The manipulator's clamping function is segmented into a main clamp and a compact auxiliary clamp unit. This allows the system to maintain high positioning accuracy through the main clamp while the auxiliary unit provides additional clamping capability without requiring an overall increase in manipulator size.
Solution Approach 2:
The auxiliary clamp unit is designed as a compact, nested structure that can be integrated into the existing manipulator system without significantly increasing the overall manipulator volume. The auxiliary clamp can be positioned and deployed as needed, providing enhanced functionality within a compact form factor.
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 allows for the bending of small-sized board materials by providing an auxiliary unit that can hold the material during the bending process, enabling the bending of all sides and accommodating various sizes, even when the main clamp cannot secure the material.
Implementation Method 1
a suction holding unit (24) is provided on the manipulator (10)
Data Source
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AI summary
An object is to provide a clamp structure for a manipulator and a bending method for a board material using the same suitable for bending small-sized board materials. A clamp structure for a manipulator used in a bending machine for a board material includes: a main clamp disposed on a distal end side of the manipulator; and an auxiliary unit adapted to hold the board material, and controlled to move forward and backward relative to the manipulator.