Microduct-Tube Winder With Consistent Winding Angle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing microduct-tube winders face issues with cross-overs, kinks, and poor precision in winding empty plastics microduct tubes, especially at high speeds, leading to inefficiencies and safety risks, with manual intervention often required for small diameters and low-cost reels contributing to inaccuracies.
Innovation Solution
A microduct-tube winder design where the tube guiding device is movable in the transverse plane of the reel, with coordinated movement of the reel and guiding device to maintain a consistent winding angle, minimizing tensile stress and ovality, and utilizing sensors for precise control and alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual intervention is used for winding small diameter microduct tubes, then precision is improved, but productivity decreases and safety risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses sensors (optical, capacitive, inductive) to automatically detect tube position, reel diameter, and winding parameters, enabling the winding device to self-regulate and maintain precision without manual intervention. The control unit processes sensor signals to automatically adjust winding parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical winding operations are replaced by an automated control system that uses sensor feedback to precisely control the winding process. The system substitutes human operator skills with electronic sensing and automated actuation mechanisms.
2Productivity
If high winding speeds are used, then productivity is improved, but cross-overs and kinks occur reducing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts winding parameters based on real-time sensor feedback. The control unit continuously monitors tube position and reel rotation, automatically adjusting winding speed and tension to prevent cross-overs and kinks even at high operating speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
Optical, capacitive, and inductive sensors provide continuous feedback on tube position, reel diameter, and winding parameters. The control unit processes this feedback to automatically adjust winding parameters, ensuring consistent quality at high speeds through closed-loop control.
3Ease of manufacture
If low-cost reels are used, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to tolerance fluctuations
Solution Approach 1:
The control system dynamically adjusts winding parameters based on the actual reel characteristics detected by sensors. When tolerance variations in low-cost reels are detected, the system automatically compensates by modifying winding speed, tension, and positioning parameters to maintain pattern accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different control strategies to different regions of the reel based on local conditions detected by sensors. The control unit adjusts winding parameters locally to compensate for variations in reel geometry, allowing low-cost reels with non-uniform properties to achieve precise winding patterns.
4Productivity
If automated winding is implemented, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit serves multiple functions: it processes signals from multiple sensor types, determines reel parameters, calculates optimal winding paths, and adjusts winding parameters in real-time. This multi-functionality consolidates what could be multiple separate complex subsystems into a single integrated control unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit acts as an intermediary between the simple mechanical winding components and the complex sensor system. It translates sensor signals into actuation commands, managing the complexity by providing a single point of control that coordinates all automated functions.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a microduct-tube winder (5) for winding up extruded empty plastics microduct tubes having an outside diameter of about 2 to about 20 mm, having a reel (8) which is rotatable about a rotation axis (16) and has a core (9) arranged between two radially projecting flanges (10), the tube being windable on said core (9), and having a tube guiding device (6), via which the tube is fed to the reel (8), wherein a first transfer point is provided on the tube guiding device (6), the tube losing contact with the tube guiding device (6) at said first transfer point in the operating state of the microduct-tube winder (5), and wherein provision is made of a second transfer point, assigned to the reel, the tube coming into contact with the core (9) or a tube layer wound onto the latter at said second transfer point, wherein the tube guiding device (6); is movable in a transverse plane of the reel (8) and the reel (8) is movable in the direction of its rotation axis (16) such that in the operating state the winding angle (a) at the second transfer point always remains the same. The invention also relates to a double station winder (1) having two such microduct-tube winders (5), to a processing system having a microduct-tube winder (5), to a manufacturing system having an extrusion apparatus and a processing system and to a method for winding up an empty plastics tube.