Mineral Wool Web Splitting Layout for Dust-Free Horizontal Cutting

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Solution Overview

Problem

High-capacity production lines face challenges in removing dust produced during the horizontal cutting of large-width cured mineral wool webs, as band saws leave residue dust on dividing surfaces, requiring time-consuming and costly cleaning operations.

Innovation Solution

Divide the cured mineral wool web into sub-webs and lift sections for individual horizontal cutting by band saws, ensuring each saw cuts a manageable width and can effectively remove dust, with band saws arranged to collect dust on exterior sides, avoiding deposition on adjacent sub-webs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If a band saw cuts a large-width cured mineral wool web horizontally, then the cutting action produces dust that cannot be fully removed, but cutting the entire width at once is more efficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecutting efficiencyVSAvoiddust residue on dividing surfaces
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The cured mineral wool web is divided into multiple sub-webs by longitudinal cutting before horizontal cutting. Each sub-web is then horizontally cut separately by individual band saws. This segmentation allows each band saw to handle a manageable width, effectively removing dust from each cutting surface without the residue problems associated with cutting the entire large width at once.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Object-generated harmful factors

If the web is divided into sub-webs and cut individually, then dust removal is effective, but the device complexity increases with multiple lifting mechanisms and cutting devices

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedust removal effectivenessVSAvoidnumber of lifting mechanisms and cutting devices
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-generated harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple band saws are arranged side-by-side to cut multiple sub-webs simultaneously in parallel. The lifting mechanisms are coordinated to lift sub-webs at different locations along the conveyor direction, allowing simultaneous cutting operations. This merging approach distributes the cutting load and maintains high productivity while effectively removing dust from each cutting surface.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The cutting process is organized in the longitudinal dimension by dividing the web into sub-webs that are processed at different locations along the conveyor. Lifting mechanisms are positioned at different downstream locations, creating a spatial distribution of cutting operations along the length of the production line, which allows parallel processing while managing dust removal effectively.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Manufacturing precision

If cleaning operations are performed to remove dust from dividing surfaces, then surface quality is improved, but production time and costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesurface quality of dividing surfacesVSAvoidcleaning time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The cutting process is designed so that each band saw cuts only a manageable width of sub-web, which transforms the harmful effect of dust generation into a beneficial outcome: the reduced cutting width allows each saw to effectively remove dust from its cutting surface, eliminating the need for separate cleaning operations and saving production time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Data Source

PatentEP3999679B1A method and an apparatus for horizontally splitting a mineral wool web
Publication Date: 2023.09.06 ROCKWOOL AS
  • EP3999679B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3999679B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

The present invention concerns a method and an apparatus for horizontally splitting a mineral wool web, comprising a conveyor having a first direction of travel adapted for receiving and advancing a cured mineral wool web in said first direction; wherein there is provided at least one dividing device for longitudinally dividing the cured mineral wool web into at least two sub-webs as said cured mineral wool web is advanced passed said at least one dividing device; and wherein at least one lifting mechanism downstream of the dividing device so that a section of the conveyor is adapted for lifting a sub-web, and wherein at least one horizontal cutting device is provided for horizontally cutting the sub-web whilst lifted in said conveyor section.