Modular Fire-Resistant Sleeves for Custom High-Temperature Transfer
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The production of sleeves customized for specific industrial applications, such as safely removing high-temperature materials, is often cost-prohibitive and results in material waste, with existing fire-resistant hoses lacking customization options for connections, length, flow rates, and other properties.
Innovation Solution
A protective sleeve made from fire-resistant material, such as polyetherimide (PEI), with standardized intermediate linking connectors fabricated by additive manufacturing and customizable end connectors, allowing for fluid-tight seals and adjustable flow characteristics through varying channel diameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If sleeves are customized to specific applications, then performance and suitability are improved, but cost increases and material waste occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The sleeve is divided into multiple standardized segments or sections that can be manufactured separately and assembled in different configurations. This allows customization of length and connection types without requiring complete custom manufacturing of each sleeve, reducing cost and material waste while maintaining adaptability to specific applications
Solution Approach 2:
Standardized connection interfaces and modular components are designed to work across multiple sleeve configurations and applications. This universal design allows the same basic sleeve components to be used in various applications by simply changing the arrangement or number of segments, achieving customization without proportional cost increases
2Reliability
If fire-resistant material is used, then safety and heat resistance are improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes thermoplastic materials that can be processed using standard additive manufacturing techniques at relatively low temperatures. By selecting materials and processing parameters that enable conventional manufacturing methods, the complexity of manufacturing fire-resistant components is reduced while maintaining the necessary fire resistance properties
3Adaptability or versatility
If additive manufacturing is used, then customization and material efficiency are improved, but manufacturing precision may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the sleeve into multiple segments with standardized interfaces, the patent enables customization of each segment through additive manufacturing while maintaining overall dimensional accuracy. The segmentation allows critical interfaces to be manufactured with higher precision using standardized molds or post-processing, while non-critical areas can be fully customized
Solution Approach 2:
The design incorporates self-aligning features and tolerance compensation mechanisms that allow additive manufactured components to achieve proper fit and function even with variations in dimensional accuracy. The modular design enables easy adjustment and reconfiguration to compensate for manufacturing tolerances
Data Source
AI summary
Protective sleeves, kits-of-parts for manufacturing sleeves, and methods for manufacturing sleeves are provided. An exemplary protective sleeve includes an inlet end connector; intermediate linking connectors; and an outlet end connector. The intermediate linking connectors are interconnected in a series from the inlet end connector to the outlet end connector; and the inlet end connector, the intermediate linking connectors, and the outlet end connector comprise fire-resistant material.