Modular Wire-Guiding Roller for Stone Cutting

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wire-guiding rollers or drums for diamond wires in multi-wire machines suffer from wear due to speed differences among diamond wire rings, leading to uneven wear patterns and costly maintenance, as the soft material coatings wear out and require frequent replacement, complicating the process with multiple pulleys and high transport costs.

Innovation Solution

A modular wire-guiding roller or drum divided into sections with rapidly detachable coupling, featuring a coating strip of soft material with grooves and locking elements, allowing for easy replacement and assembly, reducing wear by mediating speed differences among contiguous wires and minimizing maintenance costs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If a single roller or drum with soft material coating is used to guide multiple diamond wire rings, then the structure is simple and compact, but uneven wear occurs due to speed differences among wires and the entire coating must be replaced when worn

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructure simplicityVSAvoidmaintenance complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

The roller or drum is divided into multiple independent sections, each with its own replaceable soft material coating strip. When one coating strip wears out, only that specific section needs maintenance rather than replacing the entire roller coating, significantly reducing maintenance complexity and cost.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If the soft material coating is cured in situ to form a rigid connection, then the coating is securely fixed to the roller, but replacement requires complete roller removal and recuring which is costly and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecoating fixation securityVSAvoidcoating replacement ease
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

The coating is segmented into replaceable strips that can be independently removed and replaced. Each strip is secured to its section during operation but can be quickly detached for replacement without requiring complete roller removal or recuring processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The soft material coating is extracted as a separate, replaceable component (coating strip) from the roller structure. This allows the coating to be removed and replaced independently from the roller body, eliminating the need for costly and time-consuming complete recuring operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Object-affected harmful factors

If multiple pulleys are used instead of a single drum to accommodate speed differences, then wear is reduced, but the device complexity and transport costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewear reductionVSAvoidnumber of pulleys
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The single drum is segmented into multiple sections that can rotate independently or at slightly different speeds. This maintains the compact single-drum structure while reducing wear effects, avoiding the need for multiple separate pulleys.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The roller sections are designed to accommodate dynamic speed variations among diamond wire rings. Each section can adapt to the specific speed requirements of the wires it guides, reducing sliding wear while maintaining a simple single-roller structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

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

The modular design facilitates quick and economical replacement of worn-out coating strips, reducing maintenance time and costs, while minimizing wear between wires and grooves, allowing for efficient operation with reduced machine downtime.

Implementation Method 1

The guiding rollers or drums, for rings of diamond wires, are provided with coatings of soft material with the aim of limiting the wear effect in the guiding grooves of the wires

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Implementation Method 2

limit the wear effect in the guiding grooves of the wires and protect them from the high abrasiveness of the diamond inserts

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectWear: Wear

Data Source

PatentEP2794163B1Wire-guiding roller or drum to guide diamond wires in multi-wire machine for cutting blocks of natural or artificial stone
Publication Date: 2016.04.06 PEDRINI SPA AD UNICO SOCIO
  • EP2794163B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2794163B1 patent drawingFigure 3~5
  • EP2794163B1 patent drawingFigure 6~9

AI summary

A wire-guiding roller or drum, for guiding diamond wires in multi-wire machines for cutting natural or artificial stone in blocks, comprises: rotating supporting members of the roller or drum on a supporting pin (39, 40); a coating of cured soft material provided with grooves (8, 9) for housing and guiding diamond wires closed in a ring and contiguous; and has the roller or drum divided into at least two roller or drum sections (1 ) to constitute at least two roller or drum portions, for guiding a number of contiguous diamond wires in a number greater than two each roller or drum portion; correspondingly each section has with the respective roller or drum portion (1 ) a respective hub (34) provided with rotating supporting members, associated to the supporting pin of the roller or drum of the multi-wire machine, with a rapidly detachable coupling between said hub and said roller or drum portion; the coating of soft material being made up of a coating strip (3), of soft material and with grooves (8, 9) for housing the diamond wire rings, which is held in the correct position by a locking element (6) of the two contiguous ends (4, 5) in the circumferential development of the coating strip.