Movable Carriage Wheel Stages for Consistent Sheet Wrapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for wrapping material sheets around longitudinal components, such as pressurized rubber bladders used in airplane manufacturing, are manual, time-consuming, and difficult to apply consistent tension uniformly, leading to potential wrinkles.
Innovation Solution
A movable carriage system with wheels arranged in stages and pairs to guide and wrap material sheets around longitudinal components, utilizing side and top wheels to maintain consistent contact and tension, and adjustable positioning plates to accommodate varying cross-sectional shapes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual wrapping methods are used, then ease of operation is maintained, but productivity is reduced and manufacturing precision deteriorates due to inconsistent tension and wrinkles
Solution Approach 1:
The carriage system is divided into multiple independent wheel pairs (first side wheel pair, second side wheel pair, first top wheel pair, second top wheel pair) arranged in stages. Each wheel pair can be independently positioned and adjusted, allowing the system to handle different cross-sectional shapes while maintaining consistent wrapping tension and improving productivity.
2Manufacturing precision
If manual wrapping is used, then device complexity is minimized, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to difficulty in applying consistent tension
Solution Approach 1:
Different wheel pairs are positioned at specific locations (sides and top of the longitudinal component) with specific orientations (angled away from each other). Each wheel pair applies localized pressure to specific regions of the material sheet, ensuring uniform tension distribution across the entire wrapping surface and eliminating wrinkles.
Solution Approach 2:
The carriage system incorporates adjustable positioning plates that allow dynamic adjustment of wheel positions and angles. This enables the system to adapt to different cross-sectional shapes of longitudinal components while maintaining consistent wrapping quality and tension uniformity throughout the process.
3Loss of time
If manual wrapping is used, then ease of operation is maintained, but loss of time increases due to time-consuming wrapping process
Solution Approach 1:
The carriage system is designed to automatically guide the material sheet around the longitudinal component through its configured wheel pairs. The system self-regulates the wrapping process by maintaining consistent contact and tension through the staged wheel arrangement, eliminating the need for manual intervention and significantly reducing wrapping time.
4Adaptability or versatility
If fixed wheel arrangement is used, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability deteriorates for varying cross-sectional shapes
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning plates connected to the frame are designed to be adjustable, allowing the wheel pairs to be repositioned along the frame structure. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the carriage system to accommodate various cross-sectional shapes of longitudinal components while maintaining consistent wrapping quality, without requiring a completely different system for each shape.
Data Source
AI summary
A movable carriage configured to wrap a material sheet around a longitudinal component is presented. The movable carriage comprises a frame defining a center plane and an operating volume; side wheels within the operating volume configured to guide the material sheet against sides of a portion of the longitudinal component, when disposed within the operating volume and aligned with the center plane, as the movable carriage moves parallel to the center plane, the side wheels arranged as one or more opposing pairs about the center plane; and top wheels within the operating volume configured to guide the material sheet against the top of the portion of the longitudinal component as the movable carriage moves parallel to the center plane, the top wheels arranged as one or more opposing pairs about the center plane.