Movable Machining Stations for Battery Manufacturing Feed Paths
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing machining apparatuses for electrical energy storage devices face challenges in adapting to changes in product size, leading to variations in machining steps and material feed, resulting in increased tension, veering, and machining imprecision due to complex feed paths and adjusting systems, which restrict the use of fragile or thin materials and compromise product quality.
Innovation Solution
A machining apparatus with two or more stations along a feed path, where at least one station is movable to adjust the distance between them based on the intermittent feed step, allowing for flexible adaptation to product size changes and minimizing the material path length, using motor-driven guide means and programmable control for precise positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a feed path with variable length path portions and movable pulleys is used to adapt to product size changes, then the apparatus can maintain simultaneous machining in all stations, but the apparatus longitudinal dimension increases and material tension and veering increase
Solution Approach 1:
The machining stations are made movable along the feed path instead of being fixed, allowing dynamic adjustment of station positions to accommodate different product sizes. This enables the apparatus to adapt to varying intermittent feed steps without requiring a excessively long fixed path, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and apparatus length.
2Manufacturing precision
If path portions of variable length are arranged to accommodate feed step variations, then machining can be performed simultaneously in all stations, but the constructional complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of creating a complex variable-length feed path with multiple movable pulleys, the invention simplifies the system by making the machining stations themselves movable. This reduces feed path complexity while maintaining the ability to achieve precise simultaneous machining across all stations by adjusting station positions according to the intermittent feed step.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a long material path is used to connect machining stations, then the apparatus can handle larger products, but material tension and veering increase risking defects
Solution Approach 1:
The movable machining stations allow the apparatus to handle larger products by increasing the distance between stations when needed, while minimizing the actual material path length through optimized station positioning. This reduces material tension and veering by ensuring the material travels only the necessary distance between machining points, preventing defects in fragile or thin materials.
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
This solution reduces material tension and veering, enables the use of fragile materials, improves precision and productivity, and simplifies the apparatus construction, resulting in high-quality electrical energy storage devices with reduced production complexity.
Implementation Method 1
at least one machining station (3, 4) is movable on guide means (5) at the command of motor means (8) to vary its position along the feed path
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for manufacturing electrical energy storage devices, comprising a path for feeding material with intermittent feed and two machining stations arranged one after the other in the feed path, in which each machining station is movable on a linear guide at the command of a motor to vary its position along the feed path and enable the mutual distance between the two machining stations to be adjusted in function of the step of intermittent feed of the material, so that the apparatus is adaptable to the change in product size.