Movable Ply Buffering for Fast, Clean Fiber Ply Sorting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual handling of cut plies of fiber material is labor-intensive, time-consuming, prone to errors, and increases costs due to the need for tight quality control, while manual handling can lead to contamination and loss of integrity, and requires significant floor space and quick processing to avoid resin shelf life issues.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising a picker and a buffer with movable planar supports that receive and support plies in a planar orientation, allowing for efficient sorting and storage that minimizes handling time, reduces contamination risk, and optimizes space usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If plies are manually removed from the sheet and placed on a buffering table, then plies can be sorted into sets, but handling time increases and floor space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service automation where the picker robot automatically retrieves plies from the sheet and places them on the buffering table without manual intervention. The movable supports automatically position themselves to receive plies, creating a self-operating sorting system that eliminates the time-consuming nature of manual handling while maintaining sorting capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffering table incorporates movable supports that can dynamically adjust their positions to optimize ply reception. This dynamic configuration allows the system to adapt to different sorting requirements and improves handling efficiency by reducing the distance and time required to transfer plies from the sheet to the buffering table.
2Ease of operation
If plies are manually handled and placed on a buffering table, then sorting can be performed, but quality control costs increase due to errors
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual mechanical handling with an automated picker robot that uses controlled mechanical motion to retrieve and place plies. This substitution eliminates human errors in sorting while maintaining the sorting capability, thereby improving reliability and reducing quality control costs associated with manual handling errors.
3Ease of operation
If a large buffering table is used for sorting plies, then plies can be organized into sets, but floor space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The buffering table uses movable supports that can be repositioned and compacted when not in use. This dynamic design allows the system to maintain full sorting functionality when needed while minimizing the occupied floor space during storage or idle periods, effectively resolving the contradiction between sorting capability and space requirements.
4Productivity
If plies are stored on a buffering table for extended periods, then sorting can be completed, but contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The automated picker system rapidly retrieves and places plies on the buffering table, minimizing the time plies spend in the sorting process. This rushed-through approach completes sorting quickly, reducing the duration of exposure to potential contamination sources while maintaining productivity in sorting completion.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffering table is designed with movable supports that can be covered or enclosed when not actively receiving plies. This flexible covering mechanism protects stored plies from contamination while allowing quick access when sorting is needed, thus reducing contamination risk without compromising sorting functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A ply sorting device is disclosed, comprising a picker and a buffer. The picker is arranged to pick planar plies of cut fiber material and move them to the buffer. The buffer comprises a plurality of substantially planar supports each arranged to receive plies from the picker and to support the plies in planar orientation. The planar supports are movably arranged relative to each other to receive the plies. In addition, a method of sorting plies of differing geometry is disclosed. Planar plies of cut fiber material are picked and moved to supports of a buffer where plies are received in a planar orientation, and supports are moved relative to each other to receive the plies.