Multi-collet needle insertion device for felting machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
The process of loading and removing felting needles from needle boards in felting machines is laborious and time-consuming, with existing automation solutions only addressing partial aspects of the problem, lacking efficiency in the overall process.
Innovation Solution
A method and device utilizing multiple collets to grip and insert felting needles into the needle board, accompanied by a press-in device for efficient insertion and an extraction device for removal, facilitated by a workstation with a holding device, filling device, and transport device, allowing for rapid needling and de-needling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple collets are used to simultaneously grip and insert multiple felting needles, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device divides the needle insertion process into multiple independent collets, each capable of gripping and inserting multiple needles simultaneously. This segmentation allows parallel processing of different needle groups, significantly increasing productivity while maintaining manageable complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple collets are combined into a single integrated system that operates simultaneously on different sections of the needle board. The collets work in parallel to insert multiple needles at once, merging their individual functions into a coordinated collective action that boosts overall insertion speed
2Manufacturing precision
If automated press-in device is used to press needles into needle board, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The press-in device utilizes the inherent elasticity and recovery properties of the needles themselves. As needles are pressed into the needle board, their natural elastic deformation provides feedback and self-regulation, ensuring precise insertion without requiring complex control systems or sensors
Solution Approach 2:
The press-in device controls the insertion process by precisely managing the pressure and depth parameters. By adjusting these physical parameters in a controlled manner, the device achieves high manufacturing precision for needle positioning while keeping the mechanical structure relatively simple
3Manufacturing precision
If filling device with threaded spindles is used to prepare needles at predetermined spacing, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The threaded spindles in the filling device operate with periodic rotational motion, where each rotation cycle deposits needles at precise, predetermined intervals. This periodic action naturally ensures uniform spacing and accurate positioning, leveraging the inherent geometry of the threaded mechanism to achieve manufacturing precision
Solution Approach 2:
The device replaces complex electronic positioning and measurement systems with a purely mechanical threaded spindle mechanism. The precise pitch of the threads directly determines needle spacing, substituting mechanical precision for electronic control and achieving accurate spacing through the physical properties of the threaded components
Data Source
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AI summary
A semi-automatic needleboard placement machine has a filling device (51) that presents felt needles (17) at a pitch that corresponds to the hole spacing of a needleboard. A worker can grip the felt needles with a multi-clamping jaw and insert them in groups into the rows of holes in the needleboard (2). This results in a placement process with very high productivity.