Multi-Row Fastener Strip Feeding for Jam-Resistant Driving
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fastener driving devices require time to load multiple fasteners, and there is a need to efficiently transport and align multiple rows of fasteners for simultaneous driving into a substrate.
Innovation Solution
A device with a setting channel and magazine that transports multiple rows of fasteners alternately, using insertion bevels and a guide channel to align and position fasteners for efficient energy transmission and driving, along with a fastener strip design featuring connecting webs for alignment and separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple rows of fasteners are transported simultaneously in the magazine, then the loading efficiency and productivity are improved, but the alignment precision and risk of jamming increase
Solution Approach 1:
The magazine is divided into multiple independent guide channels, each capable of transporting fasteners from different rows. This segmentation allows simultaneous transport of multiple rows while maintaining individual alignment control for each row, preventing jamming while improving loading efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Insertion bevels are introduced as intermediary elements between the guide channels and the setting channel. These bevels gradually guide and align fasteners from multiple rows as they enter the setting channel, ensuring precise alignment while preventing misalignment and jamming. The bevels act as mediators that transform the multi-row transport into single-file entry.
2Reliability
If fasteners are transported in a single row sequentially, then the alignment is simple and reliable, but the loading time and cycle duration increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from transporting fasteners in a single dimension (one row at a time) to multiple dimensions (multiple rows simultaneously). The magazine accommodates multiple rows of fasteners arranged side by side, allowing parallel transport while the insertion bevels ensure they enter the setting channel in sequence, thus reducing loading time without compromising alignment reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The magazine is designed to periodically present fasteners from different rows to the setting channel in an alternating sequence. This periodic action allows the system to utilize multiple rows of fasteners efficiently, reducing the overall loading time while maintaining the reliability of alignment through the controlled periodic presentation of fasteners.
3Speed
If the insertion bevel is designed with a large inclination angle, then the fastening speed is improved, but the alignment precision and risk of fastener deviation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The insertion bevels are designed with curved or rounded surfaces rather than sharp angular transitions. This curvature allows fasteners to be gradually guided and redirected along the bevel surface, reducing the risk of deviation and maintaining alignment precision even at higher inclination angles. The curved surface distributes the redirecting force over a longer path, preventing sudden deviations.
Solution Approach 2:
The inclination angle of the insertion bevels is optimized to balance speed and precision requirements. By carefully selecting and adjusting the bevel angle parameter, the system achieves sufficient fastening speed while maintaining adequate alignment precision. The bevel parameters are designed to match the specific fastener dimensions and material properties.
Data Source
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AI summary
According to one aspect of the application, a device for driving fastening elements into a substrate comprises a setting channel; an energy transmission element, which can be moved in a fastening direction in the setting channel, for transmitting energy to one of the fastening elements at a time; and a magazine for transporting the fastening elements to the setting channel in a transport direction. The magazine is suitable for transporting multiple rows of fastening elements at once. According to a further aspect of the application, a fastening element strip comprises a plurality of rows of receptacles for fastening elements aligned in a transport direction and fastening elements which are housed in the receptacles and define a fastening direction, wherein the rows of receptacles are arranged one behind the other in a transverse direction oriented perpendicular to the transport direction and perpendicular to the fastening direction.