Muselet Belt Manufacturing Apparatus for Sparkling Wine Bottles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing muselet belts for bottle corks are time-consuming and cumbersome due to a laborious sequence of reciprocating movements, leading to reduced productivity and increased downtime.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and process that coordinates the movement of a dowel and a twisting device along a frontal axis to simultaneously advance and twist the wire ends, reducing the need for multiple reciprocating movements and enhancing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a sequence of reciprocating movements is used to insert and twist the wire belt, then the belt can be properly formed and secured, but the process becomes time-consuming and reduces productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a continuous single-stroke motion where the knife element simultaneously performs cutting, wire feeding, and twisting operations without reciprocating movements. The wire is fed continuously through the eyelets and twisted in one continuous action, eliminating idle time between operations and maintaining continuous useful action throughout the belt formation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple discrete operations (cutting, wire feeding, and twisting) into a single integrated motion of the knife element. The knife element combines the cutting function with the wire feeding mechanism and the twisting device, so that one continuous movement accomplishes what previously required multiple separate reciprocating cycles.
2Reliability
If multiple reciprocating movements are used to lock and release wire end portions, then proper belt closure is achieved, but the process becomes cumbersome and increases downtime
Solution Approach 1:
The wire end portions are locked and twisted in a single continuous motion without release and re-positioning cycles. The knife element maintains continuous contact with the wire, feeding it through and twisting it in one uninterrupted action, eliminating the time losses associated with multiple lock-release cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the wire from the complex multi-cycle locking mechanism and processes it through a simplified single-stroke system. The wire is fed continuously through the eyelets and twisted in one motion, removing it from the cumbersome sequence of locking and releasing operations that characterized the previous system.
3Ease of manufacture
If a complex sequence of movements is used to insert and twist the wire, then complete belt formation is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the knife element, wire feeding mechanism, and twisting device into a single integrated component that performs all operations in one motion. This merging reduces the number of separate mechanisms and their associated control systems, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining complete belt formation functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The knife element is designed as a multi-functional universal component that simultaneously performs cutting, wire feeding, and twisting operations. This single element replaces multiple specialized components, reducing device complexity while ensuring complete belt formation through its multiple functions.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to the field of manufacturing bottle corking systems, and in particular relates to apparatuses for manufacturing wine retention muselets for bottles of spumante, champagne, beer and sparkling wines in general. More specifically, the invention relates to an apparatus which, in one of the above-mentioned apparatuses, is responsible for manufacturing (inserting and tying) the belts of the above-mentioned muselets.