Debris-Free Nail Collation via Preheated Adhesive Molding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fastener collation systems, particularly plastic collations, face issues with debris generation, tool jams, and misfires due to loose affixation and brittleness, leading to increased maintenance and downtime in construction tools.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus that preheats fasteners and uses adhesive-modified plastic collation material with a molding process involving injection nozzles and forming wheels to create a secure, debris-free collation system, where the plastic collars adhere to the fasteners' shanks, ensuring they penetrate the substrate without generating debris.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If plastic collations are molded around fasteners, then the collation provides structural support and maintains strip formation, but the fasteners can rotate within the collar and the collation becomes overly flexible
Solution Approach 1:
The fasteners are preheated before the collation material is applied, preparing the fastener surface to enhance adhesion. This preliminary thermal treatment ensures that when the adhesive-modified collation material is applied, it bonds securely to the fastener shank, preventing rotation and excessive flexibility while maintaining strip formation stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The collation uses adhesive-modified chemistry plastic material that combines the structural properties of plastic with enhanced adhesive characteristics. This composite material property allows the collation to be firmly affixed to the fastener, eliminating rotation issues while maintaining the necessary rigidity for strip stability.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the collation material is made rigid to reduce strip corrugation, then strip stability improves, but additional force is required to separate the fastener from the strip
Solution Approach 1:
The collation material's chemical properties are modified through adhesive modification, changing its bonding characteristics. This allows the material to maintain rigidity for strip stability while creating a controlled bond strength that facilitates easier fastener separation, resolving the contradiction between rigidity and separation force.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If adhesive-modified chemistry plastic collation material is used with preheating, then debris generation is reduced and adhesion to fastener improves, but manufacturing becomes more difficult with excessive material flow
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing parameters are precisely controlled, including the temperature of the preheated fasteners, the temperature and viscosity of the adhesive-modified collation material, and the application pressure. These parameter adjustments allow the material to flow adequately for proper adhesion while preventing excessive flow that would complicate manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturing process incorporates control mechanisms that monitor and adjust material flow in real-time, ensuring consistent application of the adhesive-modified collation material without excessive flow, thereby maintaining ease of manufacture while achieving reduced debris generation.
4Productivity
If high-speed production is implemented, then productivity increases, but manufacturing precision and waste reduction become more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The process replaces manual or mechanically-intensive operations with automated systems that can operate at high speeds while maintaining precision. The preheating and molding processes are automated with precise control systems that ensure consistent collation formation accuracy even at high production rates.
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
The solution significantly reduces debris generation, enhances rigidity of the nail strip, and minimizes tool jams by ensuring the plastic collars remain adhered to the fasteners, improving the manufacturing process with high-speed production and reduced waste.
Implementation Method 1
a preheater for preheating the plurality of nails
Implementation Method 2
The station includes injection nozzles, preferably two nozzles, one for applying molten plastic to the upper surface of the fasteners and the other nozzle for applying plastic to the lower surface of the fasteners
Implementation Method 3
forming wheels (preferably two sets to form two sets of collations) that each include a holding section to, in cooperation with the conveyor, secure the fasteners and a forming section to mold the molten plastic to the fasteners to form the collations
Implementation Method 4
a cooling spray nozzle to spray a cooling vapor onto the upper surface of the fasteners and collations, and a cooling spray nozzle to spray cooling vapor onto the lower surface of the fasteners and collations
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for forming a plastic molded collated fastener assembly includes a conveyor for carrying a plurality of fasteners in a horizontal plane defining an upper surface and a lower surface, a preheater for preheating the plurality of nails and a plastic collation molding station. The molding station includes injection nozzles for applying molten plastic to the upper surface of the fasteners and to the lower surface of the fasteners. The station further includes forming wheels including a holding section to, in cooperation with the conveyor, secure the fasteners. The wheels include a forming section to mold the molten plastic to the fasteners to form a collation having a collar encircling the fasteners' shanks and a connecting portion extending between the collars. The apparatus includes at least one cooling spray nozzle to spray a cooling vapor onto the fasteners and collations and at least one cooling spray nozzle to spray a cooling vapor onto the forming wheels. An air chiller further cools the collations.