One-Piece Metal Rod Stirrer Design for Automated Manufacturing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing stirrers with complex metal linkage geometries are costly and labor-intensive to produce, especially when made from multiple parts, which complicates their manufacturing and increases production costs.
Innovation Solution
A one-piece stirrer design with a straight transverse web and quarter-circle coiled helical parts that can be efficiently manufactured using a bending machine, allowing for automated production with a simplified three-step process, including cutting, bending, and welding, to reduce costs and complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If stirrers are made from multiple individual parts with complex metal linkage geometries, then effective mixing result is achieved, but production cost and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual parts (shaft, protective ring, helical parts, connecting webs) into a single integrated stirrer head made from one metal rod. This combining approach maintains the functional effectiveness of complex geometries while eliminating assembly complexity and reducing production costs through one-piece manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The metal rod is sequentially formed into distinct functional segments (protective ring, helical parts, connecting webs) through controlled bending operations. Each segment maintains its specific geometric requirements for effective mixing while being produced as part of a unified structure, resolving the contradiction between functional complexity and manufacturing simplicity.
2Reliability
If stirrers are made from multiple individual parts, then effective mixing result is achieved, but labor-intensive assembly is required
Solution Approach 1:
By combining all stirrer components into a single bent metal rod structure, the patent eliminates the need for labor-intensive assembly operations. The one-piece construction achieves the same mixing effectiveness as multi-part designs while requiring no assembly steps, directly resolving the contradiction between mixing performance and assembly ease.
3Reliability
If complex metal linkage geometries are used, then effective stirring function is achieved, but production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical assembly systems with a forming/bending process. Instead of manufacturing multiple parts and assembling them through fastening operations, the entire complex geometry is created through sequential bending of a single metal rod, significantly reducing production cost while maintaining stirring effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The integration of all components into one piece eliminates the need for separate manufacturing and assembly processes for each part. This merging approach reduces total production cost by eliminating multiple machining operations, fasteners, and assembly labor while preserving the complex geometries needed for effective stirring.
4Productivity
If automated large-scale production is implemented, then productivity increases, but manufacturing process complexity must be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex multi-step manufacturing processes with a simplified sequential bending process that is easily automated. The one-piece construction allows for automated feeding, bending, and finishing operations, enabling high-volume production while reducing the complexity of the manufacturing process itself.
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 design enables effective stirring with reduced component complexity, facilitating low-cost, automated mass production while maintaining a stable and efficient mixing performance.
Implementation Method 1
a bending machine, in a first method step, cuts a rod section to length from a straightened metal strip
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~5
Figure 6~7
AI summary
The stirrer (1) has a shaft (3) forming a rotation axis and a stirring head (2) attached at an end region of the shaft, where the stirrer consists of a metallic rod. The head comprises a circular ring that is designed as a protective ring (4) with a cross bar, which is centrally connected with a shaft end perpendicular to a protective ring plane. The head comprises two spiral parts (6a, 6b), which are connected with the protective ring at a ring sided end and connected with the shaft at a shaft sided end. Independent claims are also included for the following: (1) a method for manufacturing a stirrer (2) a bending machine for manufacturing a stirrer.