Parallel Robot Deposition Station for Metal Container Seals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing deposition stations for metal containers are inflexible and costly, requiring separate installations for different shapes and materials, and are not adaptable to changes in the rheological behavior of sealing materials.
Innovation Solution
A deposition station with a parallel robot comprising two articulated arms, a nacelle, and a processor that controls a continuous trajectory, allowing for precise and adaptable material deposition on various container shapes and sizes, reducing bulk and cost while maintaining precision and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a stamping type process with a matrix is used to apply material to the bottom, then the material can be applied all at once with precise geometry, but the installation can only be used for a given form of background and requires separate deposition stations for different shapes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces static matrices with a dynamic robotic arm system that can move the injection nozzle along programmed trajectories. This allows the same deposition station to adapt to different bottom shapes by changing the motion path rather than changing the physical tooling, thereby achieving both precision and versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters (trajectory coordinates, injection timing, nozzle position) through computer control to accommodate different bottom shapes. By modifying these parameters rather than the physical structure, the system maintains precision while achieving adaptability across multiple container formats.
2Quantity of substance
If a needle head system with multiple needles is used to apply seal material, then material can be applied across the surface, but the system can only be used for a given form of background and lacks flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic arm with a single injection nozzle serves multiple functions by following different programmed trajectories for different bottom shapes. This universal tool replaces the shape-specific needle head systems, allowing the same device to achieve proper material coverage across various container formats through software control rather than hardware changes.
3Speed
If a gun splicing system with a cam system is used to move the nozzle along a trajectory, then the deposition path can be controlled, but the cam is machined once and for all for a given shape and the system lacks adaptability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical cam system with a computer-controlled robotic arm. Instead of relying on pre-machined cam profiles that dictate the nozzle path, the system uses digital programming to define trajectories. This substitution of mechanical constraint with computational control enables both precise speed control and adaptability to different shapes through software modification rather than mechanical reconfiguration.
4Adaptability or versatility
If delta robots with three pairs of arms are used to apply seals, then the deposition trajectory can be precisely defined by computer and modified without substantial material modification, but the arrangement is complex, expensive and particularly bulky
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential function from the complex delta robot system - the computer-controlled trajectory following capability - and implements it with a simpler parallel robot structure. By removing the unnecessary complexity of three pairs of arms while retaining the programmable trajectory feature, the system achieves adaptability with reduced structural complexity and cost.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2
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AI summary
Station for depositing a strip of material onto a substrate intended for a metal container, comprising: – a transfer device designed to move the substrates in a first direction (Y), and – a parallel robot (3) comprising a support (31), two articulated arms (4) mounted so as to be able to rotate on the support, a nacelle (5) mounted so as to be able to rotate on the articulated arms and mobile in translation with respect to the support in the first direction (Y) and in a second direction (X), and secured in translation with respect to the support in the vertical direction (Z), an injection nozzle (32) secured to the nacelle, the at least one nozzle extending in a vertical direction (Z) and being designed to deposit a strip of material able to form a seal on the underlying substrate, – a processor controlling the robot according to at least one continuous trajectory in a plane (X;Y) stored in the processor, .