Placement Machine Magazine With Adjustable Removal Section

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing magazines for electrical devices require individual design for each differently shaped housing, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs due to the need for multiple specialized magazines and manual adjustments for varying device types.

Innovation Solution

A magazine with an adjustable removal section length, facilitated by an adjusting slide and spindle drive, allowing adaptation to different electrical device types without requiring manual adjustments, and enabling automatic integration of new types.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If a conventional magazine with separate receptacles for each component type is used, then component organization is clear and simple, but the magazine width becomes excessively large and space efficiency is poor

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecomponent organization simplicityVSAvoidmagazine width
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The magazine is divided into multiple receptacles arranged in columns, with each receptacle holding multiple components of the same type stacked vertically. This segmentation allows compact vertical stacking while maintaining clear organization by component type in each column.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of arranging components horizontally side-by-side, the invention transitions to vertical stacking in the vertical dimension. Multiple components are stacked one above another in each receptacle, converting horizontal space requirements into vertical space utilization, thereby reducing magazine width.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Area of stationary object

If the magazine width is reduced to improve space efficiency, then space utilization improves, but the number of pick-and-place heads required increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemagazine widthVSAvoidnumber of pick-and-place heads
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Each pick-and-place head is designed with universal functionality to access multiple component types across different columns. The heads can move horizontally to different columns and vertically to different positions within receptacles, allowing a smaller number of multi-functional heads to replace numerous single-functional heads.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The pick-and-place heads are made dynamically movable along the magazine, capable of positioning themselves at different columns and vertical levels. This dynamic positioning capability allows flexible access to any component type and position, reducing the need for fixed, dedicated heads for each component location.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Productivity

If multiple pick-and-place heads are used to maintain component access, then component retrieval is efficient, but head collisions and interference increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecomponent retrieval efficiencyVSAvoidhead collisions
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention utilizes the vertical dimension for component storage, allowing pick-and-place heads to retrieve components from different vertical levels within the same column without horizontal movement conflicts. This vertical stacking arrangement reduces the horizontal travel paths and potential collision zones between multiple heads.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP4309249B1Magazine for a placement machine
Publication Date: 2026.04.15 WEIDMULLER INTERFACE GMBH & CO
  • EP4309249B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4309249B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4309249B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a magazine (10) for accommodating electrical devices which can be arranged in rows one beside the other and can be accessed by a pick-and-place machine for automatically mounting the devices on carrying rails, comprising a main profile (11), on which a carrying-rail profile portion (12) is arranged or formed for the purpose of accommodating a plurality of the electrical devices and for guiding the devices longitudinally displaceably in a displacement direction, wherein a stop (14) for a front one of the devices is arranged at one end of the main profile (11), wherein an element which extends in the displacement direction, and behind which the electrical devices can engage, ends in front of the stop (14), this resulting in the formation of a removal portion (24), from which the front one of the devices can be removed in a direction transverse to the displacement direction. The magazine (10) is distinguished by a mechanism which makes it possible to vary the length of the removal portion (24) in the displacement direction.