Injection Molded Plastic Chain Module With Segmented Wings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional conveyor systems with injection molded plastic chain modules have long cooling times and high material usage due to thick wing-shaped portions, making them time and cost inefficient for production and product transfer.
Innovation Solution
The design of injection molded plastic chain modules with thinner top plate portions and downwardly extending supporting wall portions, allowing for a larger wing thickness without increased top plate thickness, resulting in shorter cooling times and reduced material usage, enabling efficient production and product transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the wing shaped portions of the conveyor chain modules have a height equal to the conveyor mat modules to facilitate smooth product transfer, then the product transfer capability is improved, but the cooling time and material usage increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The wing shaped portion is segmented into a top plate portion and supporting wall portions. The top plate portion has a reduced thickness of less than 1/3 of the total wing height, while the supporting wall portions extend downward to provide structural support. This segmentation allows the top plate to cool quickly while maintaining overall structural integrity through the supporting walls.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the wing shaped portion have different thicknesses optimized for their specific functions. The top plate portion has reduced thickness for rapid cooling, while the supporting wall portions have adequate thickness for structural support. This local quality optimization resolves the contradiction between quick cooling and maintaining product transfer capability.
2Area of moving object
If the wing shaped portions have increased height to match conveyor mat modules, then the supporting surface area is improved, but the material usage and production cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The wing shaped portion is divided into a top plate portion and supporting wall portions. This segmentation allows the top plate to have reduced material thickness while the supporting walls provide the necessary structural framework, reducing overall material usage while maintaining supporting surface area.
Solution Approach 2:
The top plate portion uses a thin film structure with thickness less than 1/3 of the total wing height. This thin plate structure provides sufficient supporting surface area for product transfer while minimizing material consumption, resolving the contradiction between surface area and material usage.
3Strength
If the top plate portions have increased thickness to provide sufficient supporting surface, then the structural strength is improved, but the cooling time and production time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The structural support function is separated from the top plate portion and assigned to the supporting wall portions. This allows the top plate to have reduced thickness for rapid cooling while the supporting walls provide the necessary structural strength, resolving the contradiction between strength and cooling time.
Solution Approach 2:
The top plate portion has localized reduced thickness optimized for rapid cooling, while the supporting wall portions have adequate thickness for structural strength. This local quality differentiation allows the structure to be strong where needed while cooling quickly where possible, reducing overall production time.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an injection molded plastic chain module (1) comprising a substantially elongate conveying body (2) and a hinge structure (3) located at a bottom side of the module (1) for hingedly connecting a front and a rear side of the module with adjacent modules. The conveying body (2) comprises two wing shaped portions (21, 22) extending laterally away from the hinge structure (3), and comprising a respective top plate portion (26, 27) that defines a part of a supporting surface for supporting products to be transported, wherein each of said top plate portions (26, 27) has a thickness (T26, T27) of less than 1/3 of the total thickness (T21, T22) of the respective wing shaped portion (26, 27). Further, each wing shaped portion (26, 27) comprises one or more downwardly extending supporting wall portions (4) for supporting the respective top plate portion (26, 27). In embodiments, the module may merely consist of a plurality of relatively thin plate and/or wall portions, preferably all having a substantially equal thickness.