Pneumatic Retaining Head Apparatus Reducing Wear
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transferring and rotating apparatuses for sanitary absorbent articles suffer from excessive wear and complex format change processes, requiring frequent mechanical component replacements and skilled technician intervention.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus employs a rotor with retaining heads supported by annular guides and cam profiles to vary the angular position and distance of retaining elements, allowing for stable and adjustable transfer and rotation of components, reducing wear and simplifying format changes by modifying the cam profiles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the radial position of retaining heads is varied mechanically during rotation, then the linear speed of retaining heads can be adjusted to accelerate or decelerate components, but excessive stresses and wear occur in the retaining heads causing breakage or malfunctions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical cam-based control system with a pneumatic system. Compressed air is supplied through channels in the central drum to actuators on the retaining heads, enabling speed adjustment without mechanical contact and excessive wear. This substitution eliminates the wear problem while maintaining the speed variation function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses pneumatic actuators driven by compressed air to control the radial position of retaining heads. The air supply system with channels in the central drum and actuators on retaining heads provides contactless actuation, avoiding the excessive stresses and wear associated with mechanical cam-based systems while achieving the same speed adjustment objective.
2Adaptability or versatility
If mechanical components such as cams are replaced to modify the law of motion during format change, then the apparatus can adapt to different component sizes and locations, but the replacement process is long and complex requiring disassembly and assembly of numerous components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical cam-based law of motion control with a pneumatic system where air pressure and flow can be easily adjusted. This substitution allows format changes to be made by modifying pneumatic parameters rather than physically replacing cams and reassembling mechanical components, dramatically reducing format change time and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses adjustable pneumatic actuators that can dynamically modify the law of motion of retaining heads by changing air pressure and flow characteristics. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the system to adapt to different component sizes and locations without physical reconfiguration, enabling quick format changes while maintaining operational flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus transferring and rotating an object from a retaining station to a releasing station along an annular transfer path, the object has a first orientation in the retaining station which is different from a second orientation in the releasing station; the apparatus includes: a stator having a revolution body provided with a lateral surface on which a first cam profile is formed; a rotor that is rotatable about a first rotation axis with respect to the stator; at least one retaining head of the object connected to the rotor, which has a retaining element coupled to the first cam profile which can be rotated about a second axis of rotation with respect to the rotor; and wherein the stator has a second cam profile and the transferring and rotating apparatus has at least a first annular guide disposed along the transfer path and the head has at least one first slide supporting the retaining element and is slidably coupled to the first annular guide, the first slide being connected to the rotor by way of a respective angular position variation mechanism coupled to the second cam profile to induce the sliding of the first slide into the first annular guide.