Automatic Lacer for Polymeric Fiber Bundles
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for manufacturing hollow fiber membrane modules suffer from fiber splaying and tangling, leading to ragged products, equipment stoppages, and reduced selectivity, which increase production costs and decrease the quality and efficiency of gas separation processes.
Innovation Solution
An automated system that uses hollow spools to wind thread around fiber bundles as they are transported through the manufacturing equipment, preventing splaying and tangling by spirally lacing the fibers together, thereby maintaining bundle integrity and reducing the likelihood of clogging and equipment stoppages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If fibers are automatically fed to the loom without lacing, then the manufacturing process is simpler and faster, but the fibers splay out and become tangled causing ragged products and equipment stoppages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by lacing the fiber bundles together before they are fed to the loom. The lacing operation is performed in advance during the transportation process, securing the fibers to prevent splaying and tangling before they reach the weaving equipment. This preliminary securing action eliminates the need for stoppages and ensures continuous production.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary element (the lacing mechanism with hollow spools and lacing material) that mediates between the fiber bundle and the loom. This intermediary device wraps the fibers with lacing material, holding them together in a secured state during transportation and feeding, thus preventing the harmful splaying effect without requiring complex modifications to the loom itself.
2Reliability
If fibers are laced together during transportation, then fiber splaying and tangling are reduced, but additional equipment and process steps are required
Solution Approach 1:
The lacing mechanism is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a transportation guide and as a securing device. The hollow spools not only guide the fiber bundles through the system but also function as winding drums for the lacing material. This universal design consolidates multiple functions into a single device, reducing overall system complexity despite adding the lacing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The lacing mechanism operates in a self-service manner where the hollow spools automatically wind the lacing material around the fiber bundles as they pass through. The system uses the motion of the traveling fiber bundle itself to drive the lacing process, rather than requiring separate complex mechanisms to apply the lacing. The spools rotate automatically as the fiber bundle pulls the lacing material through.
3Reliability
If hollow spools are used to wind thread around fiber bundles, then fiber splaying is prevented, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hollow spools are designed with a nested structure where the lacing material is wound around the hollow center of the spool, and the fiber bundle passes through this hollow center. This nesting arrangement allows the lacing mechanism to be compact and integrated within the transportation path, minimizing the space and complexity required for the lacing equipment while maintaining effective fiber securing.
Data Source
AI summary
An automatic lacer wraps bundles of polymeric fibers with thread, before the bundles are woven into a fabric mat and placed in a housing to form a gas-separation membrane module. A fiber bundle passes through a spool which is previously wound with thread on its outer surface. The thread is attached to the fiber bundle, so that when the bundle is moved through the spool, the thread is pulled from the spool, and automatically becomes wound around the bundle. Threads from two or more spools may be wrapped around the fiber bundle simultaneously. Lacing of the fiber bundles reduces the amount of tangling in the loom feeder, and improves the quality of modules made from the fiber bundles.