Preform Water-Spray Cooling to Prevent Contact Damage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional apparatuses for cooling preformed plastic articles are inefficient, requiring 1.5 to 2 minutes to cool them from 100°C to 60°C, leading to increased conveyor length and risk of damage due to premature contact between articles, and can cause resin crystallization and whitening.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus using a conveyer system with cooling nozzles that blow water onto preformed articles, a water tank for submersion, and a circulating water system with purification and sterilization, allowing for effective cooling and preventing damage through precise temperature control and water management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If air stream cooling is used for preformed articles, then the apparatus structure is simple, but the cooling time is excessively long (1.5 to 2 minutes) and cooling effectiveness is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies hydraulic cooling by circulating cooling water through cooling water supply pipes and nozzles positioned along the conveyer passage. This allows direct contact cooling of the preformed articles, reducing cooling time from 1.5-2 minutes to a much shorter duration while maintaining apparatus simplicity through the use of standard hydraulic components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces cooling water as an intermediary substance to transfer heat from the preformed articles. The cooling water circulates through a closed loop system with pumps and heat exchangers, efficiently removing heat from the articles without requiring complex direct cooling mechanisms.
2Volume of stationary object
If air stream cooling is used for preformed articles, then the apparatus size can be kept moderate, but the cooling effectiveness is insufficient and articles may contact and damage each other
Solution Approach 1:
The hydraulic cooling system with water supply pipes and nozzles provides intensive cooling that prevents article softening and contact damage. The system maintains compact apparatus size by integrating cooling components along the existing conveyer path rather than requiring extended cooling zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the cooling parameter from air stream to water-based cooling, which has much higher heat transfer coefficients. This enables effective cooling within a compact apparatus volume while preventing article damage by rapidly reducing temperature before articles can contact each other.
3Reliability
If extended cooling time is required, then cooling effectiveness may be improved, but the conveyer length and apparatus size inevitably increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hydraulic cooling system provides high-intensity cooling that achieves effective temperature reduction in a short time and compact space. Water circulation through supply pipes and nozzles along the conveyer passage enables rapid heat removal without extending conveyer length or apparatus size.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing from air cooling to water-based cooling, the patent achieves much higher cooling rates that reduce the required cooling time and conveyer length. The high heat transfer coefficient of water enables effective cooling in a compact apparatus configuration.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The apparatus significantly reduces cooling time, prevents damage during handling, and maintains the quality of the plastic articles by avoiding crystallization, thus enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the cooling process.
Implementation Method 1
cooling means for cooling the preformed articles by the cooling water in the cooling zone
Implementation Method 2
a spray of water is blown onto the preformed articles from the cooling nozzles
Implementation Method 3
gas ejection means for removing the cooling water adhering on or staying in the preformed articles
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for cooling preformed articles, which is capable of very effectively cooling the preformed articles and is, further, capable of sufficiently suppressing or preventing the preformed articles from being locally damaged as a result of coming in contact with each other as they are conveyed neighboring one another in a state of not yet fully cooled. A spray is blown onto the preformed articles 34 conveyed passing through a predetermined conveyer passage 42, a cooling liquid is blown next thereto, and a gas stream is further blown thereto.