Profiled Seaming Element for Reliable Textile Laser Welding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing nonwoven seaming elements face challenges in achieving consistent and strong bonds with textiles due to irregularities in the edges or surface profiles of the textiles, leading to potential misalignment and incomplete welds during the laser welding process, which are difficult to detect and time-consuming to inspect.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a profiled ridge on the seaming element, created through a progressive roll forming process, ensures coplanarity with the textile, allowing for intimate contact and pressure alignment during welding, thereby enhancing bond quality and detectability of misalignments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a flat seaming element is used with irregular textile edges, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the bond strength becomes inconsistent and unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
The seaming element incorporates a profiled ridge region with specific geometric features (shoulders and coplanar surfaces) at the bonding interface, while the rest of the element maintains a simpler structure. This localized structural modification ensures consistent contact and pressure distribution at the critical bonding zone without significantly complicating the overall manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The profiled ridge with coplanar shoulders is pre-formed on the seaming element before bonding occurs. This preliminary structural preparation ensures that when the seaming element is applied to the textile, the bonding surfaces are already aligned and coplanar with the textile surface, eliminating the need for complex real-time alignment adjustments during the bonding process.
2Reliability
If pressure is applied during laser welding to ensure intimate contact, then bond quality improves, but the complexity of the welding process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The profiled ridge structure with coplanar shoulders self-aligns with the textile surface during application, automatically ensuring intimate contact and proper alignment. This self-aligning mechanism eliminates the need for complex external alignment devices or sophisticated process control systems, as the structure itself performs the alignment function.
3Ease of manufacture
If the seaming element surface is flat, then manufacturing is easier, but misalignment and incomplete welds are difficult to detect
Solution Approach 1:
The profiled ridge creates visible surface features and geometric variations that make it easier to observe and detect alignment issues and welding defects. The coplanar shoulders and ridges provide visual references that highlight misalignments and incomplete bonds, enabling easier inspection without requiring complex detection equipment.
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
This solution provides a reliable and efficient method for achieving consistent high-strength bonding between the seaming element and the textile, reducing operator intervention and improving the reliability of the welding process by ensuring proper alignment and contact, even with irregular textile edges.
Implementation Method 1
A through-transmission laser welding process is used which allows the radiant energy of the laser to pass through the seaming element
Implementation Method 2
a radiant energy absorbing material is located at the interface between the interior of the seaming element and the exterior of the yarn ends at the bonding region
Implementation Method 3
This material warms to the melting point of the yarns and seaming element and creates a weld between the two materials at their interface
Implementation Method 4
The strip of stock material is then shaped and formed as desired by means of a continuous bending operation in which the strip of stock material is passed through at least one and preferably at least two tandem sets of opposed conforming rollers
Data Source
AI summary
A seaming element for an industrial textile and a method of manufacture. The seaming element comprises an elongate body folded along its length at a folded connection region comprising a plurality of channeled protrusions securable to corresponding channeled protrusions of a complementary seaming element affixed to an opposing seamable edge. First and second body members extend from respective edges of the folded connection region, each body member being directly securable to the first seamable edge. At least one of the body members comprises a longitudinal profiled region proximate and substantially parallel to a free edge of the respective member. The method includes providing an array of apertures to form the channeled protrusions, and the profiled region is formed in a progressive roll forming process. The seaming element enables improved consistency and reliability of bonding of the element to the textile by laser welding, adhesives or other methods.