Push Element Belt Manufacturing Tolerance Compensation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for producing thrust links for continuously variable transmissions suffer from tolerance deviations and transverse pushing issues, leading to imbalance, wear, and increased costs due to complex measurement processes and limited productivity.

Innovation Solution

The method involves simultaneous parallel and centered feeding of strips into a multiple tool with adjustable center guide elements, pairwise pre-cutting of thrust members with force compensation, and simultaneous discharge below the parting plane to compensate for tolerance deviations, using a high-performance press with a servo drive to increase productivity and reduce tilting moments.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If thrust members are cut out in mirror images perpendicular to the direction of travel, then transverse pushing is reduced, but productivity is limited to 6 parts per stroke

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransverse pushingVSAvoidparts per stroke
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The multiple tool is divided into several cutting stages (first cutting stage, second cutting stage, third cutting stage, fourth cutting stage) arranged in sequence, each stage producing a specific number of thrust members. This segmentation allows the system to handle more parts simultaneously while maintaining force balance through the symmetric arrangement of cutting stages.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Manufacturing precision

If complex measuring processes are used to check tolerance compliance, then quality control is improved, but costs and time consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetolerance complianceVSAvoidmeasurement time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Tolerance compensation is built into the cutting process itself through the symmetric arrangement of cutting stages and force compensation mechanisms. By pre-compensating for tolerances during manufacturing rather than detecting and correcting them afterward, the need for complex post-production measurement processes is eliminated.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Stability of the object's composition

If interfaces are arranged asymmetrically to avoid transverse pushing, then force balance is improved, but parallelism tolerance deviations increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveforce balanceVSAvoidparallelism tolerance
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The cutting stages are arranged with intentional asymmetric spacing along the feed path, where the first and second cutting stages are positioned at different distances from the third and fourth cutting stages. This asymmetric arrangement, combined with force compensation, maintains force balance while preventing transverse pushing and preserving parallelism tolerance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

Data Source

PatentEP2399690B1Method for producing cross elements for a transmission belt
Publication Date: 2013.06.05 FEINTOOL INTPROP
  • EP2399690B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2399690B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2399690B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing push elements of a push element belt for continuously variable transmissions in a multi-cavity mold. The object of the invention is to provide a highly productive method for manufacturing push elements of a push element belt for continuously variable transmissions, whereby the tolerance deviations of the push elements across the range of push element extension are approximately compensated, while largely preventing lateral displacement of the belts and increasing the number of parts produced, thereby simultaneously saving costs and improving the smooth running characteristics of the push element belts.This task is solved by the following steps: a) simultaneous parallel and centered feeding of at least two strips along a tool longitudinal axis running in the direction of the strip's travel to the cutting and ejection stages at a distance from each other that can be freely adjusted by means of center guide elements, b) simultaneous paired pre-cutting of the push elements into the strip with force compensation around the tool longitudinal axis of all machine and tool elements involved in the cutting process according to step a), c) simultaneous paired ejection of the push elements from the strips in the space reduced by one punching step or...the ejection stage following the feed, d) simultaneous discharge of the separated push elements from the ejection stage into discharge channels located below the parting line of the upper and lower parts of the ejection stages, wherein the finished push elements belonging to a strip are always provided in a pair per punching stroke in order to compensate for tolerance deviations over the area of ​​the push element extension.