Machine for recycling quilts
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for recycling quilts are labor-intensive and costly, often resulting in irreversible damage to the layers and high environmental impact due to the complexity of separating stitched layers, leading to widespread abandonment and disposal of quilted products as waste.
Innovation Solution
A machine that uses heat-sensitive sewing threads to soften and dissolve the stitching between layers, allowing for their separation without damaging the quilt components, comprising an infeed station, heating station with steam diffusers or infrared lamps, and drive rollers to facilitate layer separation and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If mechanical cutting or manual separation methods are used to separate quilt layers, then the layers can be separated, but the process becomes labor-intensive, time-consuming, and causes irreversible damage to the layers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical cutting and manual separation methods with a thermal system. A heating element applies heat to the quilt stitching, causing the thread to melt or burn away, allowing layers to separate automatically through gravity and roller motion without mechanical force or human intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state of the stitching thread by applying thermal energy. The heating element raises the temperature of the thread above its melting or decomposition point, transforming it from a solid binding structure into a separated state that allows layer division without mechanical damage.
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional separation methods are used, then layers can be divided, but the economic cost and time required for recycling increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces costly and time-consuming mechanical separation processes with a simple thermal treatment system. The heating element continuously treats quilts as they pass through, enabling rapid processing without manual labor or complex mechanical equipment, thereby reducing both operational costs and processing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention implements continuous processing where quilts move steadily through the heating zone without interruption. The conveyor mechanism and rollers maintain constant motion, allowing multiple quilts to be processed in sequence without stopping, maximizing recycling throughput and minimizing time loss.
3Reliability
If stitching is removed by cutting or pulling, then layers separate, but the quilt components suffer irreversible damage and deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes mechanical force-based separation with thermal-based separation. Instead of cutting or pulling threads that would damage fabric edges and layer alignment, heat selectively removes only the stitching material, leaving the quilt layers intact and properly positioned for clean separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating element acts as an intermediary that selectively targets the stitching thread rather than the fabric layers. The thermal energy is applied in a controlled manner to affect only the thread material, which has different thermal properties than the fabric, thereby separating the binding element without harming the valuable quilt components.
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 machine significantly reduces the workload, economic cost, and environmental impact of recycling quilts by enabling efficient separation of layers, promoting the reuse of quilted materials and reducing waste disposal costs.
Implementation Method 1
heating the stitching to a temperature higher than a change of state or softening temperature of the heat-sensitive sewing thread
Implementation Method 2
temperature higher than a change of state or softening temperature of the heat-sensitive sewing thread
Implementation Method 3
heating means comprising at least one steam diffuser
Implementation Method 4
heating means comprising at least one steam diffuser
Implementation Method 5
heating means comprising at least one infrared lamp
Implementation Method 6
heating means comprising at least one infrared lamp
Data Source
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AI summary
Described is a machine (100) for recycling quilts comprises an infeed station (110), configured to receive as input a quilt (1) consisting of a plurality of layers (10, 20, 30) joined by stitching (40), a heating station (120), comprising heating means (121) configured to increase the temperature of the stitching (40) to a change of state or softening temperature of a heat-sensitive sewing thread, a separating station (130), comprising traction means (131), acting on the plurality of layers (10, 20, 30) for moving them in respective diverging directions.