Rotary Zigzag Folding Machine for Rigid Tapes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing folding machines for rigid creased tapes, such as cardboard, experience frequent interruptions and reliability issues at high speeds due to jamming and other anomalies, and are not designed to handle tapes that exit a production plant still hot and damp.
Innovation Solution
An automated machine with a rotary folding device featuring four parallel pairs of main arms and secondary arms that describe elliptical trajectories, with a horizontal major axis and vertical central stacking axis, allowing for continuous folding and stacking of tapes at speeds over 3.3 m/sec, and equipped with features like a terminal slide, interception element, and cutting means to prevent jamming and enable continuous operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the folding machine operates at high speed (over 3.3 m/sec), then productivity is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to frequent interruptions and jamming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the trajectory of the folding element adjustable between horizontal and vertical major axes. This dynamic adjustment allows the machine to adapt its folding mechanism to different operating conditions, enabling reliable high-speed operation by optimizing the motion path to prevent jamming while maintaining productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameter of the folding trajectory by allowing the major axis to be oriented horizontally or vertically. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by enabling the machine to operate at high speeds with horizontal orientation (improving productivity) while maintaining reliability through vertical orientation when needed, thus eliminating frequent interruptions.
2Device complexity
If the folding device uses a diagonal trajectory orientation (25° downward inclination), then the folding mechanism is compact, but reliability worsens due to jamming and functioning anomalies at high speed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the trajectory orientation dynamic rather than fixed at 25° downward inclination. The folding element can adjust its major axis orientation between horizontal and vertical, allowing the system to maintain compact configuration while avoiding the jamming issues that occur with fixed diagonal trajectories at high speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a composite motion trajectory that combines horizontal and vertical components. By allowing the major axis to be oriented horizontally or vertically rather than fixed at a diagonal angle, the system creates a more robust folding mechanism that prevents jamming while maintaining the necessary compact configuration for high-speed operation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the machine handles hot and damp tapes from continuous production plant, then adaptability is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to deformation risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by enabling adjustable trajectory orientation (horizontal or vertical major axis) which allows the folding mechanism to adapt to the physical state of hot and damp tapes. This dynamic adjustment maintains folding precision by optimizing the motion path to accommodate material deformation risks while handling tapes directly from the continuous production plant.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the trajectory parameters to accommodate hot and damp tapes. By allowing the major axis orientation to be adjusted between horizontal and vertical positions, the system can modify its folding characteristics to maintain precision even when handling materials with varying thermal and moisture conditions from continuous production.
Data Source
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AI summary
Automated machine to fold in a zigzag manner and stack a creased tape (11) made of a sufficiently rigid material and provided with a plurality of transverse creasings (12) equidistant with respect to each other, comprising feed means (15) suitable to feed the creased tape (11) in a determinate direction of feed toward a folding device (20) of the rotary type suitable to fold it in a zigzag manner and to convey it toward collection means (50). The folding device (20) comprises four parallel pairs of main arms (21-24), having the same length and disposed in a cross, which rotate in a direction of rotation consistent with the direction of feed of the creased tape (11) around a central axis of rotation (Z) perpendicular to the latter, four corresponding parallel pairs of secondary arms (31-34), pivoted to the peripheral ends of the main arms (21-24), toward the inside thereof and rotatable in an opposite direction to the latter, and four folding rods (41-44) pivoted to the peripheral ends of the secondary arms (31-34), so that each of the four folding rods (41-44) is suitable to describe in space a substantially elliptical trajectory (T). The folding rods (41-44) are suitable to intercept the creased tape (11) in correspondence to every two of the transverse creasings (12). The major axis (X) of the trajectory (T) is substantially horizontal and the central stacking axis (W) of the collection means (50) is substantially vertical and parallel to the minor axis (Y) of the trajectory (T).