Rotatable Feeding Assembly for Tire Strip Cutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cutting devices for tire components require significant slack in the continuous rubber strip, leading to space inefficiency and unpredictable jerks during the cutting process due to the need for swiveling conveyors, which complicates operator access and precision.
Innovation Solution
A cutting device with a rotatable feeding assembly and guide members that adjust the cutting angle independently of the input direction, allowing the continuous strip to be fed directly into the cutting device without slack, ensuring precise alignment and reducing jerks by guiding the strip through a tangential path, thereby improving feeding efficiency and accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the conveyor is swiveled to change the cutting angle, then the cutting angle is adjusted, but significant slack is required which consumes space and causes unpredictable jerks
Solution Approach 1:
The device separates the angle adjustment function into two independent parts: the conveyor belt remains fixed in position, while a guide member (or feeding assembly) is made rotatable to change the feeding direction. This segmentation eliminates the need for the entire conveyor to swivel, removing the requirement for slack while maintaining cutting angle adjustability.
Solution Approach 2:
A guide member is introduced as an intermediary component between the fixed conveyor belt and the cutting knife. This guide member receives the strip from the conveyor and directs it to the knife at the desired angle, acting as a mediator that enables angle adjustment without requiring the conveyor itself to move or accumulate slack.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the conveyor swivels to adjust cutting angle, then angle versatility is improved, but operator access and safety are worsened due to unpredictable jerks in the slack
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the angle adjustment mechanism so that only the guide member rotates while the conveyor remains fixed, the unpredictable jerks associated with conveyor swiveling are eliminated. This creates a more stable and predictable operation environment for operators.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable guide member automatically adjusts the feeding direction to match the cutting angle requirement, eliminating the need for manual conveyor swiveling and the associated safety risks. The system self-adjusts through the rotatable component without requiring operator intervention in the hazardous slack area.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the continuous strip is fed at an angle to the cutting line, then cutting angle is achieved, but the input direction becomes dependent on cutting angle requiring slack
Solution Approach 1:
The device segments the feeding function into a fixed input direction (conveyor to guide member) and a variable output direction (guide member to knife). This decoupling allows the input direction to remain constant while the guide member handles all angle variations, eliminating the need for slack to accommodate angle changes.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of changing the input direction to achieve different cutting angles (which requires slack), the invention inverts the approach by keeping the input direction fixed and changing the guide member's orientation. The angle adjustment is achieved by rotating the guide member rather than redirecting the input strip.
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 solution enables more compact production lines, enhances cutting precision, and prevents slacking, ensuring continuous strip alignment with gravity acting only on its longitudinal direction, thus improving operational safety and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
ensuring continuous strip alignment with gravity acting only on its longitudinal direction
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a cutting device and a method for cutting a continuous strip into tire components. The cutting device includes a knife for cutting the continuous strip along a cutting line in a working plane and a feeding assembly with a feeding member for feeding the continuous strip in the working plane to the knife in a feeding direction that intersects with the cutting line at a cutting angle. The feeding member, and the knife are rotatable with respect to each other about a rotation axis perpendicular to the working plane for adjusting the cutting angle. The feeding assembly further includes an input member for receiving the continuous strip in an input direction into the cutting device and one or more guide members for guiding the continuous strip from the input member to the feeding member, wherein the input member is placed in line with or substantially in line with the rotation axis.