Rotatable Magazine Feeder for Roof Truss Components
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automated material feeders for elongate members are inefficient due to their limited capacity, complexity, and inability to adapt to varying sizes and sequences of components required in custom manufacturing, particularly in roof-truss production, leading to increased manufacturing costs and waste.
Innovation Solution
An automated magazine feeder system that uses a rotatable support member to sequentially dispense elongate members of varying sizes and profiles, allowing for efficient replenishment and alignment of materials, with the capability to handle multiple feeders in tandem to accommodate different sizes and profiles, and a funneling hopper for easy material stocking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If existing automated material feeders are used to supply elongate members, then material supply is provided, but the capacity is limited and the complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The feeder is divided into a magazine portion containing multiple stacks of elongate members and a dispensing portion with individual dispensing mechanisms. Each stack can be independently managed, allowing the system to handle multiple sizes and profiles simultaneously without requiring a single complex mechanism for all materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The magazine portion is designed to accommodate multiple sizes and profiles of elongate members through a standardized stacking system. The dispensing mechanisms can handle different material types by adjusting the ejection force and positioning, making the system universal for various roofing materials without requiring separate feeders for each material type.
2Adaptability or versatility
If existing feeders are used for custom manufacturing with varying sizes and sequences, then material supply is provided, but adaptability to changing designs is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses computer-controlled dispensing mechanisms that can dynamically adjust the sequence and timing of material ejection based on real-time production requirements. The magazine stacks can be reconfigured to accommodate different material sizes and profiles, allowing the system to adapt to changing designs while maintaining continuous operation and high productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple stacks of different material sizes and profiles are pre-loaded into the magazine portion before production begins. This preliminary preparation allows the dispensing mechanisms to quickly switch between material types without stopping the production line, thereby maintaining high productivity while achieving full adaptability to varying design requirements.
3Manufacturing precision
If existing feeders are used to deliver components, then material delivery is provided, but the sequence precision and individual component delivery are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The dispensing mechanisms are equipped with sensors and computer control systems that monitor the ejection of each component in real-time. This feedback ensures that components are delivered in the precise sequence required by the production process, with automatic adjustment if any deviation occurs, thereby achieving high sequence precision without delaying production.
Solution Approach 2:
The magazine portion automatically feeds stacks to the dispensing mechanisms as needed, and the dispensing mechanisms self-regulate the ejection timing and sequence based on production requirements. This self-service capability eliminates the need for manual intervention while maintaining precise sequence control, thereby reducing delivery time without sacrificing precision.
Data Source
AI summary
An automated magazine feeder device is provided for supplying a manufacturing operation with elongate members of varying sizes in an assembly order dictated sequence. An apparatus for dispensing elongate members may include a magazine and a rotatable support member. The magazine may contain a plurality of elongate members including an elongate member in a first location and an elongate member in a second location immediately adjacent the elongate member in the first location. The first rotatable support member may include a first arm and a second arm. The first arm of the first rotatable support member supports the elongate member in the first location when the first rotatable support member is in a first position. The elongate member in the first location is ejected from the magazine by the second arm of the first rotatable support member in response to the first rotatable support member being rotated from the first position to a second position. The second arm of the first rotatable support member supports the elongate member in the second location in response to the first rotatable support member being rotated to the second position.