Rotatable Mandrel Cutting Locking Ring on Closure Cap
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing closure caps with locking rings are imprecise and costly, often damaging the beading or other parts during cutting, and require dedicated mandrels for complex slot geometries, leading to increased wear and plastic waste.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with a stationary fixture for a cutting knife and a rotatable support mandrel that synchronizes the cutting blade's movement with the mandrel's rotation, allowing for precise cutting of slot geometries without direct interaction between the cutting blade and support mandrel, reducing wear and enabling the use of a single mandrel for various geometries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If cutting is performed directly on the closure cap blank without a preconditioned mandrel, then the cutting process is simpler, but the cutting precision deteriorates and the risk of damaging the beading or other parts increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mandrel is preconditioned by creating grooves in its surface before the actual cutting process. These grooves serve as a precise guide for the cutting blade, ensuring accurate slot geometry. The preconditioning step prepares the mandrel in advance to provide the necessary cutting support surface, resolving the contradiction between cutting precision and process complexity.
2Manufacturing precision
If dedicated mandrels with specific groove geometries are used for each cutting geometry, then the cutting precision is maintained, but the device complexity and plastic waste increase
Solution Approach 1:
A single mandrel is designed with the capability to produce multiple different slot geometries by varying the groove configuration. The mandrel can be reused for different cutting geometries without requiring dedicated mandrels for each specific geometry. This universal approach maintains cutting precision while significantly reducing plastic waste from discarded dedicated mandrels.
3Ease of manufacture
If the cutting blade directly contacts the support mandrel during cutting, then the cutting process is simpler, but the wear of the cutting blade increases
Solution Approach 1:
The groove in the mandrel surface acts as an intermediary between the cutting blade and the mandrel body. The cutting blade engages with the groove rather than directly contacting the solid mandrel surface. This intermediary groove reduces friction and wear on the cutting blade while maintaining the simplicity of the cutting process, thereby extending blade lifetime.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for producing a locking ring on a closure cap for a container is disclosed. The apparatus includes a stationary fixture for a cutting knife having a cutting blade accommodated by the fixture and extending along a cutting section; and a transport installation for transporting a support mandrel along the cutting section, wherein the support mandrel is adapted for supporting a shell of a closure cap blank in such a manner that the shell during a cutting procedure is rolled on the cutting blade. The support mandrel has a rotatable mounting by way of which the support mandrel is mounted so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis oriented perpendicularly to the cutting section. The fixture is adapted to accommodate at least one cutting knife in a first and second configuration.