Rotating Disk Powder Supply Device for Stable Flow
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional powder supply devices for thermal spraying and powder coating face issues with powder agglomeration, pulsation, and complexity, leading to reduced supply accuracy and increased equipment size and cost.
Innovation Solution
A simplified and miniaturized powder supply device featuring a rotatable disk with a groove and a circular outer shape bottom plate, incorporating a blade member and a powder delivery hole, which stabilizes powder flow and prevents agglomeration, while reducing component count and enhancing maintainability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the flow path narrows toward the lower part of the hopper, then the powder can be contained and directed, but the powder pressure fluctuation increases causing agglomeration and bridge formation
Solution Approach 1:
The hopper is divided into multiple sections with different flow path characteristics. The upper part has a narrower flow path for containment, while the lower part has a wider flow path to reduce pressure fluctuation and prevent agglomeration, effectively segmenting the flow path to balance containment and stability
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the hopper have locally optimized flow path characteristics. The upper section provides containment through narrower passages, while the lower section provides stable flow through wider passages, applying local quality changes to different parts of the same component
2Reliability
If a plate-shaped body is interposed between the hopper and the disk, then wear of the protrusion is prevented, but the number of components increases causing complexity and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The plate-shaped body is merged with the disk by making it an integral part of the disk structure. The wear-resistant protrusion is directly formed on the disk surface, eliminating the need for a separate plate-shaped body while maintaining the wear prevention function
Solution Approach 2:
The disk is given multiple functions: it rotates to convey powder, and its surface integrates the wear-resistant protrusion structure. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate wear prevention components, reducing overall device complexity
3Productivity
If the hopper is designed with a narrow lower flow path, then powder can be directed to the disk, but interruption and pulsation of powder supply occur reducing accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The flow path is segmented into upper and lower sections with different dimensions. The upper section directs powder efficiently, while the lower section provides a wider passage to ensure continuous, pulsation-free flow to the disk, maintaining both transfer efficiency and supply accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The flow path characteristics are locally optimized at different heights. The upper part maintains narrow dimensions for directed flow, while the lower part transitions to wider dimensions for stable, interruption-free powder delivery, applying local quality changes to resolve the contradiction
Data Source
AI summary
A powder supply device that continuously supply a fixed amount of powder, including a powder accommodation container including a powder delivery hole in an circular outer shape bottom plate, and a disk that continuously rotates and conveys the powder by a groove facing the powder delivery hole and provided on circumference, wherein the disk is disposed to be slidably rotatable with respect to the circular outer shape bottom plate in a state in which a part of a region where the groove is located is covered with the circular outer shape bottom plate of the powder accommodation container.