Vehicle Saddle Padding Assembly with Molded Support Points
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing support elements like vehicle saddles face challenges in coupling padding with a plastic base due to dimensional instability and difficulty in trimming soft materials, leading to suboptimal production processes.
Innovation Solution
A plant and method utilizing automated stations with robots to process padding and support bases, including molding, trimming, and gluing, ensuring precise and efficient assembly of support elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the padding is extracted from the mold and bound to the plastic base at a later time, then the production process becomes more flexible, but the padding loses dimensional stability and becomes difficult to couple with the plastic base
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by equipping the padding with support points during the molding process itself, before the padding is extracted and before the coupling with the plastic base occurs. These support points are created as the padding material is being formed in the mold, providing immediate dimensional stability reference points that will later guide precise alignment and coupling with the plastic base, thus maintaining stability while enabling production flexibility
2Ease of manufacture
If the external covering is present on the soft padding, then the product is more complete, but trimming becomes difficult due to lack of rigid guide
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary element - the support points - that serve as a rigid reference structure between the soft padding with external covering and the trimming tool. These support points act as a mediator that provides the necessary rigidity and geometric reference for the trimming tool to follow, enabling precise trimming operations on the external covering while the soft padding remains in place
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing rigid support points at specific locations on the soft padding rather than making the entire padding rigid. This localized rigidity at the support points is sufficient to provide trimming guidance while maintaining the soft, comfortable characteristics of the padding material in the areas that contact the user
3Reliability
If traditional molds are used for manufacturing support elements, then the process is well-established, but automation and production speed are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical mold systems with an automated injection molding system that uses a movable support base and programmable control. Instead of relying on complex mechanical mold openings and closings, the system uses automated material injection, automatic support base movement, and programmable cycle control, thereby maintaining process reliability through precise control while significantly increasing production speed and enabling full automation
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a plant equipped with operating stations and at least one rest station for making a support element for the human body, as well as a method for making a support element for the human body obtainable with the aforementioned plant.