Automated Seal Cap Filling for Precise Aircraft Sealant Dosing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for applying sealant to rivet heads in the aircraft industry are time-consuming, cumbersome, and prone to over- or under-dosing, with manual processes and existing automated methods failing to ensure even filling and requiring costly logistics for frozen sealant storage.
Innovation Solution
An automated method and device for filling cured sealing caps, utilizing a robot or similar device to position and fill the caps in the XYZ direction, ensuring precise and efficient sealant application without freezing, and allowing for on-site assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual filling with cartridge gun is used, then flexibility and portability are maintained, but filling time is excessive and dosing precision is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operations with an automated robotic system that includes a robot arm for positioning, automated dispensing mechanism for sealant application, and programmable control logic. This substitution maintains operational flexibility through programmable movements while dramatically increasing filling speed and dosing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates automated positioning, automatic dispensing control, and self-adjusting mechanisms that eliminate the need for continuous manual intervention. The robot autonomously navigates to each sealing cap position, determines the required sealant quantity, and executes the filling operation without human assistance.
2Device complexity
If manual filling with cartridge gun is used, then equipment simplicity is maintained, but dosing precision and filling uniformity are poor
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates sensors that detect the position of sealing caps, monitor sealant flow rates, and provide real-time feedback to the control system. This feedback loop enables automatic adjustment of dispensing parameters to ensure consistent dosing precision and filling uniformity across all sealing caps.
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic system features dynamically adjustable parameters including dispensing pressure, flow rate, and positioning speed. These dynamic adjustments are automatically controlled based on the specific requirements of each sealing cap, ensuring optimal filling uniformity while maintaining system adaptability.
3Reliability
If frozen sealant storage is used, then sealant reactivity is prevented, but storage costs and logistics complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs sealant formulations with modified chemical parameters that eliminate the need for frozen storage. Through changes in composition, such as using stabilized polymers or adjusted cross-linking mechanisms, the sealant maintains its reactivity control at ambient temperatures, thereby simplifying the logistics chain while preserving sealant stability.
4Productivity
If automated filling system is implemented, then filling speed and precision are improved, but device complexity and initial cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic system is designed with multi-functional capabilities that justify its complexity: it can position multiple sealing caps, dispense varying quantities of sealant, adapt to different cap geometries, and integrate with existing production lines. This universality allows a single automated system to replace multiple manual operations, achieving high filling speed while providing versatile functionality.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for filling seal caps and to a corresponding automated device for filling seal caps. The method for filling seal caps is characterised in that the seal caps are filled automatically, wherein the positioning of the filling unit and/or the positioning of the cured seal caps by movement in the XYZ direction as well as the filling of the seal caps take place automatically, and wherein the cured seal caps are positioned on a support plate.