Section Bar Work Centre With Adjustable Supports to Eliminate Spacers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing work centres for processing aluminium section bars, light alloys, and PVC face issues due to expensive spacers, long setup times, and potential damage to section bars during movement.
Innovation Solution
A work centre design featuring a U-shaped base with longitudinal guide members, overhead crane, and crosspieces with adjustable support rollers and clamping vises that can change position based on the height of the section bars, eliminating the need for spacers and reducing interference with processing heads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If spacers are used to prevent jaw interference with the operating head, then the section bar can be processed without interference, but the setup time increases and the cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support roller is made movable along the crosspiece in the second direction, allowing its position to be dynamically adjusted based on the section bar height. This dynamic adjustment eliminates the need for static spacers and reduces setup time while preventing jaw interference with the operating head.
Solution Approach 2:
The position of the support roller is changed as a variable parameter depending on the section bar height. By making the support roller position adjustable rather than fixed, the system adapts to different section bar dimensions without requiring additional spacers, thereby reducing both cost and setup time.
2Reliability
If spacers are used to prevent jaw interference with the operating head, then the section bar can be processed without interference, but the cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support roller is made movable along the crosspiece in the second direction, allowing its position to be dynamically adjusted based on the section bar height. This dynamic adjustment eliminates the need for static spacers and reduces setup time while preventing jaw interference with the operating head.
Solution Approach 2:
The position of the support roller is changed as a variable parameter depending on the section bar height. By making the support roller position adjustable rather than fixed, the system adapts to different section bar dimensions without requiring additional spacers, thereby reducing both cost and setup time.
3Reliability
If spacers are used to prevent jaw interference with the operating head, then the section bar can be processed without interference, but the section bar integrity may be compromised during movement
Solution Approach 1:
The support roller is made movable along the crosspiece in the second direction, allowing its position to be dynamically adjusted based on the section bar height. This dynamic adjustment eliminates the need for static spacers and reduces setup time while preventing jaw interference with the operating head.
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer component is completely removed from the system and replaced by the movable support roller. This extraction eliminates the potential harm spacers may cause to section bar integrity during movement while maintaining the function of preventing jaw interference with the operating head.
4Device complexity
If fixed jaw position is used, then the structure is simple, but the jaws interfere with the operating head when processing shorter section bars
Solution Approach 1:
The support roller is made movable along the crosspiece in the second direction, allowing its position to be dynamically adjusted based on the section bar height. This dynamic adjustment eliminates the need for static spacers and reduces setup time while preventing jaw interference with the operating head.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable support roller serves multiple functions: it supports the section bar, prevents jaw interference with the operating head, and adapts to different section bar heights. This multi-functionality replaces the need for separate spacers and fixed jaw positions, achieving versatility without significant complexity increase.
Data Source
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AI summary
A work centre to process section bars (2) has an elongated base (3); an overhead crane (6) movable along the base (3) and provided with an operating head (10) to process the section bars (2); and a plurality of crosspieces (11), each of which is movable along the base (3), is provided with a pair of jaws (26, 27) movable with respect to each other between a locking position and a release position of at least one section bar (2), and is further provided with a support bar (34), which extends through at least one of the jaws (26, 27), defines a support surface (P) for the section bar (2) and is designed to move, with respect to the two jaws (26, 27), orthogonally to the support surface (P) .