Setting Head Sleeve and Holding Arms for Low-Wear Fastener Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing joining devices face issues with reliable positioning and maintenance due to friction and wear, leading to defective joints and increased downtime, especially when using press systems with high work forces.
Innovation Solution
A setting head design featuring a movable stamp with a receiving sleeve and holding arms that minimize friction and wear by allowing limited relative movement, ensuring precise positioning and easy accessibility for maintenance, with a spring-loaded mechanism and L-shaped holding arms for secure and efficient joining processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If holding jaws are pivotably mounted on the punch to hold and release joining elements, then the joining element can be securely held and automatically released, but constant friction occurs between the punch assembly and the inner wall of the joining channel, leading to critical wear and potential loss of the joining element
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate functional components: the punch for driving, the holding jaws for securing the joining element, and the joining channel for guidance. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function while reducing unnecessary friction between moving parts and the channel wall.
Solution Approach 2:
The holding jaws are designed to be pivotable, transitioning between a closed holding position and an open releasing position. This dynamic mechanism allows the jaws to securely hold the joining element during insertion and automatically release it at the appropriate position, reducing constant friction while maintaining reliability.
2Productivity
If the punch moves through the joining channel to set the joining element, then the joining process can be completed, but the joining element may rotate or reorient itself, leading to poor joints and potential damage to the setting head and punch
Solution Approach 1:
The holding jaws are positioned and shaped to asymmetrically grip the joining element, preventing rotation and ensuring correct orientation. The jaws are arranged to contact specific surfaces of the joining element that maintain its proper alignment throughout the punching process.
Solution Approach 2:
The holding jaws act as an intermediary between the punch and the joining element, securing the element in the correct orientation during the punching process and releasing it only when properly positioned, thereby preventing rotation and misalignment.
3Reliability
If retaining fingers are axially displaceable in recesses of the punch to hold the joining element, then the joining element can be retained, but the punch and retaining fingers move within the joining channel under constant friction, leading to wear, contamination, and high maintenance costs
Solution Approach 1:
The device separates the retention function (holding jaws on the punch) from the guidance function (joining channel), allowing the punch assembly with holding jaws to move independently with minimal friction against the channel wall, reducing wear and maintenance requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The holding jaws are designed as replaceable components that can be easily removed and replaced when worn. This approach is more economical than maintaining the entire punch or joining channel, reducing maintenance costs and downtime by allowing quick replacement of only the worn holding jaws.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design ensures reliable and precise positioning of joining elements, reduces wear and friction, and minimizes downtime by allowing easy replacement of worn parts, enhancing the reliability and efficiency of the joining process.
Implementation Method 1
The receiving sleeve (50) is spring-loaded relative to the punch (10) and is movable to a limited extent in the longitudinal direction of the punch (10), so that in a rest position of the punch (10) the working end (12) of the punch (10) is arranged inside the through channel (52) and away from its exit opening (54) and in a working position of the punch (10) adjacent to the exit opening (54), preferably inside or outside the through channel (52).
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention describes a setting head for a joining device, in particular a press or a setting device, which setting head comprises the following features: a punch (10) which is movable in a longitudinal direction such that a joining element (7) can be joined into a component by means of a punch face (16) arranged at a working end (12) of the punch; a hollow cylindrical receiving sleeve (50) which has a through-passage (52) and which, with the punch in the through-passage, is guided adjacent to the working end of the punch concentrically and axially movably thereon; and two mutually opposite holding arms arranged on the receiving sleeve outside the through-passage each provide at least one laterally inwardly projecting holding end, with the result that the at least two holding ends allow the joining element to be releasably positionable adjacent to a punch-remote outlet opening of the through-passage and by the axially movable working end of the punch.