Shared Wire Web Forming for Foam-Formed and Wet-Laid Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing manufacturing systems are costly and inefficient for producing both wet-laid and foam-formed products, as building new lines for foam-formed products is expensive, and existing wet-laid lines are not suitable for foam-formed products, leading to underutilized capacity.
Innovation Solution
A manufacturing system that integrates a primary unit for foamed fibrous furnish and a secondary unit for aqueous furnish, with shared web forming devices and a common wire, allowing for the production of fibrous, wet, or multi-layer webs, enabling seamless integration with existing wet-laid lines.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a new manufacturing line is built for foam-formed products, then production capability for foam-formed products is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by enabling a single wet-laid manufacturing line to perform multiple functions: it can produce both traditional wet-laid products and foam-formed products by switching between different furnish configurations (aqueous furnish for wet-laid, foamed fibrous furnish for foam-formed). This eliminates the need for separate dedicated lines for each product type, thereby reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining production capability for both product categories.
2Ease of manufacture
If wet-laid lines are used for foam-formed products, then existing infrastructure is utilized, but product quality and suitability are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the wet-laid line configurable and adaptable rather than fixed. The system can dynamically switch between producing wet-laid products and foam-formed products by changing the furnish type (aqueous vs. foamed fibrous). This dynamic reconfiguration allows the existing infrastructure to be optimized for different product requirements, ensuring both product quality and suitable utilization of existing equipment.
3Productivity
If two parallel manufacturing lines are operated, then full load capacity is maintained, but resource utilization efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by creating a single manufacturing line that can produce both wet-laid and foam-formed products. This allows the line to operate at full capacity by switching between product types during breaks or downtime, rather than requiring two separate lines running in parallel. The result is improved resource utilization efficiency while maintaining full load capacity through flexible production scheduling.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5A~5B
AI summary
According to an example aspect, there is provided a manufacturing system (100a, 100b), comprising a primary unit for generation of a foamed fibrous furnish, a secondary unit for generation of an aqueous furnish or a foamed fibrous furnish, a primary web forming device (101) for the foamed fibrous furnish, a secondary web forming device (102) for the aqueous furnish or the foamed fibrous furnish, and a shared wire (103).