Sheet Folding Apparatus Loop Formation and Slippage Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sheet folding apparatuses face issues with accurate Z-folding due to increased transport load causing sheet slippage and misalignment, leading to inconsistent folding lines.
Innovation Solution
A sheet folding apparatus with a feeding-roller pair, a loop-forming space, a pushing member, and a guided path between the feeding-roller pair and folding-roller pair, which forms a sheet loop and ensures the sheet is guided accurately to the folding position, reducing slippage and maintaining precise folding lines.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the sheet is transported horizontally and linearly from the sheet-feeding roller pair toward the sheet-folding roller pair, then the sheet can be moved through the transport path, but the transport load applied on the sheet-feeding roller pair temporarily increases due to the stiffness of the sheet when the sheet is made to curve into a loop shape
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a vertical dimension to the sheet transport path by creating a loop-forming space that allows the sheet to move vertically downward and then horizontally. This dimensional change enables the sheet to form a loop shape, distributing the transport load over a longer path and reducing the peak force required from the sheet-feeding roller pair.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a pushing member that preliminarily positions the sheet at the desired folding location before the folding roller pair engages. The pushing member moves the sheet along the transport path and into the loop-forming space, preparing it for accurate folding without requiring excessive force from the feeding roller pair.
2Manufacturing precision
If the sheet is made to curve into a loop shape in the space opened at the lower part of the transport path, then the sheet can be folded, but the sheet may slip due to the increase of transport load and the folding position may change
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a pushing member as an intermediary between the sheet-feeding roller pair and the folding roller pair. This pushing member gently guides and positions the sheet along the transport path, maintaining contact and preventing slippage while the sheet forms its loop shape. The pushing member ensures the sheet reaches the correct folding position reliably.
Solution Approach 2:
By creating a loop-forming space that utilizes vertical movement, the patent allows the sheet to travel a longer, multi-dimensional path before reaching the folding point. This extended path provides more opportunity for the pushing member to maintain position control and reduces the likelihood of slippage during the folding process.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the sheet-feeding roller pair continues transporting the sheet to make a loop, then the sheet can be folded, but the sheet may curve toward the transport path opposite to the space depending on the transporting conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The pushing member performs preliminary positioning of the sheet in the loop-forming space before the folding operation. By advancing the sheet along the transport path and into the loop, the pushing member ensures the sheet assumes the correct curved shape needed for folding, preventing unintended curvature in the opposite direction.
Solution Approach 2:
The pushing member acts as an intermediary that shapes the sheet's path through the loop-forming space. It gently guides the sheet along the desired trajectory, ensuring the sheet curves in the correct direction toward the folding roller pair rather than curving opposite to the intended space.
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
The apparatus achieves stable and precise Z-folding by managing the sheet's loop formation and guiding mechanism, ensuring consistent folding lines and reducing the impact of sheet stiffness on the folding process.
Implementation Method 1
a folding-roller pair for folding the sheet by nipping a prescribed part of the sheet pushed by the pushing member
Implementation Method 2
a feeding-roller pair... which forms a sheet loop
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a sheet folding apparatus for folding sheets, including: a feeding-roller pair; a loop-forming space provided downstream from the feeding-roller pair, for forming a sheet loop; a pushing member for pushing the looped sheet; a folding-roller pair for nipping a prescribed part of the sheet pushed by the pushing member, thereby to fold the sheet; and a path provided between the feeding-roller pair and the folding-roller pair, for guiding the sheet fed from the feeding-roller pair toward the loop-forming space.