Sheet Manufacturing Apparatus with Predictive Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sheet manufacturing apparatuses experience operational rate drops due to the need to stop manufacturing when cleaning the conveyance mechanism, leading to inefficiencies and reduced productivity.
Innovation Solution
A sheet manufacturing apparatus equipped with a defibrator, feedstock supply unit, monitoring device, and cleaning device that predicts conveyance slowdowns and proactively executes cleaning processes to prevent stoppages, using nozzles to discharge fluids and measuring feedstock weight and time to anticipate and address accumulation issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a cleaning member is passed through the conveyance mechanism to remove accumulated material, then the conveyance mechanism is cleaned, but the sheet manufacturing process must be stopped, reducing operational rate
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring device detects feedstock accumulation trends and predicts potential conveyance stoppages before they occur. The cleaning device is activated preemptively based on predicted accumulation patterns, rather than waiting for actual stoppages to happen. This preliminary action prevents production interruptions while maintaining continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The measuring device continuously monitors feedstock accumulation on the storage device and provides real-time data to the monitoring device. This feedback loop enables dynamic adjustment of cleaning operations based on actual accumulation rates, allowing the system to optimize cleaning timing and maintain high operational rates while ensuring conveyance mechanism cleanliness.
2Reliability
If the cleaning device executes cleaning process on the conveyance device or storage device, then feedstock conveyance stopping is prevented, but additional device components and control systems are required
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses its own operational data (feedstock accumulation measurements) to trigger cleaning operations automatically. The monitoring device analyzes accumulation patterns and activates the cleaning device without external intervention, allowing the system to self-regulate and maintain conveyance continuity through integrated feedback control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces complex mechanical prediction mechanisms with electronic monitoring and computational analysis. The monitoring device uses software algorithms to analyze measurement data and predict accumulation issues, substituting mechanical complexity with electronic intelligence and data processing capabilities.
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 solution enables continuous operation by preemptively cleaning the conveyance and storage devices, reducing downtime and maintaining productivity by predicting and preventing conveyance stoppages.
Implementation Method 1
The measuring device is configured to measure a weight of the feedstock accumulated on the storage device
Implementation Method 2
The cleaning device has a nozzle configured to discharge a fluid, and the cleaning device is configured to, as the cleaning process, discharge the fluid from the nozzle to at least one of the conveyance device and the storage device
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet manufacturing apparatus includes a defibrator configured to produce defibrated material, a feedstock supply unit, a monitoring device, and a cleaning device. The feedstock supply unit includes a conveyance device configured to convey feedstock, a storage device configured to accumulate the feedstock conveyed from the conveyance device and supply the feedstock to the defibrator, and a measuring device configured to measure a state of the feedstock accumulated on the storage device. The monitoring device is configured to predict stopping of conveyance of the feedstock by the feedstock supply unit and activate the cleaning device when a conveyance speed of the feedstock by the feedstock supply unit becomes slower than during normal operation. The cleaning device is configured to execute on at least one of the conveyance device and the storage device a cleaning process that preemptively prevents the stopping of conveyance.