Shell Feed Roll Assembly With Offset Shafts for High-Speed Pressing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shell presses face challenges in efficiently and rapidly manufacturing high volumes of shells due to design limitations in feeding assemblies, particularly when handling wide coil stock at high speeds.
Innovation Solution
A feeding assembly with a servo motor-driven feed roll and pinch roll design, featuring a laterally offset shaft configuration and lightweight construction, reduces indexing stock distance and minimizes stock loop length, enabling high-speed feeding of up to 700 strokes per minute.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the distance between the feeding assembly and shell press is increased to reduce material acceleration and inertia, then the indexing stock distance increases, but this worsens the productivity by requiring longer material loops and reducing feeding speed capability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dimensionality change by laterally offsetting the feed roll shaft from the motor drive shaft axis. This creates a spatial arrangement where the feed roll is positioned at a distance from the motor while maintaining proper alignment for material feeding. The lateral offset allows the system to achieve compact indexing stock distance (70 inches or less) while accommodating the necessary drive mechanism, effectively resolving the contradiction between reduced material acceleration and maintained feeding speed capability.
2Productivity
If the indexing stock distance is reduced to improve feeding speed and productivity, then material acceleration and inertia increase, but this worsens the control difficulty and potential for material damage
Solution Approach 1:
The lateral offset configuration allows the feed roll to be positioned close to the shell press (70 inches or less indexing stock distance) for high productivity while the offset distance accommodates the drive mechanism. This spatial arrangement in a different dimension enables compact material loop length without excessive acceleration, as the offset provides natural spacing for the drive assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The laterally offset shaft configuration acts as an intermediary spatial arrangement between the motor and feed roll. This offset positioning allows the drive belt and pulley system to function as effective mediators, transmitting power while providing the necessary distance to manage material acceleration. The offset configuration enables the system to achieve high feeding speeds while the intermediate space allows for controlled material acceleration through proper drive mechanism design.
3Productivity
If a conventional aligned shaft configuration is used, then the design is simpler, but the indexing stock distance cannot be reduced sufficiently to achieve high-speed feeding of 700 spm
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a conventional aligned shaft configuration to a laterally offset configuration, representing a dimensionality change in the spatial arrangement. This offset arrangement enables the indexing stock distance to be reduced to 70 inches or less, which is necessary for achieving high-speed feeding of 700 spm. The additional lateral dimension provides the flexibility to accommodate both the reduced distance requirement and the drive mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the direct mechanical connection of aligned shafts with a belt-driven pulley system connected to laterally offset shafts. This substitution allows for flexible transmission of rotational power while accommodating the offset configuration. The belt and pulley mechanism provides the necessary mechanical coupling between the motor and feed roll despite the lateral offset, enabling high-speed feeding while managing the increased design complexity through a proven mechanical substitution.
Data Source
AI summary
A feeding assembly is for feeding material to a press system. The press system includes a shell press having a die set structured to form the material into a plurality of shells. The feeding assembly includes a support element, a feed roll including an integral shaft, a drive assembly driving the feed roll and including a motor and a drive shaft, the drive shaft, and a pinch roll cooperating with the feed roll to receive and move material therebetween. The longitudinal axis of the integral feed roll shaft is laterally offset with respect to the longitudinal axis of the motor drive shaft.