Silo Bag Extractor with Integrated Plastic Winder
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current grain bag extractors face inefficiencies in unloading and recycling used plastic silo bags, as they require manual handling and additional steps to compact and transport the plastic, leading to increased time, manpower, and freight costs due to the high volume-to-weight ratio of stiffened plastic.
Innovation Solution
A grain bag extractor that simultaneously extracts material from silo bags by producing two continuous plastic bands through lengthwise cuts, which are then rolled up and ejected as compact bales, eliminating the need for secondary repackaging and manual handling, using a discharge auger and cross augers to collect and direct the plastic into twin rollers for compaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the pickup roller turns freely while tractor and extractor advance, then the plastic is unfurled on the ground for collection, but this results in long swaths of plastic that require manual handling and increase transportation volume
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state and arrangement of the plastic waste by introducing a winder mechanism that continuously winds the plastic into compact coils during extraction. This transforms the plastic from a long unfurled swath into a condensed cylindrical form, dramatically reducing its volume and making it easier to handle and transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The winder mechanism is automatically driven by the movement of the extractor itself, utilizing the forward motion to wind the plastic without requiring separate manual intervention. The system serves itself by converting the extraction process into simultaneously performing the winding function, eliminating the need for additional manpower in plastic collection.
2Ease of manufacture
If manual folding and pressing of plastic layers is used, then plastic can be packaged for transport, but this demands manpower and time while maintaining high volume-to-weight ratio
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical process of folding and pressing with an automated winder mechanism. Instead of human operators manually manipulating the plastic layers, the winder uses rotational motion to automatically coil and compact the plastic, substituting manual labor with a mechanical automation system that operates continuously during extraction.
Solution Approach 2:
The winder performs the compaction action continuously during the extraction process itself, preparing the plastic for transport before the extraction is complete. This preliminary compaction eliminates the need for subsequent manual packaging operations, as the plastic is already in a compact, transport-ready state when extraction finishes.
3Adaptability or versatility
If used plastic is collected in loose form, then it can be gathered from field locations, but the high volume-to-weight ratio results in substantial freight costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the density parameter of the collected plastic by winding it into compact coils. This transformation maintains the same mass of plastic while dramatically reducing its volume, thereby increasing the weight-to-volume ratio and reducing the space required for transportation, which directly lowers freight costs.
4Productivity
If extractors store used plastic of one bag at a time, then the plastic can be collected sequentially, but this requires multiple operations for large-scale recycling
Solution Approach 1:
The winder mechanism serves multiple functions: it collects plastic from multiple bags sequentially, winds each portion into compact form, and stores all collected plastic in a consolidated manner. This multi-functional device handles the entire plastic collection and compaction process for multiple bags through a single integrated system, improving productivity without proportionally increasing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An improved silo bag extractor that can collect grain or other flowable materials contained therein. As the extractor empties the silo bag's contents into an accompanying grain cart, it simultaneously performs differentiated cuts on the bag, effectively dividing it in two bands of plastic that are directed to the left and right sides of the machine, where they wind tightly around roll-up assemblies equipped with consumable rigid plastic cores. On terminating grain extraction, the used plastic sheet takes the form of two very dense bales that can each weigh 100 kilos or more depending on the original size of the bag. These bales are then released from the machine automatically, proffering several advantages: not having to manually collect large swaths of plastic, not having to rewind the plastic on a second contraption and accomplishing lesser compaction in the process, easier storing and handling, and lower transportation costs to recycling centers.