Extruded Strand Defect Segmentation and Joining
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing material strands for vehicle sealing and trimming do not effectively eliminate manufacturing defects before forming transport units, leading to material waste and inefficiencies in processing.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the extrusion of strands, immediate testing for defects, cutting out defective segments, joining defect-free segments with maintained minimum distance between joints, and forming a transport unit to prevent defects and reduce waste.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If material strands are tested and defective segments are cut out after extrusion but before forming transport units, then manufacturing defects are eliminated and material quality is improved, but additional processing steps and equipment are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by testing the extruded strand immediately after extrusion and cutting out defective segments before the material is wound into transport units. This early detection and removal of defects prevents contaminated material from being incorporated into the final product, ensuring high reliability while integrating quality control within the existing production flow without requiring separate post-processing inspection systems.
2Reliability
If defective segments are cut out from the extruded strand, then manufacturing defects are removed, but the extruded strand must be handled and processed additional times
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the quality control functions (testing and cutting) directly into the production line by integrating the testing device and cutting device with the extrusion and winding processes. The extruded strand is tested, and defective segments are cut out in a continuous flow without removing the material from the production system, thereby eliminating the need for separate handling steps and maintaining high productivity while ensuring defect-free material.
3Loss of substance
If joints are formed by joining cut faces of defect-free segments, then material waste is reduced, but joints require identification and may cause processing interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary marking system that applies visual markers at the joints formed by joining cut faces of defect-free segments. These markers enable robotic processing systems to quickly identify and handle joints without requiring complex inspection or causing unplanned interruptions. The markers serve as a simple, reliable communication interface between the manufacturing process and the robotic application system, maintaining productivity while enabling efficient material utilization.
4Productivity
If a minimum distance is maintained between adjacent joints, then robot processing is optimized, but the material strand requires longer lengths to accommodate joint spacing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the minimum distance parameter between adjacent joints based on robotic processing capabilities and material characteristics. By carefully selecting and adjusting this parameter, the patent achieves the optimal balance between ensuring sufficient spacing for robotic application (avoiding dead times) and minimizing the overall material strand length required. This parameter optimization allows the system to maintain high productivity while using efficient material lengths for the transport units.
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
Ensures material strands are free from manufacturing defects, reduces material waste, and optimizes processing efficiency by allowing robots to apply strips without dead times, while maintaining cost-effective and space-saving transport and storage.
Implementation Method 1
testing the extruded strand after the extrusion, thereby identifying first segments comprising manufacturing defects and second segments being free from manufacturing defects
Implementation Method 2
joining cut faces of second segments which have a length equal to or longer than the minimum distance to obtain a joint and to form a material strand
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A method of manufacturing a material strand (100), particularly for sealing, trimming or fastening of doors (11) or windows (12) of a motor vehicle (10), comprises the steps of: a) extrusion of an extruded strand (200); b) testing the extruded strand (200) after the extrusion, thereby identifying first segments (210) comprising manufacturing defects (211) and second segments (220) being free from manufacturing defects; c) cutting out the first segments (210) from the extruded strand (200), thereby causing cut faces (222) at the second segments (220); d) joining cut faces (222) of second segments (220) to obtain a joint (102) and to form a material strand (100), the joint (102) having a position within the material strand (100), wherein a minimum distance (Δd) is maintained between the positions of adjacent joints (102); e) identifying the position of each joint (102); and f) forming a transport unit (110) having a predetermined maximum length by winding the material strand (100).