Straw Corrugating Unit with Adjustable Blades for Uniform Ring Depth
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing corrugating units produce straws with irregularly shaped intermediate corrugated portions, where the rings of corrugation have varying depths, leading to an unwanted elliptical cross-section when the straw is bent or compressed.
Innovation Solution
A corrugating unit with adjustable blades that can be positioned independently and staggered along the processing path, combined with support needles that rotate and adjust their depth, ensuring each ring of corrugation has the same depth by compensating for the flexion of support needles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If fixed-position corrugating blades are used with rotating support needles, then the corrugating process is simple and efficient, but the intermediate corrugated portion has irregular shape with non-uniform ring depths
Solution Approach 1:
The support needles are made adjustable in their position along the axial direction, allowing their depth to be dynamically modified. This enables compensation for the flexion that occurs during rotation, ensuring that each needle maintains the correct depth position throughout the corrugating process, thereby producing uniform corrugation rings while preserving production efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Each support needle is independently adjustable in depth, allowing local customization of the needle position to compensate for individual flexion characteristics. This localized adjustment ensures that each needle maintains optimal contact with the straw throughout rotation, achieving uniform corrugation without compromising overall process efficiency.
2Productivity
If support needles rotate during corrugating, then the straw is held firmly and corrugation is efficient, but the needles flex causing non-uniform corrugation depth
Solution Approach 1:
The support needles are designed with adjustable depth positioning that can be modified to account for flexion during rotation. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the needles to maintain consistent depth contact with the straw throughout the rotation cycle, ensuring uniform corrugation rings are formed while preserving the efficiency benefits of rotating needle operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable depth mechanism allows for compensation based on observed flexion patterns during rotation. By modifying the needle depth position in response to measured or observed flexion characteristics, the system achieves uniform corrugation depth while maintaining the rotational motion necessary for efficient processing.
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 solution achieves a perfectly regular and uniform shape in the intermediate corrugated portion of straws, maintaining a consistent cross-section during bending or compression, while being simple, inexpensive, and compact to manufacture.
Implementation Method 1
each support needle, in addition to being mounted axially movable, is also mounted so as to rotate on itself around a central symmetry axis
Implementation Method 2
comes into contact with the corrugating blades which, by cooperating on the opposite side of the straw with the intermediate corrugated portion of the needle, permanently deform the straw thus forming in the straw the desired intermediate corrugated portion
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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AI summary
A corrugating unit (6) and method for a straw (1). The following are provided: at least one seat (9), which is designed to house the straw (1); a conveyor (8), which is configured to move the seat (9) carrying the straw (1) along a processing path (P); a corrugating station (S3), which is arranged along the processing path (P) and has a plurality of blades (12), which are all arranged parallel to the processing path (P), and are mounted so as to remain, in use, still relative to the conveyor (8) so that the seat (9), while moving along the processing path (P), causes the straw (1) to come into contact with the blades (12), thus determining a deformation of the straw (1) in the area of each blade (12); and a support arm (13), which supports all the blades (12) and is mounted in a movable manner on the frame (7), so as to move between a work position, in which the blades (12) are in the area of the processing path (P), and a rest position, in which the blades (12) are far from the processing path (P).