Suction-Cup Laying Unit for Fast Turning of Wide Flat Sheets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing processing machines for flat material parts face inefficiencies in the feeding and unloading processes, particularly in turning and positioning wide sheets, which slows down the overall processing speed and requires significant opening of clamping cheeks.
Innovation Solution
A processing machine design featuring a transfer table and a placement unit with side insertion and turning capabilities, allowing for external feeding and turning of flat components without extensive cheek opening, utilizing suction cups connected to a parallelogram mechanism for efficient movement and alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a turning unit with suction cups is used to accelerate feeding and turning of flat material parts, then the feeding process is accelerated, but the machine structure becomes more complex and requires additional space for cheek opening
Solution Approach 1:
The placement unit is designed to perform multiple functions: it serves as both a holding device with suction cups for gripping flat material parts and as a turning unit that rotates the material. By integrating these functions into a single multi-functional unit, the patent avoids adding separate complex mechanisms while still achieving accelerated feeding and turning operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the holding function (suction cups) and the turning function into a single integrated placement unit. This merging of functions reduces the number of separate components needed and simplifies the overall machine structure while maintaining the productivity benefits of both holding and turning capabilities.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the cheeks are moved far apart to accommodate turning of wide flat material parts, then wide sheets can be turned over, but the machine opening requirement increases and processing time is extended
Solution Approach 1:
The placement unit is designed with movable components that can dynamically adjust their position. The turning unit can rotate and reposition the flat material parts without requiring the cheeks to be permanently or extensively opened, allowing the cheeks to return to a closer position after the turning operation, thus reducing processing time.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring increased lateral separation of the cheeks to accommodate wide sheets, the patent uses a turning unit that operates in a rotational dimension. This allows wide sheets to be turned over by rotating them around an axis, utilizing vertical and rotational space rather than requiring extended horizontal cheek separation.
3Device complexity
If a traditional feeding mechanism is used, then the machine structure remains simple, but the feeding and unloading processes are slow
Solution Approach 1:
The placement unit with suction cups enables automated gripping, holding, and turning of flat material parts without requiring manual intervention. The system serves itself by automatically positioning and manipulating the material through the integrated turning unit, thereby increasing feeding and unloading speed while maintaining relatively simple machine structure.
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 design accelerates the feeding and unloading processes, enables efficient handling of wide sheets, and reduces the complexity and cost of the machine by utilizing existing pivot axes, thereby speeding up sheet manipulation and processing.
Implementation Method 1
the placement unit has a plurality of suction cup units with which the flat material part can be picked up and positioned by the feed table
Data Source
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AI summary
A processing machine (1) for flat material parts (5) comprises a machine frame (2, 3), a lower jaw (21), an upper jaw (23), at least one processing tool (22 or 24) assigned to the lower jaw (21) or upper jaw (23) and held on the machine frame (2, 3), a control unit for controlling a processing sequence with the processing tools (22, 24), a feed table (10) on which the flat material part (5) to be processed can be placed for positioning in the processing machine (1).A placement unit (51) is provided for the predetermined positioning of the flat material part (5) on the feed table (10), wherein the feed table (10) can be moved from a park position in an extension direction (17) to a loading and unloading position and back again, and wherein the placement unit (50, 60, 70) has a plurality of suction cup units (51) with which the flat material part (5) can be picked up from and positioned on the feed table (10). The placement unit (50, 60, 70) is mounted on the axis of movement associated with the processing tool(s) (22, 24) outside the associated cheek (21, 23) for a similar pivoting movement.