Support Grid Cleaning Using Position-Based Contamination Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Thermal cutting machines, such as laser cutting machines, face inefficiencies in cleaning their support grids due to contamination from molten material and residual parts, leading to uneven support and potential damage during subsequent cutting processes, necessitating frequent manual or automatic cleaning that is time-consuming and resource-intensive.
Innovation Solution
A method using cutting plans to determine a position-dependent degree of contamination on the support grid, defining a to-be-cleaned region based on contamination levels, and optimizing the cleaning process to focus only on these regions, utilizing existing machine resources and tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual or automatic cleaning of the support grid is performed regularly, then the support grid contamination is removed, but the cleaning process is time-consuming and resource-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by determining the position-dependent degree of contamination on the support grid and defining specific to-be-cleaned regions based on contamination levels. Instead of cleaning the entire grid uniformly, the system identifies and cleans only the contaminated areas, thereby reducing cleaning time and resources while maintaining support grid cleanliness in the regions that need it.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial action by performing cleaning operations only on the portions of the support grid that are actually contaminated, rather than cleaning the entire grid. The system uses cutting plans to identify contaminated regions and applies cleaning actions selectively to these areas, reducing the overall cleaning time and resource consumption while ensuring that contamination is removed where present.
2Reliability
If the entire support grid is cleaned uniformly, then all contaminated areas are addressed, but time and resources are wasted on already clean areas
Solution Approach 1:
The system determines the degree of contamination at different positions on the support grid and applies cleaning actions locally to only those areas that require it. This approach ensures complete contamination removal from affected areas while avoiding unnecessary cleaning of already clean regions, thereby improving cleaning efficiency without compromising contamination removal completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary analysis of the support grid contamination status using cutting plans before initiating cleaning operations. By identifying to-be-cleaned regions in advance based on the contamination degree at each position, the system prepares a targeted cleaning strategy that ensures all contaminated areas are addressed while avoiding waste of time and resources on clean areas.
3Reliability
If frequent cleaning of the support grid is performed, then contamination buildup is prevented, but machine operation time is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the existing cutting plans, which are already stored in the machine's memory, to determine the contamination degree on the support grid. By leveraging this existing data structure for its intended purpose of tracking cut positions and depths, the system enables automatic identification of contaminated areas without requiring additional sensors or measurement devices, thus maintaining support grid condition while minimizing impact on machine operation time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter interpretation of existing cutting plan data by using the stored cut position and depth information to infer the degree of contamination at each location. This parameter transformation allows the system to identify contaminated regions without adding new measurement systems, enabling condition-based cleaning that maintains support grid quality while preserving machine productivity.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure concerns a method for the purpose of the cleaning of a support grid (200, 220) of a thermal cutting machine (1). According to the method, cutting plans are used to determine a position dependent degree of contamination, wherein the cutting plans are cutting plans representing a layout of cuts produced in the course of cutting operations carried out by the thermal cutting machine and stored in a memory of the thermal cutting machine. In the step of using cutting plans to determine the position dependent degree of contamination, the degree of contamination per position on the support grid is calculated based on the cutting operations that took place at the respective position. Dependent on a predetermined criterion, a to-be-cleaned region of the support grid is defined based on the position dependent degree of contamination.