Injection-Molded Tank Wall With Integrated Stiffening Structures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for supplying liquid additives in vehicles face challenges in adapting to limited installation space and require complex geometries, which are difficult and costly to produce, while also needing to maintain precise manufacturing tolerances and be durable and inexpensive.
Innovation Solution
A device with a tank wall made of injection-molding compound and integrated stiffening structures in the mounting section, allowing for complex geometries and precise tolerances, using injection-molding processes with stiffening fibers or mats to enhance stability and reduce shrinkage, enabling faster production and easier maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the tank geometry is adapted to limited installation space with complex shapes, then the device can be installed in vehicle space, but the production becomes difficult and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The tank is divided into a main tank body and a separate mounting section that can be produced independently using standard injection molding, then joined together. This segmentation allows the main tank to have simple geometry for easy production while the mounting section accommodates the extraction unit, resolving the conflict between space adaptation and manufacturing ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting section is integrated into the tank structure through joining processes, combining the storage function of the tank with the mounting function for the extraction unit. This merging allows the device to adapt to installation space requirements while maintaining manufacturability through modular construction.
2Shape
If complex tank geometries with bulges, indentations, curvatures and undercuts are used to adapt to installation space, then the device fits vehicle space, but classic production methods are not suitable
Solution Approach 1:
The tank design segments the complex geometry requirements into a separate mounting section that can be produced with standard injection molding methods, while the main tank body retains simple geometry suitable for classic production methods. This resolves the contradiction between shape adaptability and production method suitability.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting section is designed with the necessary geometric complexity only where needed to accommodate the extraction unit, while the rest of the tank maintains simple geometry. This local application of complex geometry allows space adaptation without compromising overall manufacturability.
3Manufacturing precision
If the tank wall is made with integrated stiffening structures in the mounting section, then precise manufacturing tolerances are maintained, but the production complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Stiffening structures are integrated only in the mounting section where precise tolerances are required for extracting unit attachment, while the rest of the tank wall maintains simpler construction. This local enhancement of structural quality achieves manufacturing precision without excessive overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting section incorporates stiffening structures that may involve composite construction or reinforced materials within the injection-molded plastic, providing enhanced rigidity and tolerance control in the critical mounting area without requiring complex structures throughout the entire tank.
Data Source
AI summary
A device for supplying a liquid additive includes at least one tank and an extraction unit for delivering the liquid additive out of the tank to an additive consumer. The tank has a tank wall and the extraction unit is mounted on a mounting section of the tank wall. The tank wall is made of an injection molding compound and integrated stiffening structures are provided in the injection molding compound in the region of the mounting section. A method for producing the device and a motor vehicle having the device are also provided.