Tool Cylinder with Exchangeable Sleeve and Radiant Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tool cylinders with exchangeable tool sleeves are cumbersome and costly to produce and maintain, requiring precise machining and leading to high machine downtimes during format changes in embossing or printing machines.
Innovation Solution
A tool cylinder design featuring a sleeve carrier with end pieces that clamp the tool sleeve axially, allowing for easy replacement and heating, using a hollow shaft carrier element and non-contact radiant heating, enabling quick and cost-effective tool changes without wear, and accommodating tool sleeves of different diameters without structural changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional tool cylinders with exchangeable tool sleeves are used, then tool replacement is possible, but machine downtimes are high and production costs are high due to cumbersome replacement procedures and precise machining requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The tool cylinder is segmented into a sleeve carrier and an exchangeable tool sleeve. The tool sleeve can be independently removed and replaced from the sleeve carrier without affecting the main cylinder structure, enabling quick format changes and reducing machine downtime during tool replacements.
Solution Approach 2:
The clamping mechanism uses movable clamping elements that can be actuated to secure or release the tool sleeve. This dynamic clamping system allows for rapid tool sleeve replacement while maintaining secure fixation during operation, thereby improving productivity and reducing changeover time.
2Reliability
If conventional tool cylinders with precise machining are used, then reliable tool clamping is achieved, but production costs are high
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the tool sleeve from the sleeve carrier, the clamping interface is localized to specific clamping elements rather than requiring precise machining of entire cylindrical surfaces. This segmentation allows for simpler manufacturing of individual components while maintaining reliable clamping through dedicated clamping mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The tool sleeve is designed as an exchangeable, relatively simple component that can be manufactured more economically compared to conventional integrated tool cylinders. The focus on standardized clamping interfaces and modular design reduces manufacturing complexity and cost.
3Reliability
If tool sleeves are clamped onto cylindrical surfaces with large contact area, then secure fixation is achieved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The clamping function is segmented into discrete clamping elements rather than relying on a continuous large-area contact interface. Each clamping element can be independently actuated and positioned, simplifying the overall clamping mechanism while maintaining secure fixation of the tool sleeve.
Solution Approach 2:
The clamping elements are designed to be movable and actuable, allowing the system to transition between clamped and released states. This dynamic approach provides reliable fixation during operation while enabling quick release for tool sleeve replacement, reducing the complexity of manual adjustment mechanisms.
4Temperature
If conventional heating methods with contact are used, then heating efficiency is achieved, but energy losses and wear occur
Solution Approach 1:
A radiant heating system is introduced as an intermediary between the heat source and the tool sleeve. This non-contact heating method uses electromagnetic radiation to transfer thermal energy directly to the tool sleeve without physical contact, eliminating wear on heating elements and reducing energy losses associated with contact-based conduction or convection systems.
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 reduces machine downtimes, lowers production costs, and allows for efficient heating of tool sleeves, facilitating frequent and easy format changes while minimizing energy losses and wear, thus enhancing the flexibility and efficiency of embossing or printing machines.
Implementation Method 1
The tool cylinder (200) has a heating device for heating the tool sleeve (250). The heating device has radiant heating elements (272) which are arranged on the outside of the carrier element (220) in such a way that they can heat the inside of the tool sleeve (250) facing the carrier element (220) without contact by means of thermal radiation.
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4
AI summary
A tool cylinder which can be used, in particular, as a working cylinder of an embossing machine or printing press (100), which working cylinder interacts with a back-pressure element (300), has a sleeve carrier (210) and an exchangeable tool sleeve (250) which can be fastened releasably to the sleeve carrier. The sleeve carrier (210) has a carrier element (220) which carries a first end piece (230) on a first axial end section (212) and a second end piece (240) on a second axial end section. In the mounted state of the tool cylinder, the tool sleeve is clamped between the end pieces (230, 240), and a radial spacing exists between the carrier element and the tool sleeve in a region between the end pieces.