Spindles and dispensers for sheet product
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sheet product dispensers face issues with inconsistent dispensing rates due to improper roll support, leading to user dissatisfaction and waste, as they often allow cored rolls to be used with spindles designed for coreless rolls and enable new rolls to be accessed before the current one is depleted.
Innovation Solution
The design of spindles and dispensers that specifically support coreless rolls, inhibit the use of cored rolls, and ensure that new rolls are only accessible when the current roll is nearly depleted, using a spindle configuration that translates between two positions to control roll access and prevent premature replacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a spindle is designed to engage with either coreless rolls or cored rolls, then the dispenser can accommodate different roll types, but friction during rotation becomes unpredictable causing inconsistent dispensing rates
Solution Approach 1:
The spindle is designed with a universal engagement mechanism that can accommodate both coreless rolls and cored rolls through a single configuration. The spindle includes a support surface that can engage with either the inner layer of coreless rolls or the paperboard core of cored rolls, eliminating the need for separate spindles for different roll types while maintaining reliable and consistent dispensing performance across both configurations.
2Productivity
If multiple rolls are supported in a multi-roll dispenser, then sheet product availability is improved, but users can access new rolls before depleting current rolls leading to waste
Solution Approach 1:
The multi-roll dispenser employs a dynamic access control mechanism where the housing or spindles are movable between different positions. A currently accessible roll is locked in place during dispensing, and the housing or spindles can only be moved to access a new roll when the current roll is depleted. This dynamic configuration prevents premature access to new rolls, eliminating waste while maintaining continuous sheet product availability through multiple rolls.
3Force
If the spindle and roll interaction generates friction, then the roll can be held in place, but excessive or insufficient friction causes undesirable rotation rates during dispensing
Solution Approach 1:
The spindle design incorporates adjustable geometric parameters such as the angle and surface area of the support surface, as well as selectable materials with different coefficients of friction. These parameters can be optimized to generate the precise amount of friction needed to hold the roll in place without causing excessive or insufficient friction that would lead to undesirable rotation rates during dispensing.
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet product dispenser for dispensing sheet product from a roll of sheet product is provided. An example sheet product dispenser includes a housing defining an interior space for receiving a first roll of sheet product therein, a mandrel positioned within the interior space, and a spindle positioned over at least a portion of the mandrel and configured to support the first roll of sheet product for rotation about the mandrel. The spindle comprises a base portion and a nose portion configured to translate relative to one another along a longitudinal axis of the mandrel. At least a portion of the spindle is configured to translate relative to the mandrel from a first configuration to a second configuration to cause a remainder of the first roll of sheet product to deform and enable movement of a dispensing door to enable access to a second roll of sheet product.