Twisted Fiber Reinforced Resin Strand for Kink-Free Winding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fiber reinforced resin strand production methods face issues such as strand breakage due to kinking and reduced flexibility, leading to decreased productivity and the need for a larger, more complex winding mechanism.
Innovation Solution
A strand production apparatus and method that imparts a twist to the fiber bundle before impregnation with molten resin, followed by cooling and winding, ensuring the strand is impregnated and hardened with a smooth outer surface, preventing kinking and allowing for high-speed production without a large or complex winding mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the strand is wound around the winding reel after passing through twist rollers, then a twist is imparted to the strand, but kinking accumulates between the winding reel and twist rollers causing strand breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by imparting the twist to the strand before it reaches the winding reel, rather than attempting to manage kinking during winding. The twist is applied at the twist rollers upstream in the process, so the strand enters the winding reel in a pre-twisted state that prevents kinking accumulation during the winding operation itself.
2Ease of operation
If the strand is wound around the winding reel while a twist is imparted by rotation of the arm portion, then the strand is twisted, but the strand with less flexibility is easily broken by bending
Solution Approach 1:
The twist is applied in advance at the twist rollers before the strand enters the winding reel. This preliminary twisting action prepares the strand in a way that maintains its flexibility during subsequent winding, preventing breakage that would occur if twisting and winding were attempted simultaneously on the already-rigidified strand.
3Reliability
If a mechanism for absorbing kinking by the winding reel is adopted, then kinking is absorbed, but the winding mechanism becomes large and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the twisting function from the winding mechanism itself and places it in a separate upstream twist roller assembly. This separation allows the winding reel to be simple and compact, while the twisting function is performed independently before the strand enters the winding reel, eliminating the need for a large, complex kinking-absorption mechanism in the winding reel.
4Productivity
If the strand is produced with small diameter, then the strand has finer dimensions, but it is difficult to wind the strand via guide rollers and improve conveying speed
Solution Approach 1:
The twist is applied in advance at the twist rollers before the small-diameter strand enters the winding reel and guide rollers. This preliminary twisting gives the delicate small-diameter strand sufficient structural integrity to be handled at higher conveying speeds without breaking, while still allowing it to be wound through the guide rollers effectively.
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
Prevents strand breakage and kinking, enabling high productivity and smooth winding, with improved roundness and flexibility, suitable for use in 3D printing and injection molding applications.
Implementation Method 1
impregnating, with a molten resin, a fiber reinforced resin strand including a long reinforcing fiber bundle impregnated with a resin material
Implementation Method 2
a molten resin material 71 is continuously supplied to a crosshead 75 by an extruder 73, and reinforcing fibers 77 are supplied to the crosshead 75 to impregnate the crosshead 75 with the molten resin material 71
Implementation Method 3
the reinforcing fibers 77 impregnated with the molten resin material 71 are allowed to pass through a die 79 and then cooled and hardened by a cooler 81
Implementation Method 4
cooled and hardened by a cooler 81
Implementation Method 5
A twist is imparted to the strand 83 between the cooler 81 and a spreader 87 in the crosshead 75 by rotation drive of a pair of twist rollers 85a and 85b
Data Source
AI summary
A strand production apparatus configured to produce a fiber reinforced resin strand having one or a plurality of fiber bundles including reinforcing fibers includes a twisting unit, a resin bath unit, and a winding unit. The twisting unit rotates the one or the plurality of fiber bundles around an axis of the one or the plurality of fiber bundles to form one or a plurality of twisted fiber bundles. In the resin bath unit, the one or the plurality of twisted fiber bundles are impregnated with a molten resin to form a fiber reinforced resin strand. The winding unit winds the fiber reinforced resin strand. The twisting unit is disposed on an upstream side of the resin bath unit in a conveying direction of the one or the plurality of fiber bundles.