Vacuum Cylinder Segmentation for Labeling Weight Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vacuum cylinders for labeling apparatuses are heavy, making replacement complicated and costly, and lack adaptability to different label heights due to their complex pot-shaped design.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum cylinder design featuring a lightweight, planar bottom support with releasable supporting elements and a fixing ring, along with flexible suction strips and segments, allows for reduced weight, lower production costs, and easy adaptation to varying label heights.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a pot-shaped base region with cover is used for the vacuum cylinder, then the structural strength and stability are improved, but the weight increases to up to 50 kg and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum cylinder is divided into a bottom support and multiple supporting elements that can be separately manufactured and assembled. The bottom support has a simplified planar structure with cutouts, while the supporting elements are attached via releasable connections, eliminating the need for a complex pot-shaped construction and reducing overall weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The complex pot-shaped base region and cover structure is replaced by extracting only the essential functional elements: a planar bottom support with cutouts and separate supporting elements. This extraction removes unnecessary material and structural complexity while maintaining the vacuum cylinder's core functionality.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a pot-shaped base region with cover is used for the vacuum cylinder, then the structural stability is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum cylinder is segmented into a bottom support and multiple supporting elements that can be separately manufactured and assembled. The bottom support has a simplified planar structure with cutouts, while the supporting elements are attached via releasable connections, eliminating the need for a complex pot-shaped construction and reducing overall weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The bottom support and supporting elements are designed to be assembled together through releasable connections, merging simple planar components into a functional vacuum cylinder structure. This approach achieves structural stability without requiring complex integrated pot-shaped designs.
3Ease of manufacture
If the vacuum cylinder has a fixed pot-shaped design, then the manufacturing process is standardized, but the adaptability to different label heights is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The supporting elements are designed with releasable connections to the bottom support, allowing them to be removed, replaced, or adjusted. This dynamic configuration enables the vacuum cylinder to adapt to different label heights by swapping supporting elements of appropriate lengths, while the standardized bottom support with cutouts remains consistent for manufacturing.
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
The design significantly reduces the weight and production costs of vacuum cylinders while enhancing adaptability and stability, enabling efficient and cost-effective operation in labeling applications.
Implementation Method 1
the vacuum cylinders thereof have suction strips which temporarily hold the labels for example by means of a suction effect
Data Source
AI summary
A vacuum cylinder for a labeling apparatus may include a bottom support and a plurality of spaced-apart supporting elements. The bottom support may have a receiving opening for receiving a shaft in a rotationally fixed manner. The supporting elements may have a longitudinal dimension extending substantially perpendicular to a plane of the bottom support. Each of the supporting elements may be releasably connected to the bottom support via a first end section, and the bottom support may have a plurality of cutouts arranged in a radial direction of the bottom support between the receiving opening and the supporting elements.