Vacuum Forming Tray with Horizontal Protrusions
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing vacuum forming method struggles to form protrusions in a horizontal direction, leading to issues with tray stacking, where overlapping trays can damage components like battery cells or liquid crystal panels, necessitating costly and time-consuming rotation equipment to prevent contact.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum forming product protrusion forming device with a magnet is used, featuring a body portion, guide portion, hinge portion, and protrusion forming portion, allowing for the formation of protrusions in a horizontal direction during the vacuum forming process, which can be pivoted and removed without interference, enabling efficient and cost-effective tray manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If vacuum forming method is used to manufacture trays, then manufacturing cost is reduced and development period is shortened, but protrusions in horizontal direction cannot be formed
Solution Approach 1:
The ejector pin is made movable rather than fixed, allowing it to move in the horizontal direction during the vacuum forming process. This dynamic capability enables the formation of horizontal protrusions on the tray bottom surface while maintaining the cost-effective vacuum forming method, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and geometric complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The ejector pin acts as an intermediary tool between the vacuum forming mold and the thermoplastic resin. By introducing this intermediate element that can move horizontally, the system achieves protrusion formation capability without requiring complex mold structures or switching to expensive injection molding, thus maintaining ease of manufacture while improving manufacturing precision.
2Ease of operation
If trays are stacked without rotation, then stacking process is simplified, but upper tray overlaps lower tray causing component damage
Solution Approach 1:
The horizontal protrusion is formed on the bottom surface of the tray during the manufacturing process itself, before stacking occurs. This preliminary structural feature prevents overlap when trays are stacked vertically, eliminating the need for post-manufacturing rotation operations while protecting components from damage. The protrusion structure is created in advance as part of the tray design.
3Manufacturing precision
If injection method is used to form horizontal protrusions, then protrusion formation is achieved, but manufacturing cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using expensive injection molding to create the protrusion, the invention uses a simpler vacuum forming process with a movable ejector pin that copies or replicates the protrusion shape on the tray bottom surface. This approach achieves the desired geometric precision through a less costly manufacturing method, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing precision and ease of manufacture.
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 solution allows for the formation of trays with horizontal protrusions that prevent component damage during stacking, reducing costs and simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining the economic benefits of vacuum forming over injection molding.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum forming method, which is a processing method in which a mold deforms a material by applying a compressive force to the material in the vertical direction
Implementation Method 2
A vacuum forming product protrusion forming device with a magnet is used
Data Source
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AI summary
One or more embodiments relate to a protrusion tray manufactured by vacuum forming, and more particularly, to a protrusion tray manufactured by vacuum forming, in which a protrusion in a horizontal direction is formed, which is difficult to implement in a vacuum forming mold and process according to the related art. A vacuum forming method of manufacturing a product by using a vacuum forming mold including a vacuum forming product protrusion forming device, the vacuum forming product protrusion forming device including: a body portion fixed on one side of the vacuum forming mold; a guide portion inserted in the body portion to be movable in an up and down direction with respect to the body portion; a hinge portion connected to one side of the guide portion; and a protrusion forming portion connected to the one side of the guide portion through the hinge portion to be pivotable within an angular range around the hinge portion, wherein the body portion includes: a coupling hole formed to be coupled to the vacuum forming mold; and a storage space formed to have a portion of the guide portion inserted therein, and in a process of separating the vacuum forming mold from the product, the protrusion forming portion pivots around the hinge portion, whereby the protrusion forming portion is removed from the protrusion formed on the product, the vacuum forming method including: placing fabric on the vacuum forming mold; forming the fabric by vacuum pressing the same; separating a formed product from the vacuum forming mold; and producing a plurality of products by repeating the placing of the fabric to the separating of the product from vacuum forming mold.