Vacuum processing device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vacuum processing of reinforcement fibers is limited by the need to expose the reaction chamber to the atmosphere for bobbin exchange and loading, leading to prolonged times to reach a sufficient vacuum, reducing productivity.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum processing device with a main chamber that remains depressurized, featuring feeding rollers, movable arms, and winding bobbins arranged to guide and wind multiple threads of reinforcement fibers simultaneously, allowing bobbin exchange and processing under vacuum conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the reaction chamber is exposed to the atmosphere for bobbin exchange and fiber loading, then operations can be performed, but the time required to reach sufficient vacuum increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into two separate chambers: a first chamber for bobbin storage and exchange, and a second chamber for vacuum processing. This segmentation allows operations in the first chamber to occur independently without affecting the vacuum state of the second chamber, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and time to reach vacuum.
Solution Approach 2:
A transfer mechanism acts as an intermediary between the first chamber and the second chamber, enabling bobbins and fibers to be moved between chambers without exposing the vacuum chamber to atmosphere. This intermediary system allows operational flexibility while maintaining vacuum integrity.
2Productivity
If multiple threads of reinforcement fibers are processed simultaneously, then productivity improves, but handling difficulty and fiber fuzzing increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple fibers are segmented and individually guided through separate paths defined by feeding rollers and movable arms. Each fiber can be independently positioned and wound onto separate bobbins, reducing handling complexity while maintaining simultaneous processing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Movable arms provide dynamic positioning capability for guiding fibers to bobbins. The arms can move to accommodate different fiber positions and tensions, making the system adaptable to handling multiple fibers simultaneously without excessive complexity.
3Manufacturing precision
If the reaction chamber is made very long to ensure sufficient residence time, then coating quality improves, but the time required to evacuate the chamber increases
Solution Approach 1:
The long processing path is segmented into a dedicated second chamber that maintains vacuum throughout the elongated residence time. This allows the chamber to be sufficiently long for quality coating without proportionally increasing evacuation time, as the vacuum system only needs to service the processing chamber, not the entire fiber path.
Data Source
AI summary
A device of executing vacuum processing is provided with: a chamber including a single main chamber executing the vacuum processing and being capable of keeping the chamber as a whole in a depressurized state; a plurality of feeding rollers so arranged as to hang down a plurality of threads in the main chamber with keeping the threads from each other; a plurality of winding bobbins respectively winding the plurality of threads independently, the winding bobbins arranged in the chamber horizontally apart from the plurality of threads vertically hung down; and a plurality of movable arms being respectively movable in the chamber from a first position horizontally apart from the plurality of threads vertically hung down, via a second position in contact with any of the plurality of threads, to a third position to make the threads in contact be in contact with corresponding winding bobbins.