Vacuum Puck Turner for Web-Cut Piece Reorientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing diaper manufacturing systems face inefficiencies due to waste material recycling being intensive and occurring only after product assembly, leading to inefficiencies and machine downtime, and the inability to properly orient pre-formed stretch laminates perpendicular to the machine direction.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus that severs a continuous web into discrete pieces and re-orientates them by turning and placing, using a rotating and pivoting unit to transition diapers from vertical to horizontal orientation, allowing for efficient waste minimization and proper orientation of stretch laminates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If waste material recycling is performed after product assembly, then complete product recovery is achieved, but machine downtime increases and production efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by identifying and removing defective products from the continuous web before the assembly process is completed. The detection system scans the web upstream, and defective sections are excised and replaced with pre-prepared repair sections containing appropriate components. This prevents waste material from becoming trapped in assembled products and eliminates the need for intensive post-assembly recycling operations, thereby reducing machine downtime and maintaining high production efficiency.
2Ease of manufacture
If pre-formed stretch laminates are applied in machine direction, then manufacturing process is simplified, but proper orientation perpendicular to machine direction cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by introducing a rotating applicator drum that can change the orientation of stretch laminates during the application process. The drum rotates to position pre-formed stretch laminates perpendicular to the machine direction as they are applied to the web. This dynamic orientation adjustment allows the system to maintain simplified manufacturing processes while achieving precise perpendicular orientation of the stretch laminates, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and manufacturing precision.
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
An apparatus (160) for severing a continuous web of material into discrete pieces and re-orienting the discrete pieces is described. The apparatus comprises: a vertically oriented rotatable anvil drum (32); a vertically oriented rotatable knife roll (30) positioned adjacent the anvil drum which in combination with the anvil drum is operable to cut the continuous web of material into the discrete pieces (20); and a rotatable unit (50) positioned adjacent the anvil drum which carries a series of rotatably and pivotally mounted vacuum pucks (40). The pucks are arranged and adapted to: (i) move from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation and then back to their vertical orientation whilst being rotated by the rotatable unit (50), (ii) acquire the discrete pieces from the anvil drum at an acquisition point when they are vertically orientated, (iii) rotate and pivot having acquired the discrete pieces to transition from their vertical orientation to their horizontal orientation whilst being rotated by the rotatable unit (50), (iv) deposit the discrete pieces whilst in their horizontal orientation at a deposition point, and (v) pivot back from their horizontal orientation at the deposition point to their original vertical orientation upon returning to the acquisition point.