Variable Thickness Biaxial Plastic Pipe Fittings Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing fittings and connections for biaxially-oriented plastic tubes lack the ability to adjust and distribute thicknesses and apply specific stretching in different areas, leading to suboptimal reinforcement and increased production time or raw material usage.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that uses heating means, a tempered climatic chamber, gripping heads, and a mold to control temperature, deform, and orient straight preform tubes, allowing for variable geometry fittings by rotating, stretching, and compressing the tubes while introducing and extracting fluids for cooling and expansion, enabling molecular orientation without increasing production time or raw material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional casting or injection methods are used to manufacture fittings, then the production process is simple and well-established, but the fittings cannot achieve optimal molecular orientation and mechanical properties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by controlling temperature, pressure, and deformation speed during the blow molding process to achieve optimal molecular orientation. The preform tube is heated to a specific temperature range to enable plastic deformation, then rapidly cooled to lock in the oriented molecular structure, thereby enhancing mechanical properties while maintaining process feasibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a preform tube as an intermediate structure before final fitting formation. This preliminary action allows the material to be pre-oriented and pre-shaped, then further deformed into the final fitting geometry with optimized molecular orientation in critical stress areas
2Manufacturing precision
If uniform thickness fittings are manufactured, then the production process is simple, but the fittings cannot be optimized for specific stress areas and material distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by designing mold cavities with variable cross-sections that correspond to the desired thickness distribution in different fitting areas. The mold geometry is specifically engineered to concentrate material in high-stress regions while maintaining thinner sections in low-stress areas, achieving optimized reinforcement where needed
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic deformation during the blow molding process, where the preform tube is inflated and deformed in real-time to match the complex mold cavity geometry. This dynamic process allows continuous adjustment of material flow and thickness distribution during forming
3Productivity
If multiple separate operations are used for heating, molding, and cooling, then each operation can be optimized independently, but the total production time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges heating, molding, and cooling operations into a single integrated blow molding cycle. The preform is heated in-place within the mold assembly, then deformed by inflation while simultaneously cooling against the mold walls, eliminating transfer operations and reducing total cycle time while maintaining precise control through coordinated system design
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maintains continuous useful action throughout the manufacturing cycle by ensuring that heating, deformation, and cooling overlap in time rather than occurring sequentially. The preform is heated and then immediately deformed while still hot, and cooling begins during deformation, maximizing process efficiency without sacrificing quality
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
Enables the manufacturing of reinforced fittings with adjustable thickness and geometry, optimizing mechanical properties like tensile strength and impact resistance, while maintaining efficiency in production time and material usage.
Implementation Method 1
heating means, configured to control the temperature of the preform tube
Implementation Method 2
a tempered climatic chamber configured to maintain the temperature of a preform tube at a first predetermined temperature
Implementation Method 3
introducing and extracting fluids for cooling and expansion
Implementation Method 4
a mold that comprises at least two parts, wherein each one of the parts of the mold is arranged on a mobile piece of the base plate, wherein the mold is configured to orient a deformed tube
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses a system and a method for manufacturing fittings and connections for biaxially-oriented plastic tubes in an integral way from straight preformed tubes, with the possibility of adjusting and distributing the thicknesses as well as adjusting the specific stretching in the different areas of the fittings, allowing them to be reinforced or optimized during the method itself and without causing an increase in the production time or an increase in the raw material used, such that it allows for the manufacture of fittings of different geometric shapes (curves, tapers, couplers, branches, etc.)