Vertical Tube Welding for Tension-Free Sterile Liquid Packaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing tubular packagings filled with liquid face issues such as mechanical tension leading to broken welded connections and gas bubbles entering the packagings, which affect the quality and efficiency of the process.
Innovation Solution
The tube is displaced vertically through a welding device without mechanical tension, using profiled conveyor rollers to control speed and deformation, with liquid cooling to maintain consistent temperature and record welding parameters for quality control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the tube is conveyed horizontally through the welding device, then the manufacturing process is simple, but mechanical tension causes welded connections to break
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional horizontal conveying approach by conveying the tube vertically through the welding device. This inversion eliminates mechanical tension on the welded connections because the tube moves in the direction of gravity rather than against it, preventing the welded connections from breaking while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from horizontal conveying (one-dimensional movement parallel to the tube axis) to vertical conveying (one-dimensional movement perpendicular to the tube axis). This dimensional change fundamentally alters the force distribution, eliminating tensile stress on the welded connections while preserving the welding process effectiveness.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the tube is conveyed horizontally, then gas bubbles can be easily managed, but welded connections are subjected to mechanical loads
Solution Approach 1:
By inverting the conveying direction from horizontal to vertical, the patent simultaneously addresses both issues: gas bubbles naturally rise to the top away from the welding zone due to buoyancy, and the welded connections are freed from mechanical tension loads, preserving their strength.
3Ease of operation
If conventional conveying methods are used, then the process is straightforward, but tensions arise in the tube affecting welding quality
Solution Approach 1:
The vertical conveying approach maintains operational simplicity while dramatically improving welding quality by eliminating tube tensions. The tube moves freely under gravity through the welding device, ensuring consistent welding conditions and high manufacturing precision without complicating the conveying mechanism.
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 approach ensures high-quality, sterile tubular packagings are produced efficiently and repeatably, with minimized stress on welded connections and gas bubbles, allowing for rapid and compact winding.
Implementation Method 1
the tube is displaced through a welding device substantially vertically and substantially free of mechanical tension
Implementation Method 2
The tube can be displaced by exerting thereon upstream of the welding device a pressure force directed toward the welding device
Implementation Method 3
The vertical orientation of the tube also achieves that gas bubbles which may be present in the liquid will rise and will not reach the welding device
Implementation Method 4
The tube can be displaced uniformly by passing it between profiled conveyor rollers. The speed of displacement of the tube can hereby be precisely controlled
Implementation Method 5
A temperature prevailing in the welding device can be kept substantially constant during each welding operation by having liquid circulate through the welding device
Data Source
AI summary
A method for manufacturing a number of tubular packagings filled with a liquid, particularly a sterile liquid. The method includes providing a tube which is wound onto a first reel and is filled at least partially with the liquid, and unwinding the tube from the first reel and dividing it into a number of tubular segments by means of successive welding operations. The tube is displaceable through a welding device substantially vertically and substantially free of mechanical tension. A temperature prevailing in the welding device can be kept constant during each welding operation by having liquid circulate through the welding device. One or more welding parameters can further be recorded during each welding operation and be stored together with data about the liquid. A system for performing this method.