Wire Coil Trimming with End Detection and Precise Cut Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for trimming wire coils in long rolling mills are either manual, prone to errors, or rely on complex and expensive high-speed shears that often fail to accurately determine the cutting positions, leading to waste and potential damage to the wire.
Innovation Solution
An automatic trimming apparatus that uses a rotational member with sensors and actuators to accurately detect the end of the wire and measure the distance to a predetermined cutting point, ensuring precise cutting without excess wire removal, utilizing a support unit with drive and pinch rollers to clamp and rotate the wire without causing damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual trimming methods are used, then operational flexibility is maintained, but trimming accuracy deteriorates and wire waste increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical trimming operations with an automated system that uses optical sensors to detect wire end positions and encoders to measure distances, thereby substituting human judgment and manual measurement with precise sensing and measurement technologies to eliminate wire waste
Solution Approach 2:
The trimming system performs self-measurement and self-positioning by using sensors to automatically detect wire ends and encoders to calculate distances, eliminating the need for external measurement tools and manual positioning while achieving high cutting accuracy
2Productivity
If high-speed shear is used, then trimming speed is improved, but device complexity and maintenance cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the measurement and control functions from the cutting mechanism itself, using separate sensors and encoders to determine cutting positions, thereby simplifying the cutting device while maintaining high trimming speed through automated control
Solution Approach 2:
The rotational member serves multiple functions: it supports the wire during trimming, provides the rotational motion for the cutting action, and integrates the encoder for distance measurement, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining productivity
3Productivity
If high-speed shear is used, then trimming speed is improved, but cutting accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses encoders to continuously monitor the rotational position of the rotational member and provides feedback to the control system, enabling real-time adjustment and precise control of the cutting position while maintaining high trimming speed
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical positioning systems with optical encoders and sensor-based detection, substituting mechanical measurement methods with more precise electronic sensing to achieve both high speed and high accuracy in trimming operations
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an automatic trimming apparatus (1) for wire coils (2) including a plurality of wire loops (3). The apparatus comprises a base frame (4), a rotational member (6) rotatably connected to the base frame (4), a support unit for supporting the wire loop when the rotational member (6) is rotated, a sensor assembly arranged for detecting the end of the wire and a distance sensor for sensing a distance travelled along the wire when the rotational member is rotated. The trimming apparatus is adapted to rotate the rotational member is in a first direction until the end of the wire is detected, rotate the rotational member in an opposite direction when the end of the wire has been detected, determine the distance travelled along the wire, and generate a cutting command based on the distance travelled along the wire from the end of the wire and a predetermined cutting distance. The rotational member (6) comprises a cutting device arranged to cut the wire upon receiving the cutting command.