Wire Rod Coil Trimming with Vision-Guided Stationary Cutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional high-speed shear systems for trimming wire coils are complex, costly, and require high maintenance due to their intricate control systems and the need for precise synchronization of multiple components, limiting their efficiency and operational simplicity.
Innovation Solution
An automated trimming system that uses a vision system to identify and position rings within a coil for trimming, coupled with a hook arrangement and trimming robots to separate and cut the rings, allowing for stationary trimming without operator intervention and reducing capital and operating costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a traditional high-speed shear system is used to trim wire coils, then trimming can be performed at high speeds (120-130 m/s), but the system becomes complex, costly, and requires high maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the trimming operation from the high-speed conveying operation. The coil is conveyed at high speed to the trimming station, then stationary trimming mechanisms perform the cutting after the coil is stopped and positioned. This segmentation allows high-speed handling without requiring high-speed cutting mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
A stationary trimming station acts as an intermediary between the high-speed conveying system and the final product. The coil is temporarily stopped and positioned at this intermediate station where precise trimming can be performed by stationary equipment, avoiding the need for complex high-speed cutting mechanisms.
2Productivity
If a traditional high-speed shear system with multiple motors and guides is used, then trimming can be performed, but capital cost and operating cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The coil itself is used to drive the trimming operation. As the coil is unwound and fed through the stationary trimming mechanisms, the material feed provides the motion and force needed for the cutting operation, eliminating the need for separate high-power motors and complex drive systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical high-speed cutting systems with a simpler stationary cutting mechanism. The high-speed conveying function is maintained separately, allowing the trimming station to use less complex, lower-cost equipment that doesn't need to operate at high speeds.
3Ease of operation
If hooking units with pivotable parallelograms are used to separate rings, then coil ends can be separated, but the system becomes complex to operate requiring fine displacement control in synchronization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the coil ends from the main coil body and positions them separately at the trimming station. This separation allows the trimming mechanisms to access and cut the end rings independently without requiring complex synchronized movement of the entire coil or multiple hooking units.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using complex hooking units to actively separate and position each ring, the system inverts the approach by allowing the coil to be fed passively through the trimming station. The stationary cutting mechanisms remain fixed while the material moves through them, eliminating the need for complex moving hooking units.
Data Source
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AI summary
An automated trimming system is provided that includes a vision system identifying the number of rings positioned within a coil and sheared positions where the rings need to be cut. One or more trimming mechanisms receive the sheared positions and proceed to cut the rings at the sheared positions. A hook arrangement interfaces with the coil for transferring the coil to a trimming area. Moreover, an automated trimming system is provided that includes a coil having a plurality of rings. One or more trimming mechanisms select a number of rings from the coil and proceed to form a sample of desired length, by cutting a portion of the rings. A receiver unit receives the sample from the one or more trimming mechanisms to evaluate the quality of the sample.