Variable-diameter sleeved spindles for stretch blow molding
Innovative spindle design featuring a variable-diameter mechanism for enhancing stretch blow molding processes. Utilizes a flexible mechanical seal sleeve and tapered-threaded components to achieve precise diameter adjustments.
Overview
The variable-diameter sleeved spindle is an innovative solution designed to enhance the efficiency of stretch blow molding processes. This technology leverages a unique mechanism involving a stretching rod, a tapered-threaded bolt, and a flexible mechanical seal sleeve to achieve precise diameter adjustments. By turning the bolt, the spindle's outer diameter can be varied, allowing for optimized control during the molding process. This advancement holds potential for improving the adaptability and precision of manufacturing operations in industries reliant on stretch blow molding.
Technical specifications
The spindle comprises several key components:
- Stretching rod: Facilitates the stretching and blowing of preforms.
- Tapered-threaded bolt and nut: These parts mesh together to adjust the spindle's diameter.
- Flexible mechanical seal sleeve: Acts as an elastic wrap to maintain the integrity of the thread mesh, allowing for diameter changes.
The design is currently undergoing CAD design and geometry optimization, material selection, and finite element simulation to refine its performance. A 3D-printed prototype will be created to test adjustability, followed by a proof-of-concept prototype using off-the-shelf components.
Technology readiness level
The technology readiness level of this spindle design is currently at TRL 3. This signifies that the technology is in the early stages of development, with proof-of-concept prototypes planned for validation. Further collaboration with industry partners is necessary for advancing to higher TRLs and commercial deployment.
About Comnext, Inc (acquired by Zionex and became Zionex Japan in 2013)
Comnext, Inc. was established in 2007 as a joint venture between Zionex and the Japanese company Comtec to provide production scheduling solutions and open-source enterprise applications to clients in Japan. The company operated as a vehicle for delivering Zionex's supply chain management (SCM) expertise and T3Series software solutions within the Japanese market.
In 2013, the joint venture concluded when Comtec withdrew and sold its remaining shares of Comnext to Zionex. Following this acquisition, Comnext was renamed Zionex Japan (ザイオネックス株式会社) and became a subsidiary of the Korea-based Zionex, Inc. Today, Zionex Japan continues to specialize in manufacturing IT consulting, as well as the development and sales of SCM and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems like PlanNEL and Dynamic Task Manager for the Japanese market.
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