Process for manufacturing kitting foam inserts

This invention protects the processes and technologies used to produce kitting foam inserts. The manufactured inserts are in the form of foam silhouettes with a thin hard plastic backing. The process is unique in that it utilizes software and automations that were previously unknown in the kitting industry. The hard plastic backed foam inserts will retain the positions of items within the kit and allow, at a glance, identification of missing or displaced items and tools. The foam inserts also provide for rapid restocking of reusable assembly kits. Pocket marks can incorporate human and/or machine-readable symbols into the foam inserts. This patent is unique with respects to the referenced U.S. Pat. No. 7,410,053 B2 in that this invention describes in detail the manufacturing process for producing foam kitting inserts to be used for organizing tool and assembly kits. Key differences in this invention and the cited patent are the fact that the product of the current invention contains no clear layers, both the pocket and the items are marked, the item description is marked inside of the pocket perimeter, and the thickness of the layers specified in the cited patent is in direct contrast to the layer thickness specified herein, specifically the top layer is always several times thicker than the bottom layer herein.

REFERENCES CITED

U.S. Patent Documents

COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING APPENDIX—SUBMISSIONS ON COMPACT DISC

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Typically items placed in single or multi-level toolboxes, kits, and assembly jigs are free to move about within the drawers with no form of support or restraint. The process of outlining the items for the purpose of manufacturing foam insert restraints for these kits has traditionally been performed by hand. The item outlines were traced onto paper and scanned into a computer or the outlines were manually cut, burned, or melted directly into the foam inserts for the kit drawers. These labor-intensive methods resulted in rough edges and frequent errors induced by the multi-step manual process. Due to the amount of labor involved in producing foam inserts in these ways, the cost of restraining the items by foaming a standard kit was traditionally very high.

The present invention relates to a process of manufacturing foam inserts for item containers used by machine shops, aerospace assembly plants, garages, and military bases; specifically a reliable, quick, and automated means of manufacturing durable layered inserts for use in tools kits and component assemblies. Inserts for the drawers are formed using the methods described in the present invention to produce precise outlines of the item's shapes. The outlines, or silhouettes, of these shapes are computer generated from a digital photograph of the items, then machined using proprietary software into a variety of foam materials as cutouts, or pockets, and backed with thin rigid plastic known as the backing. The assembled foam inserts provide for inventory control, ease of use, foreign object damage control, and at a glance item replacement. Using the methods described in the present invention, inserts for new and/or existing items to be stocked in the kits and assemblies can be quickly manufactured from common digital photographs of the items.

The foam inserts produced by this manufacturing process are unique from the ‘tool holders’ described in the referenced U.S. Pat. No. 7,410,053 B2 (Bowen et al), in that the foam inserts produced by the current invention are marked within the pocket and not adjacent to the pocket, the inserts have no clear layers, and the item cutouts extend completely through all layers except the backing. Additionally, the novel software and methods presented herein are used in the manufacturing of the foam inserts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to produce accurate item outlines, the new or existing tools and/or components (FIG. 2, Reference23) to be kitted are placed in the calibrated and controlled lighting environment. An example of such an environment is the Line Image System (LIS) booth (FIG. 2, Reference22) backlit with a flat flexible electro luminescent E-Lite (FIG. 2, Reference24). The LIS booth can be setup and configured in advance at a remote site or in the manufacturing warehouse as required. The items are arranged, and then photographed using a digital camera (FIG. 2Reference21) against a backlit fiducial pattern (FIG. 2, Reference25) inside the LIS booth. The Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPG) formatted images are then processed manipulated using proprietary software, cleaned up, and then converted into the common Drawing Exchange Format (DXF) electronic file format and exported to a Computer Aided Design (CAD) software program. Using the CAD software the image outlines are arranged in the final layout and then labeled with part numbers (Etch Codes) or a brief description of the item (Pocket Mark). Using custom written scripts, the Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine code files (DXF, FGC, and TLG electronic file formats) are generated and exported. The item outlines are then verified for accuracy by cutting the foam using the CNC electronic files supplied by the custom software. Next the hard plastic backing size is verified for accuracy, machined, and applied to the back of the foam cutouts using Pressure Sensitive Adhesive (PSA) which was applied to one side of the foam at the manufacturer. The assembled foam and plastic backings are now considered ‘foam inserts’. Pocket marks are then applied to the plastic backing inside each of the cut out item outlines (pockets) of the assembled foam inserts. If a code for control purposes is required by the customer, the appropriate items are then placed into the foam inserts and the required codes are applied to the items using the marking information in the electronic control files generated by the custom scripts within the software. Lastly, the completed foam inserts are assembled into kits or vacuum shrink-wrapped and shipped to the customer for assembly by the customer on site.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In order to achieve item outlines accurate to one thirty-seconds of an inch, a controlled lighting environment and proper calibration are critical to the success of the software (Copy 1 PKOTool.exe) to accurately reproduce the item outlines in digital format. The complete calibration and software installation procedures are outlined in the user manual on the accompanying compact disc (Copy 1 080123 ProKits User Manual.doc). Using a light tight booth with a back lite conveniently normalizes this environment. The name given to such a booth is the Line Image System, or LIS booth. The LIS booth is arranged as shown inFIG. 2with the selected backlighting. The software and hardware is calibrated using a series of photos of the printed to scale calibration chessboard pattern (Copy 1 calibration_board.pdf), shown inFIG. 3. These photos are taken from slightly different camera angles, while the pattern is within the LIS booth. Any change in the camera or photographic environment (lighting, focus, resolution, etc.) will require recalibration of the hardware and software using this process. The calibration procedure is detailed in section 3.4 of the ‘080123 Prokits User Manual.doc’ file on the compact disc Copy 1 appended to this patent. After calibration is complete the chessboard pattern is then removed from the booth and an actual scale (27″×27″ at 300 DPI) printed transparency containing a fiducial pattern (Copy 1 fiducial.pdf), as the example pattern shown inFIG. 4, is placed in the booth. The actual scale fiducial pattern must appear in every image to be processed by the software. The items to be kitted are then placed in the booth. Multiple items can be photographed in a single image so long as the fiducial pattern is not obscured. The focal length, positioning, and resolution of the camera chosen limit the imaging area and therefore, the number of items that may be simultaneously photographed.

Using the calibrated LIS booth, either in house or at the customer's facilities, a series of digital photographs are taken of the backlit kit items (FIG. 2, Reference23) to be fitted with foam inserts. The JPG formatted photos are imported into the calibrated LIS software and processed via the LIS software (Copy 1 PKOTool.exe, and the eight supporting dll files: cv100.dll, cvaux100.dll, cvcam100.dll, cxcore100.dll, cxts001.dll, highgui100.dll, libguide40.dll, ml100.dll) that converts the JPG photos into DXF formatted outlines of each item accurate to one thirty-second of an inch. The input source of the digital photos of the items can be obtained in electronic format via email, website, local computer, or directly from the digital camera. The sole requirement for the source photos is that the calibration image used in processing them must have been taken with identical lighting and camera settings (focal length, zoom, resolution, color, white balance, etc.) as the photos to be processed. After a short manual clean up stage within the PKOTool.exe software, the exported clean DXF file is saved. The file is then manipulated via a CAD interface capable of executing custom Visual Basic scripts, such as AutoCAD by AutoDesk, where a worker adds process and inventory control information via a spreadsheet columnar formatted exactly as shown in, Copy 1 Automaster.xls, by executing the custom coded software script, Copy 1 Module1.bas.

As part of the scripting routine, the custom coded software script also automatically generates several machine-coded files in the fgc, tlg, and dxf electronic file formats by combining the CAD file with data from a supporting spreadsheet. These software's and their source codes are considered trade secrets. These output machine code files are used to automate the cutting and marking stages of this manufacturing process. The cutting head and its control software can be any one of several compatible software and hardware combinations well known to the machining industry. An example of a cutting head system is the MillWrite software used to control an industry standard 250-Watt Carbon Dioxide Gas Laser as the cutting device mounted to a standard XY table. Any cutting software and compatible cutting device are acceptable for use in this process.

The DXF files containing the item outlines are sent to the computer controlling the cutting head, which is fitted to an industry standard motor controlled XYZ table. A single test run is performed to insure the accuracy of the initial cut pattern. Once the pattern accuracy is confirmed, the cutting software sequentially cuts multiple copies of the items into large sheets of foam (FIG. 1, Reference5) until the desired numbers of foam silhouette outlines have been created for each drawer. The foam is manufactured with an integrated backing of PSA. The PSA side as indicated byFIG. 1, Reference6of the foam sheet is protected by a thin layer of waxy paper that prevents the sheets from sticking to one another or the cutting surface during the cutting process. The cut out silhouette outlines form the precise ‘pockets’ (FIG. 1, Reference4) to securely hold the items in each drawer of the kit or assembly.

Sheets of hard plastic (FIG. 1, Reference8) are now placed on the XYZ table and the required shapes of the backings for the foam inserts are cut using the cutting head and software. As with the foam outline process, a test run is performed to insure accuracy of the backing. Once the hard plastic backs are all cut, the wax paper is removed and they are affixed to the backs of the corresponding foam outlines to produce the hard backed inserts for each drawer in the kit. The assembled the hard backed foam silhouette inserts are termed ‘foam inserts’.

The foam inserts are now ready for the pocket marks (FIG. 1, Reference7). Pocket marks consist of information that the customer has requested to be placed within the pockets to identify the item at that location. These marks can consist of human readable text, machine-readable symbols (i.e. barcodes), or both. The marking information was previously imported via the information recorded in the Automaster.xls file referenced above. Typical pocket marks contain a brief, often abbreviated, description of the item that belongs in a particular pocket of the drawer. The pocket mark is applied by placing the assembled drawers on a second XYZ table, which has a marking head mounted on it. Optionally this marking routine can be integrated into the cutting routine previously mentioned.

The marking head and XYZ table software are simultaneously sent the marking and position control information (fgc, tlg, and DXF file formats) that was generated from the original DXF layer by the custom software referenced above. The marking head is interfaced via compatible marking software, several of which are well known to the industry. The marking routine also simultaneously interfaces the to the motions of the XYZ table via a compatible CNC software. Examples of marking and CNC control software are Waverunner by Nutfield Technologies, Inc controlling a Solid State Yttrium Diode Laser and FlashCut CNC for the XYX table positioning control.

Upon completion of the pocket mark routine the drawers are ready for the appropriate items (FIG. 1, Reference3) to be inserted. Serialization and/or inventory control codes, etch codes; (FIG. 1, Reference2) can be directly etched by the marking head onto the items in the pockets as required by the customer. The item etch codes are applied via the same process as the pocket marks above using the machine code files generated by the custom software script mentioned above.

The completed foam inserts are placed into their respective drawers (FIG. 1, Reference9) in the kit (FIG. 1, Reference1) chosen by the customer. The kits are then shipped to the customers. Alternately, the completed foam inserts can be individually vacuum shrink wrapped and shipped directly to the customer for on site assembly.