Housing for food applications
By introducing spacers and inserts into the shell of food applications, the problem of complex sealing at the base of the shell in baked goods is solved, simplifying the cleaning process and reducing costs, while ensuring airtightness and preventing bacterial contamination.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202511000328.8
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2024-07-30
- Filing Date
- 2025-07-21
- Publication Date
- 2026-02-03
AI Technical Summary
The existing food industry uses complex sealing designs for the base of baked goods, which makes cleaning difficult and costly, and cannot effectively prevent bacterial contamination.
Design a housing for food applications with multiple spacers and inserts. The spacers raise the base surface of the housing, simplifying the assembly process, and the use of elastomeric materials and metal bushings ensures sealing and stability.
It simplifies the cleaning process, reduces production costs, and effectively prevents bacterial contamination, making it suitable for shells in bakeries and the baking industry.
Smart Images
Figure CN121452265A_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a casing for food applications, more particularly for the bakery industry. BACKGROUND
[0002] In the food industry (hereinafter also referred to as F&B (food and beverages) industry), there is an increasing commitment to develop new machines and machine designs aimed at improving food safety and quality.
[0003] A typical component for these applications is a support assembly for a rotating shaft. The support assembly comprises a casing made of a polymer material compatible with the food application. The casing is provided with a spherical seat which internally houses a bearing unit which in turn allows the rotation of the rotating machine shaft with respect to the casing. On the other hand, the casing is a stationary component and is locked to the frame of the machine. The casing comprises a flange or base portion having a surface in contact with the frame of the machine and having a plurality of cavities extending from the contact surface towards the inside of the flange portion. These cavities are overmoulded inside them with a shaped gasket made of an elastomeric material also compatible with the food application and ensure the seal between the casing and the frame of the machine so as to prevent possible infiltrations of water and bacteria which can hide behind the base of the support. The hidden bacteria colonies which cannot be washed are obviously a major drawback for the F&B (i.e. food and beverages) industry.
[0004] In some F&B applications, in particular in the bakery and baked products industry, the seal of the casing base is not necessary and the users of the machines prefer to have a "stand-out" casing.
[0005] These solutions have a specific form which configures a large part of the base of the casing at a distance from the frame of the machine so that the washing of the component is performed only using a high-pressure air jet. In fact, in these applications of baked products, the standard washing procedure is not performed because the units are not contaminated and the user can wash the production line only with an air jet. For this reason, in the applications of baked products the shaped gasket applied to the base of the casing is not necessary in other F&B applications.
[0006] The casings of the known type for the above-mentioned applications involve the production of a casing of special design, which does not have a shaped gasket, but is provided with integrated supports which allow a large part of the base surface of the casing to remain detached from the machine frame. These solutions involve a more complex construction of the mould and consequent increase in production costs. SUMMARY
[0007] To substantially solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present application defines a casing for food applications, in particular for bakeries and bakery products, provided with a body and a plurality of spacers for raising the base surface of the body of the casing.
[0008] According to the present application, therefore, a casing for a support assembly for food applications is provided, having the characteristics indicated in the independent claim.
[0009] Further preferred and / or particularly advantageous embodiments of the present application are described in terms of the characteristic features indicated in the attached dependent claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0010] The present application will now be described with reference to the attached drawings, which show non-limiting examples of embodiments of the present application, in which:
[0011] - Figure 1 is a top view of a casing for food applications according to a preferred embodiment of the present application,
[0012] - Figure 2 is a cross-section through a casing according to Figure 1 , and
[0013] - Figure 3 shows a detail of a casing according to Figure 1 , in an enlarged scale. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] With reference to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the casing 10 for a support assembly for food applications is made of a polymeric material and comprises a body 15, which in turn is provided with:
[0015] - an annular housing portion 20, having a through-seat 25 inside which a bearing unit is housed in a stable and known manner, and
[0016] - a flange portion 30 for fixing the casing 10 to the machine, in Figure 1In the non-limiting example shown, the flange portion 30 has a square planar shape with a longitudinal axis of symmetry X and a transverse axis of symmetry Y. The flange portion 30 also has a base surface 35 and at least two through holes 32 (in...). Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the embodiment shown (examples of which have four), at least two through holes 32 are used to receive locking elements, such as bolts, for locking the housing 10 to the machine frame in a known manner (therefore not shown). Thus, depending on the type of housing, the number of through holes 32 can be two, three, four, or even more (if a more complex form is desired). A washer 36, made of an elastomeric material, is overmolded onto the flange portion 30, particularly along the base surface of the flange portion 30, the washer having a base surface 36a that slightly protrudes from the base surface 35 of the flange portion.
[0017] Also refer to Figure 3 The body 15 includes at least two cylindrical metal bushings 40 stably housed within corresponding through-holes 32. The bushings 40 are coaxial with the corresponding through-holes 32, sharing the same axis of symmetry Z, and are designed to support stress states transmitted by locking elements. In this way, the polymer material of the flange portion 30 does not have to bear compressive loads transmitted by bolts. Stable fixation of the bushings 40 within the through-holes 32 is ensured by appropriately engaging a first cylindrical surface 33 defining the through-hole 32 with a second outer cylindrical surface 43 of the bushings 40. More specifically, each of the two cylindrical surfaces 33, 43 has a plurality of alternating and adjacent protrusions 33a, 43a and recesses 33b, 43b, which are configured such that the recesses 43b of the surface 43 of the bushing 40 correspond to the protrusions 33a of the surface 33 of the through hole 32 (and vice versa), and the protrusions 43a of the surface 43 of the bushing 40 correspond to the recesses 33b of the surface 33 of the through hole 32.
[0018] According to the present invention, the housing 10 is provided with at least two spacers 50 that are integrally cylindrical bushings. Each spacer 50 includes two coaxial components stably connected together:
[0019] - a cylindrical bushing 51 having the same geometry and dimensions as the bushing 40 of the body 15. The bushing 51 is made of stainless steel having high corrosion resistance, for example of the AISI 300 series, and can be the same material used for the bushing 40. In this way, the bushing 51 of the spacer 50 and the bushing 40 of the body 15 can be considered as the same component. In this way, the same component is reused, with a clear saving in production costs and simplification of the management of the components;
[0020] - a collar 52 made of elastomeric material, which is external with respect to the bushing 51 and coaxial with respect to the bushing 51, the collar 52 also having the form of a substantially cylindrical bushing. The collar 52 is made of a material suitable for F&B applications, for example polyurethane, and in any case of a material certified by the health authorities.
[0021] By suitably coupling the first cylindrical outer surface 53 of the bushing 51 with the second cylindrical inner surface 54 of the collar 52, the bushing 51 and the collar 52 are stably fixed together. More particularly, each of the two cylindrical surfaces 53, 54 has a plurality of alternating and adjacent protrusions 53a, 54a and recesses 53b, 54b, which are configured so that the recesses 54b of the surface 54 of the collar 52 correspond to the protrusions 53a of the surface 53 of the bushing 51 (and vice versa), and the protrusions 54a of the surface 54 of the collar 52 correspond to the recesses 53b of the surface 53 of the bushing 51.
[0022] The spacer 50 has the function of raising the base surface 35 of the flange portion 30 with respect to the machine surface, to convert the casing according to the prior art, provided with a shaped gasket on its base surface, into a stand-out casing suitable for application in the bakery and bakery products industry. Therefore, the spacer 50 is configured between the frame of the machine and the body 15 (or more precisely the flange portion 30) of the casing 10. More precisely, the annular surface 50a of the spacer 50 is in contact with the base surface 35 of the flange portion 30 and with the annular surface 41 of the bushing 40, wherein the base surface 35 and the annular surface 41 are coplanar.
[0023] The number of spacers 50 is equal to the number of through holes 32 and the spacers 50 have the same internal diameter as the bushing 40. The spacers 50 are positioned so that the axis of symmetry of the spacers 50 coincides with the same axis Z of the through holes 32 and the metal bushing 40. In other words, the spacers 50 must be coaxial with the through holes 32 and the bushing 40.
[0024] In order to stably engage the body 15 of the casing 10 with the spacers 50 during the process of assembling the casing 10 on the machine, and in order to facilitate an important purpose of the same assembly process, the casing 10 also comprises at least two inserts 60 in the form of cylindrical bushings. The inserts 60 are housed inside the bushings 40 in an interference manner and are housed inside the spacers 50, in particular inside the bushings 51, substantially in the same interference manner. The inserts therefore have:
[0025] - a first portion 61 proximal with respect to the through seat 25 of the body 15 of the casing 10, which is mounted inside the bushings 40 in an interference manner, and
[0026] - a second portion 62 distal with respect to the through seat 25, which is mounted inside the spacers 50, in particular inside the bushings 51, in an interference manner.
[0027] Advantageously, the inserts 60 must be blue, i.e. have the same color as the body 15 of the casing 10 and be made of a material that can be detected by metal detectors. These characteristics enable the inserts 60 to be identified by the end user who can perform the following assembly procedure:
[0028] - positioning the casing 10 on the machine frame,
[0029] - inserting locking elements, for example bolts,
[0030] - pushing against each bolt with the respective insert 60, with the aim of removing the insert 60. The insert 60 slides inside the through hole of the machine frame and emerges from the through hole on the side opposite to that of the insertion of the bolt;
[0031] - tightening the bolts so as to lock the casing to the machine frame, for example by means of locking nuts.
[0032] Therefore, before the assembly of the casing on the machine and during the first two phases of said assembly, the function of the insert 60 is to keep the casing 10 (understood as the structure consisting of the body 15 plus the spacers 50 joined together) and to keep the spacers 50 coaxial with the bushings 40 and the through holes 32. In the last phase of assembly, this function is performed by the bolts which replace the inserts and push them out of the casing and the through holes of the machine frame. In this way, the integrity of the casing is always ensured. In the absence of the inserts 60, the integrity of the casing 10 would not be ensured, but the body 15 and a certain number of spacers 50 would be available as separate constituent parts, which would be difficult to manage, since it would be necessary to ensure that the spacers 50 remain coaxial with the respective through holes 32 of the body 15.
[0033] The fact that the insert 60 is blue and can be detected by a metal detector allows the insert 60 to be easily identified when it emerges from the side opposite to that of the insertion of the bolt.
[0034] As already mentioned, the insert 60 ensures that the spacers 50 are perfectly coaxial with the bushings 40. This feature is very important because it is good design practice for the spacers 50 to be in contact with the frame of the machine and for all the loads acting on the bolt to be transmitted from the bolt to the frame of the machine via the metal bushings 40 and the spacers 50, which are also made of a metal material, and not via the material of the casing body: in fact, composite materials can not be able to withstand compression stresses without breaking.
[0035] In addition to the coaxial arrangement between the spacers 50 and the bushings 40 / through holes 32, in order to comply with the aforementioned design practice, it is very important for the spacers 50 to be in perfect and complete contact with the frame of the machine. This is ensured by designing the spacers 50 so that the outer diameter Dd of the spacers 50 is greater than the outer diameter Db of the bushings 40. In this way, the spacers 50 will be in contact with the surface 35 of the flange portion 30 which is machined so as to ensure good flatness.
[0036] Another important feature for ensuring the perfect contact of the spacer 50 with the machine frame is that the outer diameter Dd of the spacer 50 should be smaller than the inner diameter Dg of the elastomeric gasket 36. In fact, as already mentioned, the base surface 36a of the gasket can protrude slightly from the base surface 35 of the flange portion 30 and this would create an imperfect contact between the spacer 50 and the body 15 of the outer casing 10 and therefore between the spacer 50 and the machine frame. Moreover, this contact would occur between the gasket 36 and the collar 52 of the spacer 50 both made of elastomeric material and therefore this contact would consist of an uncontrolled contact.
[0037] Another important feature is the shape of the collar 52. Advantageously, in fact, the collar 52 is tapered radially inward, with the annular end surfaces 52a, 52b of the collar 52 having a taper a between 5° and 8°. Said taper value is able to ensure a continuous contact surface with both the body and the frame when the spacer 50 is locked between the body 15 of the outer casing and the machine frame and also to ensure a seal between the collar 52 of the spacer 50 and the frame and between the collar 52 and the body 15.
[0038] As a result of this feature, with the annular end surfaces 52a, 52b of the collar having the same taper a, the spacer 50 can be configured between the body and the frame without having to be assembled in a particular direction.
[0039] Advantageously, the outer casing 10 is provided as a single structure formed by the body 15, the spacer 50 and the insert 60 which fixes the spacer to the body.
[0040] Alternatively, a kit can be provided comprising the body 15, the spacer 50 and the insert 60 in the form of separate components to be assembled at the production site or at the end user location. If the end user already owns some of these components, the kit can comprise only the missing components.
[0041] Therefore, as a result of the present application, a stand-out casing can be provided, raised with respect to the frame of the machine to be installed therein, which is particularly suitable for use in the bakery and baked products industry.
[0042] Moreover, this solution is implemented by providing a kit of simple and easy-to-pre-assemble components.
[0043] Moreover, thanks to the elastomeric material of the collar, a seal between the machine frame and the spacer is ensured, and for the same reason also a seal between the spacer and the casing body is ensured.
[0044] Finally, with the present solution, the same constituent part (i.e. the bushing of the body) can be reused as a bushing for the spacer.
[0045] In addition to the embodiments of the application as described above, it must be understood that many other variants exist. It must also be understood that these embodiments are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the application, the applications of the application or the possible configurations of the application. On the contrary, although the above description allows a person skilled in the art to implement the application at least according to one of the examples of its embodiments, it must be understood that many variants of the constituent parts described are possible without thereby departing from the scope of the application as defined in the attached claims, interpreted literally and / or according to its legal equivalents.
Claims
1. A casing (10) for a support assembly for food applications, made of composite material and comprising a body (15) in turn provided with: - a housing portion (20) having a through seat (25) inside which a bearing unit is housed, - a flange portion (30) for fixing the casing to a machine, having a base surface (35), at least two through holes (32) for housing elements that fix the casing (10) to the machine and a gasket (36) on the base surface (35) made of elastomeric material, - at least two metal bushings (40) the number of which is equal to the number of through holes (32), stably housed inside the respective through holes (32) and coaxial with them, the casing (10) being characterized in that it comprises: - at least two spacers (50) the number of which is equal to the number of through holes (32), applied on the base surface (35) of the flange portion (30) opposite the respective through holes (32), wherein each of the spacers (50) in turn comprises a bushing (51) made of metal material and a collar (52) made of elastomeric material, coaxial with each other and stably connected together, - at least two inserts (60) the number of which is equal to the number of spacers (50) and which are housed inside the respective bushings (40) and inside the respective spacers (50) in an interference manner.
2. The housing (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that The bushings (51) of the spacers (50) and the bushings (40) of the body (15) are made of stainless steel and have the same geometry and the same dimensions.
3. The housing (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The annular end surfaces (52a, 52b) of the collars (52) have a taper (a) between 5° and 8°.
4. The housing (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The spacers (50) have the same internal diameter as the bushings (40) and are coaxial with them.
5. The housing (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The inserts (60) have: - a first portion (61) proximal with respect to the through seat (25) of the body (15) of the casing (10), mounted inside the bushings (40) in an interference manner, and - a second portion (62) distal with respect to the through seat (25), mounted inside the bushings (51) of the spacers (50) in an interference manner.
6. The housing (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The inserts (60) are blue and made of a material that can be detected by a metal detector.
7. The housing (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The external diameter (Dd) of the spacers (50) is greater than the external diameter (Db) of the bushings (40).
8. The housing (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The external diameter (Dd) of the spacers (50) is smaller than the internal diameter (Dg) of the elastomeric gasket (36).
9. The housing (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that Said casing (10) is suitable for bakeries and the bakery products industry.
10. A kit of parts for a support assembly for food applications, comprising at least one of the following constituent parts as defined in any one of the preceding claims: a) a body (15) equipped with: - a housing portion (20) having a through seat (25) inside which a bearing unit is housed, - a flange portion (30) for fixing the casing to a machine, having a base surface (35), at least two through holes (32) for housing elements that fix the casing (10) to the machine, and a gasket (36) made of elastomeric material overmoulded along the base surface (35), - at least two metal bushings (40) stably housed inside and coaxial with the respective through holes (32), b) at least two spacers (50) applied on the base surface (35) of the flange portion (30) opposite the respective through hole (32), wherein, each of said spacers (50) in turn comprising a bushing (51) made of metal material and a collar (52) made of elastomeric material, coaxial with each other and stably connected together, c) at least two inserts (60), each of which is housed inside the respective bushing (40) and inside the respective spacer (50) in an interference manner.