Axially Adjustable Separating Knife Assembly for Precise Fish Filleting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing knife assemblies in animal processing, particularly for filleting fish and poultry, struggle with adjusting the position of separating knives to accommodate anatomical and individual differences, leading to poor yield and damage when processing smaller products due to large masses and slow dynamic performance.
Innovation Solution
A knife assembly with a knife shaft that is axially movable and decouplable from the drive unit, allowing independent rotational and axial movements, reducing mass and enabling high dynamic performance for precise and efficient cuts on both large and small products.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the knife assembly uses a traditional design with the knife shaft rigidly connected to the drive unit, then the structure is simple and robust, but the dynamic performance is slow and cannot accommodate anatomical differences in smaller products
Solution Approach 1:
The knife shaft is divided into a rotating portion and an axial movement portion that are decoupled from each other. The rotating portion is driven by the drive unit, while the axial movement portion can move independently along the axis to adjust the knife position. This segmentation allows the system to achieve both rotational cutting function and axial adjustment capability without compromising structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The knife shaft is designed with axial movability, transforming from a static rigid connection to a dynamic adjustable connection. The knife shaft can move axially relative to the drive unit to adapt to different product sizes and anatomical features, thereby improving dynamic performance and responsiveness while maintaining operational speed.
2Productivity
If the knife assembly is designed for large products with heavy components, then the structure is stable and robust, but the mass is large and yield efficiency decreases when processing smaller products
Solution Approach 1:
The knife shaft is designed with axial movability, allowing it to move forward and backward along the axis independently of the rotational drive. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the knife assembly to adapt to different product sizes, reducing unnecessary mass engagement when processing smaller products and thereby improving yield efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The axial movement function is extracted from the rotational drive system. The knife shaft can be moved axially to engage or disengage from the cutting position, effectively separating the cutting function from continuous mass engagement. This allows the system to process smaller products with reduced mass involvement, improving productivity and yield efficiency.
3Productivity
If the separating knife position is fixed relative to the product, then the cutting process is simple and fast, but anatomical and individual differences lead to poor yield and product damage
Solution Approach 1:
The knife shaft is designed with axial movability, allowing it to move forward and backward along the axis independently of the rotational drive. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the knife assembly to adapt to different product sizes, reducing unnecessary mass engagement when processing smaller products and thereby improving yield efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The knife shaft can be pre-positioned axially before the cutting operation begins. By moving the knife shaft to the appropriate axial position in advance, the system prepares for different product anatomies, ensuring optimal cutting position is achieved before contact, thus maintaining cutting speed while improving adaptability.
4Speed
If the knife shaft is rigidly connected to the drive unit for simultaneous rotation and axial movement, then the control is simple, but the dynamic performance is slow and mass cannot be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The knife shaft is divided into a rotating portion and an axial movement portion that are decoupled from each other. The rotating portion is driven by the drive unit, while the axial movement portion can move independently along the axis to adjust the knife position. This segmentation allows the system to achieve both rotational cutting function and axial adjustment capability without compromising structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The knife shaft is designed with axial movability, transforming from a static rigid connection to a dynamic adjustable connection. The knife shaft can move axially relative to the drive unit to adapt to different product sizes and anatomical features, thereby improving dynamic performance and responsiveness while maintaining operational speed.
Data Source
AI summary
A knife assembly for performing, for example, a filleting cut on a slaughtered and gutted fish has at least one cutting head. The cutting head has at least one housing with a knife unit and a drive unit for rotationally driving a knife shaft rotatably borne inside the housing. A separating knife is arranged on a free end of the knife shaft for conjoint rotation. The knife shaft is axially movable relative to the housing and is configured to be decouplable from the drive unit for the purpose of axially moving the knife shaft in such a way that rotational movement of the knife shaft can be performed independently of the axial movement of the knife shaft. An apparatus and a method are disclosed.