Adjustable Food Pump Clearance for Wear and Cleaning Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pumps used in food processing, particularly for ice cream production, experience wear and tear leading to increased maintenance costs, production downtime, and imperfect adjustments, necessitating user-unfriendly cleaning and adjustment processes.
Innovation Solution
A pump design featuring a housing with an impeller and star wheel, where a base unit is adjustable in the longitudinal direction to set a predefined distance between the impeller and star wheel, reducing wear through precise adjustment mechanisms using a rod, stationary, and adjustable elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the base unit is positioned in contact with the impeller and star wheel, then pumping efficiency is maximized, but wear between parts increases
Solution Approach 1:
The base unit is made movable in the longitudinal direction, allowing it to be adjusted from a closed position (contacting impeller and star wheel for maximum pumping efficiency) to an open position (reducing wear). This dynamic positioning resolves the contradiction by enabling the system to switch between high efficiency and low wear states as needed.
2Reliability
If the base unit is made movable for adjustment, then wear is reduced and lifespan extended, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pump is divided into separable components: a stationary part (housing with impeller and star wheel) and a movable base unit. This segmentation allows the base unit to be independently adjusted and removed for cleaning or replacement, extending pump lifespan while keeping the adjustment mechanism relatively simple and modular.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the pump parts are made of safe materials for food contact, then product safety is ensured, but maintenance costs and downtime increase due to wear
Solution Approach 1:
The base unit is designed as a replaceable component that can be easily removed and replaced. When wear occurs, the base unit can be discarded or sent for refurbishment while the main pump body remains in service. This reduces production downtime compared to replacing entire pump assemblies, while maintaining food safety through careful material selection for the base unit.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5b
AI summary
A pump (100) for pumping a liquid food product (F), the pump (100) comprising a housing (30), an impeller (14) arranged to rotate inside the housing, a star wheel (12) arranged to be driven by the impeller, and a base unit (10) to which the star wheel (12) is connected, the base unit being movable in a longitudinal direction (H), from a closed position (P1), to an open position (P2). An adjustment device (60) is configured to adjustably set a position of the base unit in the longitudinal direction (H) to thereby, when the base unit is in the closed position, provide in the longitudinal direction (H) a predetermined adjusted distance (D) between the impeller and the star wheel and/or between the impeller and the base unit.