Adjustable Sausage Casing Brake Element for Dynamic Force Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sausage casing brakes struggle with adjusting braking force during production, leading to poor filling quality and requiring machine stoppages for adjustments, with settings often lost during cleaning or caliber changes.
Innovation Solution
A sausage casing brake with an adjustable bracing mechanism that allows for precise adjustment of braking force during production without stopping the machine, using a combination of axially displaceable shells and an adjustment device that maintains the clamping force, enabling easy readjustment and retention of settings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the brake preload is adjusted during production, then the braking force can be precisely optimized for filling quality, but the high dynamics and mass inertia make adjustment very difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static brake adjustment mechanism into a dynamic one by introducing an adjustable brake element that can be modified during production. The brake element includes an adjustment mechanism allowing operators to change the braking force while the machine is running, converting a previously static system into a dynamically adjustable one that adapts to production requirements without stopping.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional threaded mechanical adjustment system with a cam-based mechanical substitution. The cam profile allows for quick adjustment of the brake element position by simply rotating the cam, eliminating the need for complex threading operations during production. This substitution simplifies the adjustment mechanism while maintaining precise control over braking force.
2Manufacturing precision
If the machine is stopped for brake adjustment, then the braking force can be set, but production stops and efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The brake adjustment mechanism is designed to be dynamically adjustable during production operation. The adjustment element can be modified while the filling machine continues to run, eliminating the need for production stoppages. This dynamic adjustment capability maintains both setting accuracy and production continuity.
Solution Approach 2:
The brake element is pre-configured with an adjustment mechanism that allows operators to make quick modifications during production. The cam-based system enables preliminary setup of different brake forces that can be quickly switched between without stopping the machine, allowing production to continue while adjustments are made.
3Reliability
If the brake is dismantled for cleaning, then hygiene is maintained, but the last set brake preload is lost and must be readjusted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a memory function that copies or stores the last adjusted brake preload setting. This stored information is retained even when the brake element is dismantled for cleaning. After reassembly, the system restores the copied setting, eliminating the need for time-consuming readjustment and ensuring the same braking force is restored after maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustment setting is preliminarily stored in the system's memory before the brake is dismantled. This preliminary action of storing the setting ensures that when the brake is reassembled after cleaning, the original configuration is automatically restored without requiring operators to重新 adjust the brake force.
4Manufacturing precision
If the sealing lip diameter is changed to adjust braking force, then the braking effect can be modified, but the setting is difficult to reproduce and the outer lip is easily damaged
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of permanently changing the sealing lip diameter through complex mechanical adjustments, the patent introduces a dynamically adjustable brake element that modifies the effective braking diameter through a cam mechanism. This allows the same physical component to provide different braking forces at different times, improving reproducibility and reducing wear on the sealing lip.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a cam-based intermediary mechanism between the adjustment input and the brake element. This cam acts as a mediator that translates simple rotational input into precise positional adjustment of the brake element, making the adjustment process easier to reproduce and reducing direct wear on the sealing lip by distributing the mechanical stress.
Data Source
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AI summary
The mechanism to secure a sausage skin (8) at the free end (7a) of the filling tube (7), as it is being filled with sausage meat, has a brake ring (1) around the tube with clamp shells (2,3) to press the skin against the tube surface. An adjustment unit (5) acts on the clamp with an axial movement on one shell against the other to give a variable braking force on the skin during production.