Adjustable Slicer with Cam Thickness Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food slicers are cumbersome and unsafe due to the need to manually change blades, which can lead to exposure to sharp edges and are time-consuming, especially for users lacking knife skills, and often result in uneven slicing.
Innovation Solution
A food slicer with a handle and working surface that allows vertical sliding of food products with slight downward pressure, featuring a blade with a cam mechanism for quick thickness adjustment and a hand guard for safety, enabling easy switching between slicing thicknesses and protecting users from the blade.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple blades are provided for different slicing thicknesses, then slicing versatility is improved, but device complexity and risk of loss increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple blades are integrated into a single blade holder assembly, allowing different blades to be stored and accessed from one location rather than managing separate blade units. The blade holder contains a recess that receives and secures individual blades, combining multiple slicing options into a unified system.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple blades are pre-stored in the blade holder recess, ready for quick exchange. The blades are prepared and positioned in advance within the holder, eliminating the need to search for or retrieve blades from external storage locations during the slicing process.
2Adaptability or versatility
If blades are exchanged manually, then slicing thickness can be adjusted, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blade holder is designed with a removable cap that provides quick access to stored blades. The cap can be quickly removed and reattached, enabling rapid blade exchange without complex tools or procedures. This dynamic access mechanism reduces the time required to change blades while maintaining secure storage.
3Productivity
If the blade knife edge is exposed, then slicing function is improved, but safety deteriorates due to finger exposure risk
Solution Approach 1:
A hand guard is introduced as an intermediary component between the user's fingers and the blade knife edge. The hand guard features a finger slot that guides fingers safely away from the sharp edge while still allowing the food product to be properly positioned and sliced. This mediator protects users from direct contact with the dangerous blade edge.
4Manufacturing precision
If uniform slicing is achieved, then aesthetic quality is improved, but skill requirement increases for manual knife slicing
Solution Approach 1:
The slicer device performs the precise slicing function automatically through its mechanical design. The blade is positioned at a fixed angle and depth relative to the food product, and the hand guard guides the food into the correct position. This self-service mechanism ensures uniform slices without requiring the user to have advanced knife skills or manual dexterity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The slicer efficiently and safely slices food into uniform thicknesses with rapid thickness adjustments, reducing user exposure to sharp edges and saving time, while ensuring aesthetically pleasing cuts.
Implementation Method 1
A cam may be disposed under the adjustable surface. Rotating the cam changes a gap distance defined by the blade's edge and the adjustable surface trailing edge
Data Source
AI summary
A food slicer for slicing a food product is provided. The slicer may have an adjustable surface and a stationary surface with a blade interposed therebetween. The food product may be sliced with a specific thickness via the blade by traversing the food product from the adjustable surface to the stationary surface. A trailing edge of the adjustable surface and an edge of the blade may define a gap distance which determines a slicing thickness of the food product. A cam may contact an underside of the adjustable surface to set the gap distance. The gap distance may be reset by rotating the cam. More particularly, the cam may have a plurality of cam surfaces. Each of the cam surfaces may have a different distance to a rotating axis of the cam. The gap distance may be changed by rotating the cam such that a different cam surface contacts the adjustable surface's underside.