Interchangeable Bacon Hook Tips for Curing Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hooks for processing and curing bacon and belly meat are not easily adaptable or interchangeable, lacking in structural resilience and cost-effectiveness, as they are typically made from solid materials with fixed prongs that can break or become damaged during use.
Innovation Solution
A support hook structure with interchangeable tips, where each tip is locked into a hub with a 75° angled through-hole and secured by deformation processes or a screwable nut, allowing for easy replacement and made from materials like stainless steel or plastic, ensuring durability and cost-effectiveness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If hooks are made from solid materials with fixed prongs, then strength and durability are improved, but adaptability and cost-effectiveness deteriorate due to inability to replace individual parts
Solution Approach 1:
The hook is divided into separate components: a base framework and interchangeable tips. The tips can be removed and replaced independently when worn or damaged, allowing the hook to adapt to different conditions without replacing the entire structure. This segmentation maintains strength while enabling adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The base framework is designed with universal mounting structures (holes, ribs, or channels) that can accommodate different tip configurations. This allows the same base to work with various tip arrangements, providing multi-functionality and adaptability while maintaining structural strength.
2Stability of the object's composition
If hooks are made from solid materials with fixed prongs, then structural integrity is improved, but ease of repair and cost-effectiveness deteriorate due to frequent replacement of entire hooks
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the hook into a durable base framework and replaceable tips, the design allows individual tips to be repaired or replaced without discarding the entire hook. This maintains structural integrity while significantly improving ease of repair and cost-effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The design enables selective discarding of worn tips while recovering and reusing the base framework. This extends the overall service life of the hook system, improving cost-effectiveness while maintaining structural integrity through proper material selection for each component.
3Ease of manufacture
If prongs are arranged on a same plane like a comb, then ease of manufacture is improved, but adaptability to different meat handling needs deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The tip arrangement transitions from a fixed coplanar configuration to a dynamic, adjustable arrangement. Tips can be positioned at different angles and orientations relative to the base framework, allowing adaptation to various meat handling requirements while maintaining ease of manufacture through modular assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The design moves from two-dimensional coplanar prong arrangement to three-dimensional spatial arrangement. Tips can extend in different directions and at different angles from the base, providing adaptability for various meat cutting and handling operations while remaining manufacturable through standardized mounting interfaces.
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 solution provides a resilient and cost-effective hook system that allows for easy tip replacement, enhancing the handling and processing of bacon and belly meat by ensuring continuous use without the need for frequent replacement of the entire hook, thus reducing operational costs and improving meat handling efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
secured by deformation processes or a screwable nut
Implementation Method 2
secured by deformation processes or a screwable nut
Data Source
AI summary
A support hook for moving meat, more specifically for pieces or cubes of bacon/belly during the processing and/or curing thereof includes a framework and a plurality of tips. The plurality of tips are integral with the respective framework via respective heads arranged on both sides and the holes of the framework such that each tip can be inserted and interchanged even at a later time, if any tip should be broken or chipped. This type of hook is generally called comb or bacon comb.