Bakery Product Grouping with Pulling Plates for Line Bottlenecks
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Solution Overview
Problem
In large-scale bakery production, processes are often limited by the capacity of individual equipment, such as molding or wrapping machines, which restricts overall production efficiency and utilization of equipment capacity.
Innovation Solution
An automated system with a supporting structure and linear actuators that groups bakery products into rows, allowing synchronized movement and positioning to maximize equipment capacity by aligning and repositioning products to match the processing capacity of subsequent equipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the production line uses equipment with lower capacity (e.g., molding equipment), then the equipment can operate at its designed capacity, but the overall production capacity is limited by this bottleneck equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The production line is segmented into multiple independent groups, each capable of processing products separately. This allows the system to bypass bottleneck equipment by routing products through alternative parallel paths, thereby increasing overall productivity without requiring complete reconfiguration of the entire production line.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a time dimension to production routing by dynamically switching between different production paths based on equipment capacity and product requirements. This temporal flexibility allows the system to optimize throughput by utilizing equipment at different times rather than being constrained by static equipment capacity limitations.
2Productivity
If the production line is configured to match the capacity of higher-capacity equipment, then overall productivity increases, but equipment with lower capacity becomes a bottleneck
Solution Approach 1:
The production line configuration is made dynamic through automated switching mechanisms that can real-time adjust production routing based on equipment status, capacity, and product requirements. This dynamic adaptability allows the system to maintain high equipment utilization while ensuring production stability by automatically bypassing bottleneck equipment when necessary.
Solution Approach 2:
An automated control system acts as an intermediary between different production equipment, coordinating product flow and switching between production paths. This intermediary control ensures that higher-capacity equipment is fully utilized while preventing bottlenecks from disrupting overall production stability.
3Productivity
If intermediate processing stages are added to group products, then production capacity utilization increases, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The grouping system is designed with universal components that can handle multiple product types and configurations through a single automated mechanism. This multi-functionality allows the system to increase production capacity utilization without proportionally increasing complexity, as the same grouping apparatus serves various production scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The grouping system incorporates automated product identification and routing capabilities that enable it to self-regulate product flow based on real-time production requirements. This self-service functionality reduces the need for complex external control mechanisms, thereby increasing capacity utilization while keeping system complexity manageable.
Data Source
AI summary
An automated grouping system of bakery products increases a quantity of bakery products that may be fed to equipment having a larger processing capacity. The automated grouping system includes a supporting structure laterally arranged adjacent to a conveyor of bakery products. The structure includes two longitudinally-arranged lateral rails. Sliding supports, along with first linear driving actuators of regulated stroke, are mounted on the lateral rails. Each sliding support includes a vertical post and a cross guide fixed at an upper portion thereof. The structure also includes a pair of second linear vertical actuators, which support and actuate a pair of pulling plates and positioning mechanisms of bakery products. The pulling plates are also actuatable by third linear actuators of regulated stroke, which are provided on a lower cross member, to position the pulling plates in a direction transverse to a conveying direction of the bakery products.