Bread Slicer Guide Surface for Consistent Wall Contact
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bread slicers experience issues where the bread loses contact with the wall as it moves between compartments, leading to poor slice quality and improper gripping during slicing.
Innovation Solution
The design maintains contact between the bread and the wall by aligning the wall sections at the slot and incorporating a guide surface that extends from the wall to the cutting plane, ensuring smooth movement and high-quality slicing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the wall is offset from the cutting plane to allow bread movement, then the bread can move between compartments, but the bread loses contact with the wall causing poor slice quality
Solution Approach 1:
A guide surface is introduced as an intermediary element between the wall and the cutting plane. This guide surface maintains the offset necessary for bread movement while providing continuous guidance to keep the bread in contact with the wall during transport, thereby preserving slice quality without requiring the wall itself to be at the cutting plane position
2Manufacturing precision
If the wall is aligned with the cutting plane to maintain bread contact, then slice quality improves, but the bread catches on the wall edge during movement
Solution Approach 1:
The wall structure is segmented into two distinct parts: the main wall body that remains offset from the cutting plane to allow smooth bread movement, and the guide surface that extends toward the cutting plane to provide guidance. This segmentation allows each part to fulfill its specific function without interfering with the other, resolving the conflict between movement smoothness and contact maintenance
3Manufacturing precision
If the guide surface is added to maintain contact, then slice quality improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide surface is designed as a movable or adjustable element that can adapt to different bread sizes and cutting requirements. This dynamic characteristic allows the guide surface to maintain optimal contact with the bread during movement while being simple enough not to significantly increase device complexity. The guide surface can be positioned to provide guidance only where necessary, rather than requiring a complex entire-wall redesign
Data Source
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AI summary
A bread slicer comprising: - a loading compartment (2), which is connected to a receiving compartment (3), said compartments (2,3) defining a trough for the movement of the bread (4), - a cutting element for cutting the bread (4), - a support surface (6) for the bread (4), - a side wall (9) for said trough with a first part (10) of the wall (9) extending along the loading compartment (2) and a second part (11) of the wall (9) extending along the receiving compartment (3), a second slot (12) extending between the compartments (2,3) for the passage of the cutting element. Said second part (11) of the wall (9) extends in the continuation of the first part (10) and the first part (10) is connected to a guide surface (15) extending between this first part (10) and the second slot (12) forming a flare of the gutter to guide the bread (4).