Cannabis Particulate Separator with Flexible Flaps
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The cannabis industry faces inefficiencies in separating larger cannabis buds from smaller pieces, known as 'shake,' due to the susceptibility of cannabis to flaking during handling, which complicates the process of maintaining intact buds for sale and utilizing shake for other products.
Innovation Solution
A cannabis particulate separator is designed with a body, supporting projections, apertures, and flaps, allowing it to be inserted into a container where the projections bend inward, separating larger pieces from smaller ones based on aperture size, with flaps preventing smaller pieces from reentering during pouring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual separation of cannabis buds from shake is performed, then larger pieces can be kept intact for sale, but the process becomes time-consuming and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The separator divides the container's interior space into an upper chamber and a lower chamber using a partition wall with apertures. This segmentation allows automatic separation of cannabis particles by size during normal container handling, eliminating the need for manual separation processes and significantly improving productivity while reducing time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The separator utilizes the natural movement and vibration of the container during handling to automatically separate cannabis buds from shake. The flaps passively respond to particle movement, closing to prevent smaller particles from entering the upper chamber without requiring active control or user intervention, enabling self-service separation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If shake is separated from intact buds, then shake can be used for other products, but the separation process is inefficient and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The partition wall with apertures and flaps creates distinct zones for intact buds and shake within the same container. This segmentation enables simultaneous preservation of intact buds for sale and collection of shake for alternative products, enhancing product utilization flexibility while maintaining high separation speed through passive operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The automatic separation mechanism operates passively during container handling, allowing shake to be efficiently directed to the lower chamber for alternative product use without requiring additional processing time or resources, thereby improving both versatility and productivity.
3Manufacturing precision
If a separator with flaps is used to prevent smaller pieces from reentering, then separation accuracy improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The partition wall divides the container into two chambers with apertures positioned at a specific height. This segmentation provides a simple yet effective means of separating particles by size based on the aperture location, achieving good separation accuracy without requiring complex mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The flaps are designed to be flexible and movable rather than fixed, allowing them to dynamically respond to particle movement and container vibration. This dynamic behavior enables the flaps to passively close and prevent smaller particles from reentering the upper chamber, improving separation accuracy while maintaining relatively simple device structure through the use of flexible materials.
4Productivity
If the container is shaken to separate particles, then separation occurs, but smaller pieces may reenter through apertures during pouring
Solution Approach 1:
The flaps are designed to be flexible and responsive to particle movement and container orientation. During shaking, the flaps remain open to allow separation, but during pouring when smaller particles tend to move toward the apertures, the flaps dynamically close to prevent reentry. This dynamic behavior maintains both separation effectiveness and stability throughout different handling operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The flaps are positioned and angled to preemptively prevent smaller particles from reentering the upper chamber through the apertures during pouring operations. By having the flaps ready to close in anticipation of particle movement during pouring, the design counteracts the potential problem of reentry before it occurs, maintaining separation reliability.
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
This solution efficiently separates cannabis by size, reducing the time and effort required to maintain larger buds while allowing shake to be used for other products, enhancing operational efficiency in the cannabis industry.
Implementation Method 1
The supporting projections are configured to bend inward toward the bottom surface of the body
Implementation Method 2
rotating the container with the separator positioned therein in a pouring direction to remove larger pieces of cannabis... such that the flaps prevent the smaller pieces of cannabis contained within the lower portion of the container from reentering the apertures
Data Source
AI summary
A cannabis particulate separator and a method for separating cannabis by size using such a cannabis particulate separator. The cannabis particulate separator includes a body, supporting projections, apertures, and flaps. The body has a top surface and a bottom surface. The apertures extend through the body between the top and bottom surfaces. The flaps are integrally disposed on the bottom surface. Each flap is connected to the bottom surface adjacent to one of the apertures. The flaps extend away from the bottom surface at an angle. The supporting projections extend away from the body and are configured to bend inward toward the bottom surface.