Cereal Piece Image Printing With Synchronized Cutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cereal products lack unique and appealing attributes, such as discernible images, which enhance brand recognition and consumer engagement.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for mass-producing cereal pieces with images printed entirely within their peripheries by synchronizing printing and cutting operations to ensure the images are centered and located within the periphery of each piece, using multiple print heads to overlay images multiple times, and controlling conveyor speeds to maintain strip flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If images are printed on cereal pieces during mass production, then product appeal and brand recognition are enhanced, but manufacturing precision is compromised due to difficulty in centering images within peripheries
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by printing the image multiple times on the dough strip before cutting into individual cereal pieces. This ensures the complete image is established on the strip while maintaining proper positioning, allowing subsequent cutting to occur without disrupting image centering. The multiple print passes are completed in advance of the cutting operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates multiple copies of the image by re-printing the same image multiple times on successive regions of the dough strip. This copying approach allows the image to be transferred repeatedly to the same location, ensuring proper centering and visibility on the final cereal piece while maintaining manufacturing efficiency.
2Manufacturing precision
If printing operations are performed multiple times on each cereal piece, then image visibility and appeal are improved, but productivity decreases due to additional printing steps
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains continuous production flow by performing multiple print operations on the moving dough strip without stopping the conveyor. The printing heads operate sequentially as the strip moves through the printing zone, ensuring continuous useful action is maintained throughout the printing process while achieving multiple image layers.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses periodic printing actions where the printing heads are activated in sequence at specific intervals as the dough strip moves through the printing zone. This periodic activation pattern allows multiple images to be printed on each piece while maintaining a steady production rhythm and conveyor speed.
3Productivity
If conveyor speed is increased for high production output, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to difficulty in synchronizing printing and cutting operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms through controllers that monitor and adjust the timing and positioning of printing and cutting operations. The controllers receive information about conveyor position and speed, and use this feedback to synchronize the printing and cutting operations precisely, even at high production speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamic synchronization where the printing and cutting operations are timed to move in coordination with the conveyor speed. The timing of each printing pass and cutting action is dynamically adjusted based on conveyor position, allowing the system to maintain precision across varying production speeds.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for mass producing cereal pieces provides images on the cereal pieces. In particular, the invention is directed to incorporating a printing operation into a cereal production process, wherein a series of printing operations are performed for each cereal piece such that a common image is printed on an exposed face portion and then re-printed multiple times on the image in order to effectively establish a sharp, discernible image on the resulting cereal piece. In addition, the process includes performing each printing operation in a timed and controlled sequence with a cereal piece cutting operation such that the final image is located entirely within a periphery of the resulting cereal piece. In a preferred embodiment, the images constitute emojis.