Circular Food Bar Preparation Line with Robot Mold Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing food product bar preparation lines are inefficient due to sequential steps that lengthen the preparation process, limiting cooking rates and requiring high preparation rates, which complicates the sustained supply of meat bars to molding stations.
Innovation Solution
A food product bar preparation line with multiple supply stations, filling stations, and transfer conveyors that allow for simultaneous processing and separation of steps, utilizing a robot with a manipulator arm to position and empty molds, and a pushing device to deposit products from the mold bottom, optimizing the flow and reducing the overall length of the preparation line.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If sequential filling stations are used to fill cells with meat pieces, then the filling process can be completed in an orderly manner, but the preparation line length increases and space around the line increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a linear sequential arrangement of filling stations to a circular conveyor system where multiple filling stations are arranged around a central conveyor. This dimensional change from 1D linear to 2D circular layout allows multiple filling operations to occur simultaneously without increasing the overall footprint, resolving the contradiction between orderly filling and line length.
Solution Approach 2:
The filling process is divided into multiple independent filling stations that operate simultaneously on different sections of the circular conveyor. Each filling station handles a specific portion of the cell filling process, allowing parallel processing that reduces total preparation line length while maintaining orderly filling operations.
2Ease of manufacture
If multiple sub-filling stations operate sequentially to completely fill the cell, then the cell is completely filled, but the preparation rate must be high to supply meat bars at a regular and sustained rate
Solution Approach 1:
The circular conveyor system enables continuous operation where cells are constantly being filled at multiple stations simultaneously. Unlike sequential processing where stations wait for previous stations to complete, the circular arrangement allows uninterrupted continuous filling operations, reducing the required preparation rate while maintaining complete cell filling.
Solution Approach 2:
The complete filling process is segmented into multiple parallel filling stations that each handle a portion of the cell. This segmentation allows simultaneous filling operations across multiple stations, increasing overall productivity without requiring each individual station to operate at extremely high speeds.
3Ease of manufacture
If steps are carried out one after the other in sequential filling stations, then each filling operation can be performed carefully, but the cooking rate is limited by all the preceding steps
Solution Approach 1:
The circular conveyor system eliminates idle time between filling operations by continuously moving cells through multiple filling stations. This continuous action ensures that cells are constantly being filled without interruptions, allowing the cooking rate to match the filling rate and preventing bottlenecks that would limit cooking speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The filling process is divided into multiple concurrent segments at different stations around the circle. This segmentation allows careful filling operations to occur in parallel at each station, collectively achieving high-speed filling that keeps pace with cooking rate requirements while maintaining operational care and precision.
Data Source
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AI summary
The method involves supplying a food product i.e. cooked meat, to a filling machine (108), providing a vacuum mold (104) from a vacuum mold storage area, and filling the mold with the food product. A filled mold (102) is transferred to a loading post (110). An empty cell (130) is presented at the post. The mold (102) is positioned below the presented cell in the post. The food product of the mold (102) is laid in the cell of the post. The filled cell is evacuated. The vacuum mold (104) is returned to the storage area. An independent claim is also included for a chain placed in front of a cooking post and used for preparing a food product bar.