Composite-Edge Kitchen Knife Structure for Lower Material Cost
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional kitchen knives made from stacked metallic plate materials are costly due to higher raw material expenses compared to those using single metallic plate materials, leading to increased manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
A kitchen knife design featuring a spine-side member made of a single material and a blade-side member composed of a stacked member of multiple metallic materials, processed into a curved shape and joined with the spine-side member, followed by grinding and polishing to form a pattern, allowing the use of lower-cost materials and achieving sharper cutting ability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If a kitchen knife uses a raw material including a stack of several types of metallic plate materials, then a pattern can be formed on the blade, but the raw material cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The kitchen knife is divided into two segments: a blade-side member made of stacked metallic plates for pattern formation, and a spine-side member made of a single metallic plate material for cost reduction. This segmentation allows each part to have optimized material composition based on its functional requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
Different material qualities are applied to different parts of the knife. The blade-side member uses multiple metallic plate materials with different properties to create visual patterns and enhance cutting performance, while the spine-side member uses a single, lower-cost material since it primarily provides structural support.
2Ease of manufacture
If a kitchen knife uses a single metallic plate material, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but cutting ability is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The knife is segmented into blade-side and spine-side members, allowing the blade to use multiple materials for superior cutting performance while the spine uses a single material for cost-effective manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade-side member is constructed as a composite of multiple metallic plate materials stacked together, combining the advantages of different materials (hardness, sharpness, durability) to achieve excellent cutting ability that single-material knives cannot provide.
3Reliability
If different metallic materials are used at the cutting edge, then sharper cutting ability is achieved, but material selection complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blade-side member is segmented into multiple metallic plate layers, each with different wear properties, arranged in a specific sequence to create a saw-like cutting edge pattern that enhances cutting performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The metallic plate materials are pre-selected and stacked in a predetermined sequence before being processed into the final knife shape, allowing the complex multi-material structure to be prepared in advance and simplifying the overall manufacturing process.
Data Source
AI summary
A kitchen knife includes a spine-side member located on a spine side; and a blade-side member located on a blade side and composed of a stacked member including a stack of two or more different metallic materials. The blade-side member is thinner than the spine-side member, and a pattern is formed on the blade-side member by processing the blade-side member into a curved shape at least at a part thereof as viewed from a cutting edge side, then joining the blade-side member to the spine-side member, and performing at least one of grinding and polishing after the joining.