Concentrate Filling System with Load Cell Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing technologies face challenges in efficiently packaging hemp and related concentrates due to their solid and liquid components and uneven grain sizes, leading to difficulties in accurate and precise filling of concentrate jars.
Innovation Solution
A concentrate filling system that includes a solid loader, conveyor, load cell, injection pump, and controller, which work together to accurately dispense solid and liquid components into jars, ensuring precise filling and weight measurement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional packaging methods are used for hemp concentrates, then the packaging process is simple, but the filling accuracy and precision are poor due to solid and liquid components and uneven grain sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging system is divided into separate modules: a solid loader for particulate material, a liquid reservoir for liquid components, a conveyor for transport, and a weighing system for measurement. Each module handles a specific function, allowing independent optimization and maintaining overall system precision while managing complexity through functional segmentation.
Solution Approach 2:
A conveyor acts as an intermediary between the solid loader and the filling point, enabling controlled transport of solid particles. The weighing system serves as an intermediary that measures both solid and liquid components before combining them, ensuring accurate ratio control despite the heterogeneous nature of the concentrate materials.
2Productivity
If manual filling methods are used, then the equipment complexity is low, but the productivity and efficiency are insufficient for meeting market demand
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor provides continuous transport of solid concentrate particles from the loader to the filling point, eliminating interruptions and manual handling. The system operates continuously with the solid loader, liquid reservoir, and weighing system working in coordinated sequence, maximizing packaging throughput to meet market demand while keeping each component relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The weighing system automatically controls the dispensing of both solid and liquid components based on pre-set ratios, eliminating the need for manual measurement and adjustment. The system self-regulates the filling process, improving productivity while reducing the complexity of operator intervention and training.
3Reliability
If simple dispensing equipment is used, then the device complexity is low, but the ability to maintain correct weight and ratio of solid and liquid components is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The weighing system provides real-time feedback on the weight of both solid and liquid components during the filling process. This feedback loop allows the system to automatically adjust dispensing rates and quantities to maintain consistent ratios, ensuring reliable product composition without requiring complex manual monitoring and adjustment procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The weighing system serves multiple functions: it measures solid particles, measures liquid components, controls the dispensing ratios between them, and verifies final fill weight. This multi-functionality achieves reliable weight and ratio consistency while avoiding the need for separate specialized devices for each measurement and control task.
Data Source
AI summary
A concentrate filling system includes a solid loader operable to dispense particles through a dispensing end. The system includes a conveyer operable to receive the dispensed particles at a proximal end and further dispense particles at a distal end. The system includes load cell operable to receive a container that receives the dispensed particles. The system includes an injection pump to dispense fluids into the container. The system includes a controller operable to receive data from the load cell indicative of a weight of the particles and/or fluid and send a control signal to the conveyor to adjust the dispensing of the particles and send a control signal to the injection pump. Upon receiving indicative of a predetermined weight of the container, fluid, and particles, the controller is operable to send a control signal to the conveyor and the injection pump to stop dispensing of particles and fluid.