Device for producing milk foam
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automatic coffee machines often produce milk foam with irregular air bubble consistency, leading to inconsistent milk foam quality.
Innovation Solution
A device and process utilizing a homogenizer with a channel labyrinth and impact bodies to break up and distribute air bubbles in milk foam, allowing for adjustment of bubble size and consistency by varying pressure, creating a secondary processing device that can change milk foam from fine to creamy or solid.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a conventional milk pump is used to pump milk foam in automatic coffee machines, then the milk foam can be produced, but the consistency of the milk foam is irregular with irregular air bubble formation
Solution Approach 1:
The homogenizer divides the milk foam flow into multiple partial flows that pass through separate channels in the impact body, each channel processing a portion of the foam. This segmentation allows for more uniform distribution and breakdown of air bubbles across the entire flow, improving consistency while using a relatively simple single-component structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The impact body acts as an intermediary element between the milk pump and the final dispensing point. It introduces a controlled disruption zone where air bubbles are broken up and redistributed, serving as a mediating structure that transforms irregular foam into consistent foam without requiring complex pumping mechanisms.
2Manufacturing precision
If air bubbles in milk foam are broken up and distributed through a homogenizer with impact bodies, then uniform milk foam consistency is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The impact body creates a localized disruption zone within the flow path where specific physical conditions (impact surfaces, channel geometry) are concentrated. This local modification of flow characteristics achieves bubble breakdown and redistribution without requiring the entire device to be complex, focusing the homogenizing action only where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The homogenizer changes physical parameters of the milk foam flow locally - creating pressure variations, flow direction changes, and velocity differences as the foam passes through the impact body channels. These parameter changes facilitate bubble breakdown and redistribution while maintaining a simple overall device structure.
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
The solution achieves uniform and reproducible milk foam consistency, suitable for various hot and cold beverages, with the ability to adjust from mousse-type to solid consistency depending on the volume flow.
Implementation Method 1
impact the divided partial flows of the milk foam with the impact surfaces to divide the air bubbles of the milk foam
Implementation Method 2
mixing the divided partial flows with the divided air bubbles together to form new partial flows
Data Source
AI summary
A device for processing milk foam for use in an automatic hot and/or cold beverage machine includes a milk pump to pump the milk foam, and a secondary processing device coupled to the milk foam pump to change the consistency of the milk foam. The secondary processing device includes a homogenizer to break up and distribute air bubbles in the milk foam. The homogenizer has a reducing region including a plurality of impact bodies arranged to define a channel labyrinth through which the milk foam is flowable. Additionally, there is provided a process for homogenizing milk foam utilizing the above device, includes steps of a) impacting divided partial flows of the milk foam with the impact surfaces to divide the air bubbles of the milk foam; and b) mixing the divided partial flows with the divided air bubbles together to form new partial flows.