Dough Sheet Laminating Conveyor Layout for Parallel Folding Lines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing folding/laminating apparatuses face issues with the folding line of the dough sheet becoming non-parallel to the discharging direction, leading to uneven overlapped doughs, and require complex structures and large installation spaces due to inclined conveyors.
Innovation Solution
A folding/laminating apparatus with a laminating conveyor and a discharging conveyor arranged perpendicularly, using a guide unit with reciprocating guide members to align the folding line parallel to the discharging direction, and incorporating sensors and rollers for precise dough sheet positioning and tension control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the conveying direction and discharging direction are arranged perpendicularly, then the installation space is reduced and the structure is simplified, but the folding line of the dough sheet becomes non-parallel to the discharging direction, causing uneven overlapped doughs
Solution Approach 1:
The downstream end of the laminating conveyor is configured to reciprocate between a first folding position and a second folding position in the conveying direction. This dynamic positioning allows the folding line to be aligned parallel to the discharging direction despite the perpendicular arrangement between conveying and discharging directions, thereby achieving both compact installation space and precise folding line alignment
Solution Approach 2:
The guide unit moves the downstream-side edge portion of the dough sheet in advance to positions beyond the first and second folding positions before the folding operation. This preliminary positioning ensures that when the dough sheet is folded, the folding line is properly aligned parallel to the discharging direction, preventing uneven overlapped doughs
2Manufacturing precision
If an inclined introducing conveyor is used to arrange the folding line parallel to the discharging direction, then the alignment is improved, but the device complexity and installation space increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a fixed inclined conveyor, the invention employs a dynamic reciprocating mechanism where the downstream end of the laminating conveyor moves between two folding positions. This dynamic approach achieves folding line alignment without requiring a complex inclined conveyor structure, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining alignment precision
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than inclining the conveyor to achieve alignment, the invention inverts the approach by keeping the conveyor perpendicular and instead reciprocating the downstream end in the conveying direction. This inversion allows the folding line to be aligned parallel to the discharging direction without the complexity of an inclined structure
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a folding/laminating apparatus in which a conveying direction in which a dough sheet is conveyed and a discharging direction in which a laminated dough sheet is discharged are perpendicular to each other, and which makes it possible to easily arrange folding lines in the dough sheet in parallel with the discharging direction. In a folding/laminating apparatus according to the present invention, a guide unit is configured so as to move a pair of guide members in a direction in order to move a downstream-side edge portion of a continuous dough sheet beyond a first folding position in the direction when a downstream end of a laminating conveyor is moved in the direction so as to reach the first folding position.