Detachable Dough Forming Rollers for Sanitary Fast Changeover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food dough forming devices require significant time to adjust settings, have sanitary issues due to clearance formation allowing bacterial growth, and are difficult to clean.
Innovation Solution
A food dough forming device with rotatable rollers that include detachable short rollers and wall plates, allowing easy attachment and detachment for cleaning, and a design that limits axial movement of short rollers, facilitating easy maintenance and sanitation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a traditional dough shaping machine is used, then automation and productivity are improved, but the dough product lacks a natural handcrafted appearance and quality
Solution Approach 1:
The dough piece performs self-shaping by rotating on its own axis under the action of the plunger, eliminating the need for mechanical rotation mechanisms. This self-service approach allows the dough to maintain its handcrafted appearance while achieving automated production
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of mechanically rotating the dough piece to shape it, the invention inverts the approach by using a reciprocating plunger that pushes the dough while it rotates on its own axis. This inversion of the traditional shaping mechanism preserves the natural dough surface while achieving automated shaping
2Productivity
If traditional machines with rotating clamps are used, then shaping efficiency is improved, but the dough surface becomes damaged and appearance quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the rotating clamp mechanism from the system. By removing this harmful rotating component that damages the dough surface, the patent achieves both high shaping efficiency through the plunger mechanism and preserves the integrity of the dough surface
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the potential harm of mechanical contact into a benefit by using a reciprocating plunger that applies controlled pressure only during the shaping phase, then retracts completely. This allows efficient shaping without continuous mechanical contact that would damage the dough surface
3Productivity
If dough pieces are placed too close together on the conveyor, then productivity is improved, but the dough pieces stick to each other and shaping quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates an equipotential environment by ensuring all dough pieces receive identical reciprocating plunger pressure regardless of their position on the conveyor. This uniform treatment allows dough pieces to be placed closer together without sticking, as each piece undergoes the same shaping process independently
Solution Approach 2:
The reciprocating plunger provides continuous useful action by maintaining constant pressure on each dough piece throughout the shaping cycle. This continuous pressure prevents dough pieces from sticking to each other even when densely packed on the conveyor belt
Data Source
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AI summary
In a food dough forming device according to the present invention, a dough forming flow path is formed to be enclosed between at least two rotatable rollers and between two wall plates. At least one of the at least two rotatable rollers is at least one long rotatable roller (31A, 32A). At least one remaining rotatable roller is at least one short rotatable roller (33A, 31B, 32B, 33B). A far-side wall plate (53) of the two wall plates has a fitting recess (53A, 53B) into which an arc portion of a periphery of the long rotatable roller is fitted, and a recessed cutout (53C, 53D, 53E, 53F) at the rotational shaft for the short rotatable roller. The short rotatable roller is fitted onto the rotational shaft for the short rotatable roller to abut the far-side wall plate. The near-side wall plate is disposed to abut the short rotatable roller. An axial movement of the short rotatable roller is limited by the two wall plates.