Dough Rolling Conveyor With Roller Mat for Consistent Wrapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
The artisanal production of filled dough products like tequeños faces challenges in scaling up due to the manual rolling and shaping operations, which are difficult to mechanize, leading to slow production and increased injury risk.
Innovation Solution
A semi-automatic dough rolling device with a conveyor belt, rollers, and support frames that simultaneously roll and transport dough around a filling bar, ensuring consistent wrapping and reducing manual handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual rolling and shaping operations are used, then quality and consistency of dough products are maintained, but production speed and scalability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
A rolling mat with multiple rollers acts as an intermediary device between manual operation and full automation. The rollers are arranged to guide and roll the dough sheet around the filling bar, replicating the manual rolling action while enabling continuous production. The conveyor belt system transports the dough-filling assembly through the rolling mat, maintaining consistent rolling pressure and motion that preserves product quality while dramatically increasing throughput.
2Productivity
If manual handling is reduced, then productivity increases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into distinct functional modules: a conveyor belt system for transport, a rolling mat with multiple independent rollers for shaping, and support frames for structural stability. Each module performs a specific function, making the overall system manageable despite its automation capabilities. The rollers can be independently adjusted, and the conveyor speed can be controlled separately, allowing for flexible operation and easier maintenance.
3Productivity
If rolling and shaping operations are mechanized, then production scalability improves, but ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The rolling mat system is designed to perform the rolling and shaping operations automatically once the dough sheet and filling bar are positioned on the conveyor. The multiple rollers self-adjust to guide the dough around the filling bar without requiring continuous manual intervention. The conveyor belt automatically transports the assembled product through the rolling zone, eliminating the need for operators to manually roll each piece while maintaining consistent shaping quality.
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 device enables efficient, high-volume production of enveloped dough products with reduced manual labor, maintaining quality and consistency.
Implementation Method 1
the at least one conveyor belt (1) drives the sheet of dough and filling bar along its length
Implementation Method 2
the plurality of rollers are configured to roll the sheet of dough over the filling bar
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a device and a method for rolling out and shaping a dough product containing a filling therein. The object of this invention consists of a dough rolling device (100) for the production of enveloped dough product containing a filling therein, comprising at least one conveyor belt (1) configured to support and drive a sheet of dough containing a filling bar placed on top of said sheet of dough; at least one first support frame (2); at least one a second support frame (3); and at least one rolling mat (4) positioned downstream along the at least one conveyor belt (1), comprising a plurality of rollers, said rollers being placed over the surface of the conveyor belt (1) on a flexible frame, said rollers being configured to roll the sheet of dough over the filling bar, thereby forming an enveloped structure around the filling bar. The continuous action of the conveyor belt (1) and of the rolling mat (4) allows the rolled dough products to be consistent and to increase the production of these dough products. The proposed invention aims to solve the limitations of scaled-up production of dough products by providing a device capable of performing the rolling and shaping operations of the dough.