Dough Treatment Device With Fixed Motor And Cable Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dough production lines experience vibration issues due to the weight of motorized supporting structures, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs when trying to operate at higher speeds.
Innovation Solution
A line for dough production and treatment with a treatment device that moves in an alternating motion, supported by a fixed frame, using a motor that is not directly attached to the moving parts, allowing for reduced inertia and minimized vibrations, and featuring manipulator elements that can engage and rotate dough strips efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the supporting structure is motorized to enable high-speed movement of treatment elements, then productivity increases, but vibrations increase due to the weight of the motor and mechanical components
Solution Approach 1:
The treatment device is divided into modular treatment elements that can be independently positioned and actuated. Each treatment element can be controlled separately, allowing the system to process multiple dough pieces simultaneously at different positions along the conveyor, thereby increasing productivity without requiring a single heavy motorized structure to move the entire device.
Solution Approach 2:
A cable-driven actuation system serves as an intermediary mechanism between the fixed mounting structure and the treatment elements. The cables transmit force from fixed motors to the moving treatment elements, enabling precise positioning and movement without directly motorizing the supporting structure itself, thus avoiding vibrations while maintaining high-speed capability.
2Reliability
If the supporting structure is made robust to support heavy motors and mechanical components, then reliability improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of mounting heavy motors on the moving supporting structure, the system inverts the arrangement by mounting motors on the fixed frame and using cable-driven actuation to move the treatment elements. This eliminates the need for a robust, complex motorized supporting structure while maintaining operational stability through the fixed mounting of heavy components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces a direct mechanical motorized supporting structure with a cable-driven actuation system. This substitution eliminates the need for heavy motors and complex mechanical assemblies on the moving structure, reducing device complexity and cost while maintaining reliability through the simplicity of the cable-driven mechanism and fixed mounting of critical components.
Data Source
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AI summary
A line (1) for the production and treatment of dough, comprising a fixed frame (2) and a conveyor belt (3) for at least one food product to be treated, the conveyor belt (3) being movable with respect to the fixed frame (2) along a movement path (100) that is substantially parallel to its direction of extension (101), the line (1) comprising a device (4) for treating the food product conveyed on the conveyor belt (2), the treatment device (4) being movable with respect to the frame with an alternating motion that is parallel to the movement path (100), the treatment device (4) supporting at least one treatment element (5) that can be actuated on command by first motor means (6) and is designed to engage with the at least one food product conveyed on the conveyor belt (3); the first motor means (6) are supported by the fixed frame (2) and are connected kinematically, by kinematic connection means (7), to the at least one treatment element (5).