Dynamic Rail Rib Saw for Consistent Bone Cuts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Processing animal carcasses to produce a rack of ribs is challenging due to the difficulty in obtaining consistent cuts from shell bones, which limits production rate and increases costs.
Innovation Solution
A rib saw system with dynamic rail positioning, guided by a saw blade, sticker chain assembly, and actuators, controlled by a main controller to achieve consistent cuts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If hand cutting is used to obtain consistent regular cuts of rack of ribs from shell bone, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic rail positioning that allows the first and second rails to move relative to each other during the cutting process. This dynamic adjustment enables the automated saw to adapt to variations in shell bone shape and size, maintaining cut consistency comparable to hand-cutting while achieving automated production speeds. The rails can be positioned at different distances apart to accommodate different bone dimensions, resolving the contradiction between automation and precision.
2Productivity
If automated sawing is used to increase production rate, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to difficulty in obtaining consistent cuts from irregular shell bone shape
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic rail positioning system allows real-time adjustment of the distance between the first and second rails during automated cutting. This enables the system to compensate for irregularities in shell bone shape, maintaining consistent rack of ribs cuts while operating at automated production speeds, thus resolving the contradiction between productivity and precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the positional parameters of the rails dynamically during the cutting process. By adjusting the distance and position of the rails based on the specific shell bone being processed, the automated saw can maintain precise cuts across varying bone dimensions, achieving both high productivity and consistent manufacturing precision.
3Device complexity
If fixed rail positioning is used in automated sawing, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to inability to accommodate shell bone shape variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic rail positioning system where the distance between the first and second rails can be adjusted during operation. This adds controlled complexity to the device, enabling it to accommodate variations in shell bone shape and size while maintaining cut consistency, thus resolving the contradiction between device simplicity and manufacturing precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A rib saw is provided. The saw includes a saw blade, a first rail, a second rail, a sticker chain assembly, a plurality of actuators and a main controller. The first and second rails are configured to guide a shell bone to the saw blade. The sticker chain assembly is configured to move the shell bone along the first and second rails. The plurality of actuators are coupled to move the first and second rails in relation to each other. Moreover, the main controller is configured to control the plurality of actuators to dynamically move the first and second rails while the shell bone is being moved along the first and second rails to achieve a desired rib rack cut with the saw blade.