Flexible Shredding Rotor for Industrial Hemp Stem-Leaf Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for separating plant stems from leaves in industrial hemp processing are labor-intensive and inefficient, often resulting in low-quality output due to manual handling and mechanical damage, and existing machinery either cuts stems or requires frequent cleaning.
Innovation Solution
A shredding rotor apparatus with flexible strands attached to a central axle, allowing for continuous processing of plant material and efficient separation of stems and leaves without substantial cutting or breakage, producing high-quality output streams with minimal residual material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If stiff wire bristles are used in roller brushes to pull leaves from stems, then leaves can be effectively removed, but stems are cut into pieces that contaminate the leaf output stream
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameter of the brushing surface from stiff wire bristles to a flexible rubber or elastomeric material. This parameter change allows the surface to conform to stem shapes and remove leaves through friction and flexibility rather than cutting, thus maintaining output stream purity while preserving leaf removal efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite construction with a cylindrical hub covered by a flexible rubber or elastomeric material rather than simple wire bristles. This composite approach combines the structural integrity of the hub with the flexible, non-cutting properties of rubber or elastomer, achieving both effective leaf removal and stem integrity preservation.
2Productivity
If roller brushes with closely-spaced bristles are used to separate leaves from stems, then leaves can be pulled off effectively, but the bristles become fouled with plant fragments and require frequent cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the surface material parameter from closely-spaced wire bristles to a continuous flexible rubber or elastomeric covering. This eliminates the gaps between bristles that trap plant fragments, preventing fouling while maintaining effective leaf separation through the flexible surface's ability to conform and frictionally remove leaves.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible rubber or elastomeric covering can be easily replaced when worn, serving as a low-cost, easily replaceable component that maintains high separation effectiveness without requiring complex cleaning mechanisms. The covering's simplicity allows for infrequent replacement rather than frequent cleaning.
3Manufacturing precision
If manual feeding through apertures is used to separate stems from leaves, then separation can be achieved, but the process is labor-intensive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical process of pushing plants through apertures with a rotating cylindrical brush mechanism that automatically engages and pulls leaves from stems. This mechanical substitution eliminates manual labor while maintaining separation quality through the brush's controlled friction-based leaf removal action.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotating cylindrical brush provides continuous leaf removal action as it rotates, processing plants continuously rather than in discrete manual operations. This continuous action dramatically increases processing speed while the controlled friction mechanism maintains high separation quality by selectively removing leaves without damaging stems.
Data Source
AI summary
A shredding rotor rotatably coupled to a support frame is configured to remove plant leaves from plant stems fed into an aperture in the support frame. The shredding rotor includes many flexible shredding strands attached to a rotor axle. The shredding strands are sufficiently flexible to strip leaves from all sides of the stems without breaking the stems into pieces. Shredding strands are spaced far enough apart from one another to prevent plant material from becoming lodged between the strands. A destemming and shredding apparatus including two shredding rotors separates an incoming stream of plant materials into an output stream of shredded leaves and another output stream of essentially intact stems. A shredding apparatus having no more than one shredding rotor receives destemmed leaves at an inlet aperture and outputs shredded leaf fragments.