Food Product Coupling Conveyor Layout and Thermal Conditioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing equipment for producing food products by coupling complementary parts faces inefficiencies due to unsaturated conveyor lines after mould coupling, inefficient thermal exchange in un-moulding tunnels, and limited production capacity caused by inverting operations, leading to suboptimal use of conveyor line length and excessive energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
The equipment employs two distinct production circuits with conveyor lines that interface at a coupling station, allowing complementary parts to be coupled while advancing, maintaining optimal spacing and reducing unnecessary refrigeration by only transporting the composite product through thermal treatment stations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single conveyor line is used to transport both complementary parts through the coupling station, then the equipment structure is simplified, but the production capacity is limited due to the 50% saturation of the line after coupling
Solution Approach 1:
The single conveyor line is divided into two separate conveyor lines, each dedicated to transporting one complementary part. This segmentation allows both parts to be transported simultaneously without blocking each other, eliminating the 50% saturation problem and doubling the production capacity while maintaining structural simplicity through parallel organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling station is designed with a vertical arrangement where the two conveyor lines approach from opposite directions and couple vertically. This dimensional change from horizontal sequential transport to vertical simultaneous transport allows both complementary parts to occupy the coupling station at the same time without interfering with each other's transport paths.
2Ease of manufacture
If inverting means are used to turn over half-moulds for coupling, then the complementary parts can be coupled, but the production capacity is compromised due to the time required for inverting operations
Solution Approach 1:
The half-moulds are pre-positioned on the conveyor lines facing each other at the coupling station before the coupling operation. This preliminary positioning eliminates the need for time-consuming inverting operations during the coupling process, as the moulds are already oriented correctly for immediate coupling, thereby maintaining high production capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor lines are designed to dynamically adjust the position and orientation of half-moulds in real-time at the coupling station. This dynamic capability allows the system to maintain optimal coupling conditions without requiring static inverting mechanisms, enabling continuous high-speed production.
3Reliability
If all half-moulds traverse the refrigerating tunnel regardless of whether they support composite products, then the thermal treatment is complete, but excessive energy is consumed for unnecessary refrigeration
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and separates the half-moulds that do not support composite products from the refrigerating tunnel. Only the half-moulds carrying composite products enter the refrigerating tunnel for thermal treatment, while empty half-moulds are diverted away from the tunnel. This extraction eliminates unnecessary energy consumption for refrigerating empty moulds while ensuring complete thermal treatment for products.
Solution Approach 2:
The refrigerating tunnel is designed with selective access points that allow only half-moulds carrying composite products to enter. This local quality control ensures that thermal treatment is applied precisely where needed (for products) rather than uniformly to all half-moulds, optimizing energy usage while maintaining treatment completeness.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the step between half-moulds on the conveyor line is increased after coupling, then the spatial orientation is corrected, but the conveyor line capacity is reduced due to larger spacing
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system is segmented into two independent lines with consistent spacing throughout. This segmentation allows each line to maintain optimal step spacing for high throughput while the coupling station handles the spatial orientation correction vertically, preventing the need to increase horizontal spacing and thereby maintaining conveyor line capacity.
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
This configuration significantly increases hourly production capacity and optimizes energy use by ensuring the conveyor lines are fully utilized and reducing unnecessary refrigeration, enhancing the overall efficiency of the production process.
Implementation Method 1
the cooling mass, constituted by the two coupled moulds, subtracts refrigerating energy from the product, which is the only part that needs to be refrigerated, to contract and facilitate product un-moulding
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The complementary parts of food products destined to be coupled together are located on the frontal surfaces (6A, 7A) of half-moulds (ß, 7) travelling on two different loop conveyor lines (2', 3' ) The first conveyor line (2') extends, at least partially, above the second (3' ), so to be included within the surface- area occupied by the second line (3') itself. Spatial occupation is further reduced since, downstream to the coupling station (13), the coupled half-moulds (6, 7) travel with the same spacing step that they had before coupling, with additional advantages in terms of energy absorption and advancing velocity in a successive thermal conditioning station (14), such as a refrigerating tunnel. One of the half-moulds can be removed upstream to the thermal conditioning station (14), resulting in an additional reduction in energy absorption since needless subjecting of the half-mould to the thermal cycle to which the products are subjected is avoided.