Food Cutting Device Two-Sided Guide Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing slicing devices for food products, such as sausages, meats, and cheeses, face challenges in stabilizing the product holder during the slicing process, particularly when handling heavy products, as they tend to twist or bend due to one-sided guidance, leading to inefficiencies and inaccuracies in product feed.
Innovation Solution
The device features an adjustable product support that can be easily coupled with a drive for the product holder, utilizing a two-sided guide device to stabilize the product holder, allowing it to be guided perpendicularly to the conveying direction, and incorporating a drive positioned above the support to facilitate effortless coupling, enhancing stability and adjustability between loading and working positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a one-sided guide device is used for the product holder, then the device complexity is reduced, but the stability of the product holder deteriorates causing twisting and bending
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by positioning the drive mechanism specifically above the product support at an asymmetric location, allowing the product holder to be guided on one side only. This asymmetric arrangement provides sufficient stability for the product holder during slicing operations while maintaining simpler device complexity compared to two-sided guidance systems.
2Ease of manufacture
If the drive for the product holder is positioned below the product support, then the coupling is straightforward, but the drive interferes with the adjustment range of the product support
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional arrangement by positioning the drive mechanism above the product support rather than below it. This inversion resolves the interference problem with the adjustment range while maintaining easy coupling through the guide device, as the drive is now located in the previously unused space above the support structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive is positioned in the vertical dimension above the product support, utilizing the unused vertical space rather than horizontal space below the support. This dimensional relocation allows the drive to couple with the product holder through the guide device without interfering with the forward and backward adjustment range of the product support.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the product holder is guided on both sides, then the stability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by implementing guidance on only one side of the product holder rather than symmetric two-sided guidance. The drive positioned above the support provides sufficient stabilizing force through this single-sided guidance, achieving the necessary stability while avoiding the increased complexity of dual-sided guide structures.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The device (1) has a feeding device (9) which is arranged in downstream of cutting knives for conveying food products (3) in a conveying direction. The feed device has carriage (11) on which food product is arranged. The carriage cooperating with product holder (13) is movable along the conveying direction. The carriage is coupled to a linear drive unit by which the carriage is movable along the conveying direction.