Food Cutting Machine Vibration Control via Reverse Pre-rotation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cutting machines for food face challenges with high vibrations and reduced cutting speed due to idle cycles, which impair stability and measurement accuracy, limiting their cutting performance.
Innovation Solution
A cutting machine with a drive motor that rotates the knife on a circular path, controlled by a device to minimize vibrations, eliminating idle cycles and using a blade cover for safety and acceleration, and harmonically controlled force curves for smooth acceleration and deceleration, along with controllable scales for precise weight measurement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the cutting speed is increased, then the cutting performance is improved, but vibrations occur which impair the stability of the machine and measurement accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The control device applies preliminary anti-action by first rotating the drive motor in the opposite direction to the cutting direction before accelerating it in the cutting direction. This pre-positioning creates a longer acceleration path and reduces the force required, thereby minimizing vibrations while maintaining high cutting speed and performance.
2Speed
If idle cycles are used to accelerate the cutting blade, then the cutting blade can be accelerated, but the maximum achievable cutting performance is reduced and additional vibrations are caused
Solution Approach 1:
The control device performs preliminary action by positioning the cutting blade in reverse rotation before the actual cutting cycle begins. This allows the blade to be pre-accelerated in the opposite direction, creating a longer effective acceleration path during the cutting direction without requiring separate idle cycles, thus eliminating the productivity loss while achieving necessary blade acceleration.
3Speed
If the cutting blade is accelerated quickly, then the cutting speed is improved, but the force required increases causing vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
The control device applies preliminary anti-action by first rotating the drive motor in the opposite direction to the cutting direction before accelerating it in the cutting direction. This pre-positioning creates a longer acceleration path and reduces the force required, thereby minimizing vibrations while maintaining high cutting speed and performance.
4Measurement precision
If scales are used to measure slice weight in the cutting area, then weight measurement is possible, but the measurements are inaccurate due to falling slices and drive vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
The weighing function is extracted from the cutting area and placed on the collection surface where slices are gathered after cutting. This separation removes the scales from the harmful environment of falling slices and drive vibrations, enabling accurate weight measurement while the cutting operation proceeds independently.
Data Source
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AI summary
The machine (1) has a rotating cutting knife driven by a drive motor. The knife is rotated for separating slices of supplied food bar on a circular path in a cutting direction. A control device (2) controls the drive motor such that the drive motor is driven against the cutting direction for certain distance during acceleration of the cutting knife and in the cutting direction for further distance. The drive motor comprises a position sensor i.e. rotary angle sensor, for detecting position of the cutting knife. A knife cover (13) covers the circular path of the cutting knife. An independent claim is also included for a method for operating a cutting machine.