Food Product Filling Machine Density Control via Motor Torque Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current filling machines for food products in cans lack precise control over the density of the product, leading to over-compression, quality compromise, and inefficiencies due to mechanical mechanisms that do not allow for individual cycle thrust adjustments, resulting in variable tablet weight and potential liquid leakage.
Innovation Solution
A filling machine with a mechatronic system that includes a control unit with an algorithm to measure the density of the product and adjust the motor-driven plunger's thrust in real-time, ensuring the product reaches a predetermined density by monitoring parameters like force, position, time, and friction, thereby eliminating over-compression and ensuring consistent product quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a mechanical cam system with spring or actuator is used to compress the food product, then the thrust value can be predetermined and maintained, but the thrust cannot be adjusted at each individual cycle and the product density cannot be precisely controlled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical cam system with a motor-driven plunger controlled by a control unit. The control unit receives signals from sensors (force, position, time) and adjusts the motor torque in real-time to achieve precise density control. This substitution of mechanical systems with an automated control system enables individual cycle adjustment while maintaining manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback control system where sensors measure the actual density of the compressed product and provide signals to the control unit. The control unit compares the actual density with the target density and adjusts the motor torque accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables precise density control at each individual cycle.
2Productivity
If a greater quantity of product is loaded into the compression chamber to ensure sufficient material, then the machine efficiency is improved, but the excess product is subjected to various compressions that pulp and squeeze the product, compromising its quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the compression process dynamic by allowing the plunger to stop at different positions based on real-time density measurements. Instead of a fixed mechanical cycle that always compresses to the same degree, the system adapts the compression depth and duration dynamically. This enables the system to process larger quantities of product while stopping compression once the desired density is achieved, preventing quality degradation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic compression cycles where the plunger compresses the product in controlled increments. The control unit monitors density during each cycle and can stop compression at any point when the target density is reached. This periodic action with real-time monitoring allows efficient processing while preventing over-compression and product quality degradation.
3Force
If the compression plunger continues to compress the product throughout the operating cycle, then the thrust value is maintained, but the product is overcompressed and liquid leaks out due to increased compression time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary compression to achieve the target density, then stops the compression process. The control unit monitors density in real-time and terminates the compression cycle once the target is reached, preventing unnecessary further compression. This preliminary action followed by timely termination avoids liquid leakage while maintaining adequate thrust for tablet formation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a compression process that rushes through the necessary compression distance to achieve target density quickly, then stops. By using high initial thrust and real-time density monitoring, the system achieves the required compression in minimal time, skipping the unnecessary prolonged compression that would cause liquid leakage. The control unit terminates the cycle as soon as density target is reached.
4Force
If a pneumatic cylinder is used for compression, then the thrust can be applied, but intense work cycles produce early wear of the seals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the pneumatic cylinder with a motor-driven plunger system. The motor provides the necessary thrust through controlled torque, eliminating the pneumatic seals that are prone to wear during intense work cycles. This substitution maintains the ability to apply thrust while significantly improving reliability and reducing maintenance requirements.
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
The machine achieves precise control over product density at each cycle, minimizing compression time, maintaining high-speed operation without compromising quality, and reducing mechanical wear, ensuring consistent tablet weight and efficient production.
Implementation Method 1
motor means being further comprised which are associated with said plunger for its movement along said compression direction
Implementation Method 2
comprises means for measuring the density of said food product or the like compressed in said chamber in order to control the driving torque of said motor means
Implementation Method 3
a plunger which can move along said chamber, along a predefined compression direction, between a bottom dead center position, in which said chamber is free from said plunger in order to feed said food product or the like into said chamber, and a top dead center position, in which said plunger occupies at least partially said chamber for the compression of said food product or the like into at least one preset shape
Data Source
AI summary
A filling machine for food products in cans, particularly of the type with product density control, comprising a supporting frame which forms a chamber and a feeding tunnel which is adapted to convey a food product into the chamber that is provided with a plunger which can move along the chamber, along a predefined compression direction; the chamber being provided with an expulsion piston configured to move transversely with respect to the compression direction for the expulsion of at least one preset shape in the direction of a station for canning the food product; a motor being provided which is associated with the plunger for a movement along the compression direction; and elements for measuring the density of the food product compressed in the chamber in order to control the driving torque of the motor as a function of the achievement of a predetermined density value.