Food Positioning Tray Inserts for Diverse Edible Ink Printing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Edible ink printers, such as the Primera Eddie®, are limited in their ability to consistently position and print on food items of arbitrary shapes and a wide range of sizes due to the use of protruding pegs and cut-out slots in the rotating carousel platter, which restricts the size and shape of food items that can be printed.
Innovation Solution
A tray insert accessory for edible ink printers that fits onto the printer feed mechanism, featuring various alignment systems and a placement tab, allowing consistent positioning of food items of diverse shapes and sizes, including triangular and circular peg configurations, and a silicone tongue cover for stability during transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a rotating carousel platter with protruding positioning pegs is used, then automated printing efficiency is improved, but the variety of food item shapes and sizes that can be printed is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The platter is divided into multiple modular tray inserts, each with different configurations of positioning features (circles, squares, triangles, stars) to accommodate different food item shapes and sizes. Each tray insert can be independently selected and placed on the carousel platter based on the specific printing task.
Solution Approach 2:
The tray inserts are designed with multiple positioning features of different geometries (circles, squares, triangles, stars) that can accommodate various food item shapes. A single tray insert design can handle multiple types of food items by utilizing different positioning features, making the system universally applicable to diverse printing needs.
2Manufacturing precision
If protruding positioning pegs with fixed geometry are used, then consistent positioning of circular food items is achieved, but food items of arbitrary shapes and a large range of sizes cannot be consistently aligned
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning system is segmented into multiple tray inserts, each containing different geometric positioning features (circles, squares, triangles, stars). This segmentation allows the system to maintain precise positioning for each specific food item shape while accommodating a wide variety of shapes overall.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the tray insert have different positioning feature geometries tailored to specific food item shapes. For example, circular features are provided for round cookies, while triangular or square features are provided for differently shaped items, ensuring optimal positioning consistency for each local requirement.
3Ease of operation
If the carousel platter is designed for circular food items only, then automated operation is simplified, but manual intervention is required for food items of different shapes and sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The tray inserts are designed as universal accessories that can handle multiple food item shapes and sizes within a single automated cycle. The printer can automatically adjust positioning based on the selected tray insert type, eliminating the need for manual intervention when switching between different food item geometries.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows dynamic selection and replacement of tray inserts based on the food item being printed. The controller can automatically recognize the food item shape and select the appropriate tray insert configuration, enabling the system to adapt dynamically without manual intervention while maintaining automated operation.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for use with an edible ink printer such as the Primera Eddie® edible ink printer for the consistent placement of food hems on a rotating carousel platter printer feed mechanism, said apparatus being a tray insert accessory which fits onto said platter in place of a nominally-sized food item and comprises a tab for consistent placement of the tray with respect to the platter and a protruding alignment system for consistent placement of food items on the tray, allowing the use of said edible ink printer and carousel platter with food items of a much larger variety of shapes and sizes.