Food Slicing Thickness Control for Unequal Product Calibers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing slicing methods require extensive trimming cuts to equalize the lengths of product calibers of unequal lengths, leading to inefficiencies such as empty packages and wasted sections, reducing throughput and yield.
Innovation Solution
Determine different slice thicknesses for product calibers of varying lengths to ensure equal portions are formed, minimizing the need for trimming cuts and optimizing yield by adjusting slice thickness based on product caliber length and weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If product calibers of unequal lengths are fed to the slicing machine without trimming, then feeding time is saved and throughput is improved, but empty packages are generated and portion formation is disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The slicing system dynamically adjusts the slice thickness for each product caliber based on its detected length. Longer calibers receive larger slice thickness values while shorter calibers receive smaller values, allowing all calibers to produce the same number of portions simultaneously without requiring trimming operations, thus maintaining high throughput while ensuring consistent portion formation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the slice thickness parameter adaptively for different product calibers. By detecting the length of each caliber and calculating an appropriate slice thickness value, the system ensures that calibers of different lengths can be processed together without generating empty packages, resolving the contradiction between maintaining high productivity and ensuring reliable portion formation.
2Reliability
If trimming cuts are performed to equalize product caliber lengths, then portion formation consistency is improved, but productivity decreases due to lost product sections
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of physically trimming product calibers to equal lengths, the system changes the slice thickness parameter for each caliber based on its detected length. This virtual equalization allows all calibers to produce the same number of portions without any trimming cuts, thereby maintaining both portion formation consistency and high productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts the length information from each product caliber through detection means and uses this information to calculate appropriate slice thickness values. This extraction approach eliminates the need for physical trimming while ensuring consistent portion formation across calibers of different lengths.
3Reliability
If trimming cuts are performed to equalize product caliber lengths, then portion formation consistency is improved, but yield decreases due to wasted product sections
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses parameter adaptation (slice thickness adjustment) instead of physical trimming to achieve consistent portion formation. This approach eliminates material waste entirely, as no product sections are removed during the equalization process, thereby improving yield while maintaining portion formation consistency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system converts the potential harm of unequal caliber lengths into a benefit by using the length variation as input data for calculating optimal slice thickness values. This approach not only eliminates the need for trimming and associated waste but also optimizes the slicing process to maximize yield while ensuring consistent portion formation.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for slicing foodstuffs in the form of product calibers (K1, K2) using a slicing machine (100), comprising: arranging at least two product calibers (K1, K2) on a feeding unit (102), wherein at least two of the at least two product calibers (K1, K2) have different lengths (L1, L2), feeding the at least two product calibers (K1, K2) by means of the feeding unit (102) along a feeding direction (10) to a cutting unit (110), and slicing the at least two product calibers (K1, K2) into slices (S1, S2) to form portions (P1, P2) by means of the cutting unit (110), wherein each portion (P1, P2) comprises one or more slices (S1, S2), the method further comprising: determining, based on the length (L1, L2) of the at least two product calibers (K1, K2) of a first disk thickness (d1) for a first product caliber (K1) of at least two product calibers (K1,K2) and a second slice thickness (d2) for a second product caliber (K2) of the at least two product calibers (K1, K2), wherein the first product caliber (K1) has a greater length (L1) before slicing than the second product caliber (K2), and wherein the first slice thickness (d1) is determined to be greater than the second slice thickness (d2), so that after slicing an equal number of portions (P1, P2) from the first product caliber (K1) and the second product caliber (K2), the difference in length between the first product caliber (K1) and the second product caliber (K2) is less than before slicing. The invention further relates to a slicing machine (100).