Heating Element Assembly Using Sandwiched Foil for Belt Cookers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heating element assemblies for belt cooking apparatuses face challenges in achieving uniform heat distribution and are costly and time-consuming to construct, with difficulties in mounting electrical resistance heating elements within stainless steel casings and issues with durability and wear from cleaning agents.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves a heating element assembly with corrosion-resistant stainless steel outer plates that sandwich foil-based heating elements, using a spacer structure and fasteners for clamping to enhance heat transfer, and applying a heat conducting paste or adhesive for improved efficiency, along with adjustable mounting brackets for optimal positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If aluminum is used for the exterior platen casing, then mounting heating coils or heating tubes is reasonably accomplished, but the surface is not robust and is subject to wear and tear and damage from scratches and gouges during cleaning operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining stainless steel outer plates with foil-based heating elements sandwiched between them. The stainless steel provides durability and resistance to cleaning damage, while the heating elements are mounted between the plates rather than directly to the exterior surface, solving both the mounting ease and durability issues simultaneously.
2Reliability
If stainless steel is used for the platen casing, then the casing is better able to withstand damage from harsh cleaning agents and scratches, but mounting electrical resistance heating elements to the interior becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of mounting heating elements directly to the stainless steel interior surface (which is difficult), the patent inverts the approach by sandwiching the heating elements between two stainless steel plates. This allows the heating elements to be secured through compression and clamping rather than welding or other difficult mounting methods to the interior surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure with stainless steel outer plates providing durability and heat conduction, while foil-based heating elements are embedded between them. This composite approach allows easy mounting through clamping while maintaining the durability benefits of stainless steel.
3Ease of manufacture
If grooves are machined into the stainless steel casing to hold heating conductors, then mounting is achieved, but the milling or forming of grooves is time consuming and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the heating elements from the traditional approach of embedding them in machined grooves within the stainless steel. Instead, the heating elements are placed between two stainless steel plates and held by compression, eliminating the need for time-consuming groove machining while still achieving secure mounting.
Solution Approach 2:
The sandwich construction with foil-based heating elements between stainless steel plates provides a mounting solution that does not require machining the stainless steel. The heating elements are secured through the compressive force of the plates and fasteners, significantly reducing manufacturing time and cost.
4Manufacturing precision
If heating platens are constructed to produce uniform heat distribution, then cooking performance is improved, but construction becomes expensive and time consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using foil-based heating elements that can be configured with specific resistivity patterns to achieve uniform heat distribution across the platen surface. The thin foil allows for precise local adjustments in heating characteristics while maintaining overall uniformity, and the stainless steel plates help distribute heat evenly across the surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite structure of stainless steel plates with embedded foil heating elements provides both uniform heat distribution and manufacturing efficiency. The stainless steel plates act as heat distributors to ensure uniform surface temperature, while the foil elements can be configured for optimal heat patterns, achieving high manufacturing precision without excessive construction complexity.
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
This configuration achieves uniform heat distribution across the conveyor belts, is durable against cleaning agents, and is efficient to manufacture and install, ensuring high-quality cooking performance while minimizing maintenance costs.
Implementation Method 1
heating elements positioned directly above the upper conveyor belt and below the lower conveyor belt... electrical resistance heating conductors
Implementation Method 2
applying a heat conducting paste or adhesive for improved efficiency
Data Source
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AI summary
A belt cooking apparatus (10) includes a lower frame structure (12) and an upper frame structure (14) in registry with the lower frame structure. A lower cooking conveyor belt (16) is supported by the lower frame structure (12) and correspondingly an upper conveyor belt (18) is supported by the upper frame structure (14). Heating element assemblies (20) are mounted on the lower frame structure (12) just below the lower cooking belt (16) as well as on the upper frame structure (14) just above the upper cooking belt (18). Food products are cooked while positioned between the upper and lower moving cooking conveyor belts (16) and (18) by heat generated by the heating element assemblies (20) while being advanced by the conveyor belts.