Horizontal Cheese Cutting Device for Layered Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for cutting cheese blocks in containers are inefficient, particularly for square cross-section containers, leading to increased production time and contamination risks, and do not effectively manage the coagulation process for larger cheese canisters.
Innovation Solution
A cutting device with an elongate vertical shaft and horizontal knives that rotates 360 degrees, allowing for horizontal cutting within defined vertical planes to create uniform cheese layers, reducing production time and minimizing contamination by enabling precise control over the cutting process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If cheese is cast in large canisters and separated into multiple layers with coagulation time for each layer, then the cheese production capacity is improved, but the total production time increases significantly (60-80 minutes coagulation time) and space occupation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing the coagulation process for all cheese layers simultaneously before any cutting operation. Multiple layers are filled and allowed to coagulate together in the canister, eliminating the sequential coagulation wait time. This preliminary coagulation of all layers at once resolves the time loss contradiction by preparing all layers in advance rather than waiting for each layer individually.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the cheese block into multiple horizontal layers after simultaneous coagulation. The cutting device horizontally separates the fully coagulated cheese block into several layers within the same canister, allowing high production capacity without the time penalty of sequential coagulation. This segmentation occurs after the preliminary coagulation action, resolving the time-space contradiction.
2Ease of operation
If knives are pressed vertically through all layers in the canister to divide curd into smaller blocks, then extraction from canister is facilitated, but the process is time-consuming and increases contamination risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies inversion by changing the cutting direction from vertical to horizontal. Instead of pressing knives vertically through layers as in prior art, the cutting device horizontally separates the cheese block into layers. This inverted approach achieves both easy extraction and reduced time, as horizontal cutting creates uniform layers that can be easily removed from the canister while requiring less complex knife movement through multiple layers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional vertical knife pressing mechanism with a horizontal cutting system that moves through the cheese block in a different mechanical path. The cutting device uses horizontal motion to separate layers, substituting the vertical mechanical action with horizontal action, which reduces time and contamination risk while maintaining extraction ease.
3Shape
If multiple layers are filled and coagulated sequentially in the canister, then the desired number of layers are achieved, but the canister must be stored in controlled atmosphere for extended periods increasing contamination risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by filling all cheese layers into the canister in sequence and then allowing them to coagulate simultaneously in a controlled manner. This preliminary filling of all layers before simultaneous coagulation reduces the total time the cheese must be stored in controlled atmosphere, thereby minimizing contamination risk while still achieving the desired multi-layer structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maintains continuity of useful action by keeping all cheese layers in the canister in a continuous coagulation process rather than interrupting for storage. All layers coagulate together in an uninterrupted sequence, eliminating the need for extended controlled atmosphere storage between layers and reducing exposure to contamination risks.
4Device complexity
If a vertical cutting method is used for square cross-section containers, then the cutting process is simple, but production time increases and contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies inversion by reversing the cutting direction from vertical to horizontal. Instead of cutting vertically through square containers as in prior art, the cutting device horizontally separates the cheese block into layers. This inverted approach dramatically improves productivity by reducing cutting time and contamination risk, while the device complexity remains manageable through the use of a straightforward horizontal cutting mechanism.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 2A~3B
Figure 4A~5I
AI summary
The present invention relates to devices and methods for cutting a cubic or cuboid block of cheese, contained in a container being open at the top. The cutting device of the present invention comprise an elongate vertical shaft and one or more horizontal extending knives extending out from the vertical shaft. The cutting device of the present invention is configured to move and rotate within at least two vertical planes within the block of cheese in a pre-determined sequence, thereby cutting the block of cheese in one or more horizontal planes.