Ice Maker with Heatable Shaping Mold for Clear Spherical Ice Formation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice making machines often produce ice pieces with air bubbles and impurities, which affect their aesthetic appearance, and typically do not provide repetitive, shaped ice pieces such as large spheres.
Innovation Solution
An ice maker system that includes an ice forming mold, a cooling mechanism, a water supply system, and a sphere ice sorting mechanism, utilizing a controlled water stream and mold rotation to form clear ice pieces, followed by a heatable shaping mold to define a final shape, ensuring uniform ice formation without bubbles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a conventional ice making machine is used, then ice pieces can be produced quickly, but the ice pieces contain air bubbles and impurities that adversely affect aesthetic appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The ice making process is divided into distinct stages: water supply through nozzle, controlled freezing on mold surface, and separation from mold. This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized independently for producing clear ice without excessive complexity
Solution Approach 2:
Air bubbles and impurities are extracted from the water supply system before ice formation. The system removes harmful elements from the water stream, allowing clear ice to form on the mold surface without incorporating bubbles or contaminants
2Manufacturing precision
If a flow of fluid is used over an ice forming member to remove air bubbles, then ice piece clarity is improved, but the system cannot produce repetitive shaped ice pieces such as large spheres
Solution Approach 1:
The mold surface is designed with specific curved geometries that define spherical ice piece shapes. By incorporating spherical cavities in the mold, the system consistently produces repetitive spherical ice pieces while maintaining clarity through controlled water flow over the curved surface
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes physical parameters such as mold temperature, water flow rate, and nozzle positioning to optimize ice formation for specific shapes. These parameter adjustments enable consistent production of shaped ice pieces like spheres while maintaining clarity
3Manufacturing precision
If water is continuously streamed over the mold surface to form ice layer-by-layer, then clear ice is produced, but the process requires precise control of water flow and mold temperature
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms that monitor water flow rate and mold temperature during ice formation. This feedback allows real-time adjustments to maintain optimal conditions for clear ice production, ensuring uniform layer-by-layer freezing without excessive system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The mold design and water nozzle configuration are optimized to naturally promote uniform water distribution and heat transfer. This self-service approach reduces the need for complex active control systems while maintaining precise ice formation uniformity
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 system effectively produces large, clear, and shaped ice pieces, such as spheres, by maintaining mold temperature and water flow uniformity, resulting in transparent and aesthetically appealing ice.
Implementation Method 1
A liquid conduit is configured to carry a liquid for cooling the first mold surface
Implementation Method 2
Water is continuously streamed over the mold surface to form the ice piece layer-by-layer in a controlled manner
Implementation Method 3
pressing a heated shaping mold against the formed ice piece and thereby melting the formed ice piece to define a finished ice piece
Data Source
AI summary
An ice maker includes an ice forming mold having a first mold surface defining a first cavity. A fluid conduit is configured to carry a cooling fluid for cooling the first mold surface. A water outlet is positioned and configured to stream water over the first mold surface. A heatable shaping mold includes a second mold surface defining a second cavity. One or both of the shaping mold and the ice forming mold are moveable relative to each other from an ice forming position, wherein the shaping mold is spaced apart from the ice forming mold, and a shaping position, wherein the shaping mold and the ice forming mold are abutted such that the second cavity of the shaping mold and the first cavity of the ice forming mold define an ice piece shape. A method of forming clear ice pieces is also provided.