Imprint Tool Retainer Lock System for Precision Food Decoration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current food decoration presses lack precision and repeatability in creating impressions, as they often move during use and are opaque, making it difficult for decorators to accurately place designs without manual estimation, leading to imperfect results and increased decoration time.
Innovation Solution
An imprinter with a retainer and lock system that secures press pieces in place, allowing for precise alignment and visibility, enabling decorators to create consistent and accurate impressions of various designs without manual handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If current presses are used to create impressions, then decoration can be performed, but the press pieces move during use resulting in imprecise and non-repeatable impressions
Solution Approach 1:
The press is divided into separate components: a retainer body that holds the press piece and a lock mechanism that secures it. This segmentation allows the press piece to be firmly held while enabling easy replacement and adjustment of designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The press piece is pre-positioned within the retainer body before use, and the lock mechanism is engaged to secure it in place. This preliminary securing action prevents movement during the impression-making process, ensuring precision and repeatability.
2Measurement precision
If opaque presses are used, then the press structure is simple, but decorators cannot see through the presses making it difficult to accurately locate and orient impressions
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer body is made transparent or translucent, allowing decorators to visually see through the press. This enables accurate observation of the press piece position and orientation relative to the food product, ensuring precise placement without losing sightline information.
3Manufacturing precision
If decorators manually handle press pieces to keep them in place, then some control is achieved, but this increases decoration time and complicates the process
Solution Approach 1:
The lock mechanism automatically secures the press piece in place without requiring continuous manual intervention. Once locked, the press piece remains firmly held during the impression process, maintaining consistency while freeing the decorator's hands to work efficiently on multiple items.
4Manufacturing precision
If current presses are used, then basic decoration is possible, but combining alphanumeric and non-alphanumeric designs is difficult resulting in imperfect borders and lines
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer body and lock mechanism provide a universal securing system that can hold various types of press pieces including alphanumeric characters and non-alphanumeric decorative elements. This multi-functional design enables precise combination of different design types with perfect borders and lines, while maintaining simple operation through the standardized locking mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
An imprinter for creating impressions of designs in media such as buttercream, fondant, gum paste, modeling dough, and cookie dough for decoration. The imprinter includes a retainer having a retainer body and at least one retaining portion and a lock configured to be received by the retainer. The lock has a lock retaining portion engageable with the retaining portion of the retainer to selectably secure the lock to the retainer.