Integrated Gripper for Forming and Handling Cookie Slugs
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for forming slugs of flat baked products like biscuits and cookies are inefficient, adding handling time, increasing production line length, and complicating machine synchronization due to multiple separate steps and devices involved in the slug formation and handling process.
Innovation Solution
A handling system comprising an infeed transport device, a slug gripper device with a mechanical gripper and vision system, and an outfeed transport device, where the gripper loads a group of staggered products, forms a slug, and unloads it into the outfeed, using a longitudinal retainer with elongated wall elements and a holding/pushing mechanism to compact the products into a slug.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If multiple separate devices or stages are used for slug formation, then each step can be specialized, but the production line length increases and handling time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate handling stages (grouping, compacting, separating) into a single integrated gripper device. The gripper performs all these operations in one unified mechanism, eliminating the need for multiple separate devices and reducing the overall production line length while maintaining specialized functionality for each handling step.
Solution Approach 2:
The gripper is designed as a multi-functional device that can perform grouping of products, compacting of the stack, and separation into slugs within a single mechanism. This universal design allows one device to replace multiple specialized devices, reducing handling time and increasing productivity.
2Ease of manufacture
If multiple separate devices are used for slug formation, then each function can be optimized, but device complexity and synchronization difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
By merging multiple functions into a single gripper device, the patent eliminates the synchronization complexity that would arise from coordinating multiple separate devices. The integrated design allows all functions (grouping, compacting, separating) to be performed sequentially within one mechanism, simplifying control and reducing the number of synchronization points required.
3Ease of manufacture
If separate stages are used for grouping and compacting, then each step can be specialized, but the production line length increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the grouping and compacting operations into a single integrated gripper mechanism that performs both functions in sequence without requiring separate stages. This integration significantly reduces the production line length while maintaining the specialized functionality needed for each operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A handling system, gripper device and a gripper for forming and handling slugs of flat baked products such as biscuits and cookies, said gripper being arranged for a mechanical type gripper as end-effector and being arranged to load a group of staggered products, form a slug from said group, and unload said slug into said outfeed transport device, said gripper comprising a longitudinal retainer comprising elongated wall elements extending along a longitudinal direction of said gripper and configured for an open position for loading said group of staggered products, and a closed position for unloading said slug into a tray transported by a transport device, a holding element for open and closed positions for loading and unloading said group of staggered products; and a pushing element for displacement of said pushing element in longitudinal direction into said retainer for compacting said group of staggered products into a slug.