Integrated Slicing and Packaging Machine for Compact Food Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In the field of food processing, existing packaging machines for slicing and packaging product bars, such as sausages or cheese sticks, face challenges in achieving high hygiene standards and compactness, particularly in minimizing machine length and preventing contamination of product slices during transportation.
Innovation Solution
A packaging machine system that integrates a slicing device directly above an insertion station, where cut product slices fall onto a bottom film web or into packaging troughs, eliminating the need for conveyor belts and allowing for a more compact design, with a storage table for sorting and positioning slices, and optional features like a robot for collecting incomplete portions and a gas stream for preventing particle contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If conveyor belts are used to transport product slices from the slicing device to the packaging machine, then the transportation function is achieved, but the machine length increases and hygiene is compromised due to longer contamination exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The slicing device and packaging machine are merged into a single integrated unit, where the slicing device is positioned directly above the packaging machine. This eliminates the need for separate conveyor belts to transport slices between devices, thereby reducing machine length while maintaining continuous transportation function within the integrated system
Solution Approach 2:
Product slices serve as the intermediary medium, falling directly from the slicing device into the packaging machine's receptacles. This direct gravitational feed eliminates the need for mechanical conveyor belts, achieving compact design while ensuring continuous material flow from slicing to packaging
2Object-affected harmful factors
If conveyor belts are used to transport product slices, then transportation is enabled, but hygiene deteriorates due to increased contamination risk during longer transportation distance
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the slicing device directly above the packaging machine, the transportation path is minimized to a direct vertical drop. This merging of functions eliminates intermediate horizontal transportation segments where contamination could occur, thereby improving hygiene while maintaining efficient slice delivery
Solution Approach 2:
Product slices are rapidly transferred from the slicing device to the packaging machine through direct gravitational feeding. This quick transfer minimizes the time slices are exposed to potential contaminants in the environment, thereby reducing contamination risk while achieving efficient transportation
3Length of moving object
If a compact design with integrated slicing device is used, then machine length is reduced, but device complexity increases due to integration requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated system is divided into functionally independent modules: the slicing device module positioned above, the product feed module, and the packaging machine module below. Each module can be independently designed, maintained, and replaced, reducing the practical complexity despite the integrated compact design
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated system performs multiple functions within a single compact unit: slicing, feeding, and packaging. This multi-functionality is achieved through standardized interfaces and modular components that can handle different product types, thereby managing complexity while achieving compact design
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for slicing a product bar into product slices using a slicing device. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a packaging machine for packaging product slices, comprising a plurality of workstations and a slicing device for slicing a product bar into product slices. The present invention also relates to a system consisting of a slicing device and a packaging machine.