Lateral Feed Device for Compact Food Packaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging systems for food products, such as string or loaf-shaped meat and cheese, face inefficiencies in product insertion due to the need for long robot traverse paths and height differences, which complicates the alignment and space usage around packaging machines.
Innovation Solution
The packaging station integrates a feed device that overlaps or penetrates the packaging machine, allowing products to be fed in at an angle or perpendicular to the transport direction, reducing the distance the robot needs to cover and eliminating the need for conveyor belt retraction or tilting, thus achieving maximum compactness and efficient product transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the conveyor belts for supplying products are brought as close as possible to the packages in the packaging machine, then the robot's traverse path is minimized and productivity is improved, but the packaging machine becomes less accessible on its upper side and requires complex lateral infeed curves
Solution Approach 1:
The feed device is positioned laterally adjacent to the packaging machine rather than below it, changing the spatial dimension of product supply. This allows the robot to access products from the side, minimizing traverse paths while keeping the packaging machine's upper side accessible for maintenance and operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is divided into separate functional modules: a feed device for product supply, a packaging machine for packaging, and a robot for transfer. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and positioned to minimize robot traverse paths while maintaining accessibility.
2Reliability
If the feed device and packaging machine are arranged in a laterally cantilever configuration, then the insert can be positioned above the thermoformer for reliable insertion, but the robot has to cover large ranges resulting in slower operation
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of positioning the feed device vertically above the packaging machine (which would require large robot ranges), the system uses a lateral arrangement where the feed device is positioned beside the packaging machine. This dimensional change allows the robot to make short lateral movements while still achieving reliable product transfer.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional routing of feed belts over the packaging trays is used, then the products can be supplied parallel to the transport direction, but large spaces are required and lateral infeed curves are needed which complicate the system
Solution Approach 1:
The feed device is extracted from the traditional position below or over the packaging machine and relocated to a lateral position. This removes the need for complex overhead belt routing and lateral infeed curves, simplifying the system while reducing space requirements.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device for processing, handling and/or processing food products with a packaging machine and at least one feeding device which feeds products to be packaged to the packaging machine at a transfer area where the fed products reach packaging that passes through the transfer area in a transport direction, wherein the feeding device feeds the products at the transfer area in a feeding direction that is oblique or at least substantially perpendicular to the transport direction, and wherein the feeding device and the packaging machine overlap or interpenetrate each other in the transfer area.