Locking Stirrer Assembly for Removable Food Scrapers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food product making and dispensing machines require stirrers that are difficult to remove and replace for cleaning and maintenance, especially when transitioning between different types of products.
Innovation Solution
The stirrer design includes interlocking scraping elements and locking elements that allow easy removal and replacement by transitioning between engaged and disengaged positions, ensuring simultaneous rotation and preventing relative movement, facilitating easy disassembly and assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the stirrer is designed to remain in constant contact with the product for effective mixing, then the mixing function is improved, but the ease of removal and replacement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The stirrer is divided into multiple separable components including the stirrer body, scraping elements, and locking elements. This segmentation allows the stirrer to maintain effective contact with the product during operation while enabling easy disassembly for removal and cleaning by separating the components from each other and from the container.
2Manufacturing precision
If the stirrer includes scraping elements that contact the container walls for uniform mixing, then the mixing uniformity is improved, but the complexity of cleaning and maintenance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The scraping elements are designed as separate, detachable components that can be easily removed from the stirrer body and container walls. This segmentation maintains the uniform mixing function during operation while significantly simplifying cleaning and maintenance by allowing each component to be accessed and cleaned independently without disassembling the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
The scraping elements are extracted as removable components from the stirrer assembly. This extraction allows the scraping function to be maintained during operation while enabling easy removal for cleaning purposes, reducing the overall cleaning complexity despite the presence of multiple contact surfaces.
3Ease of repair
If the stirrer is designed for frequent removal and replacement for cleaning, then the ease of maintenance is improved, but the reliability of continuous operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The stirrer incorporates dynamic locking elements that can transition between engaged and disengaged states. When engaged, these locking elements secure the scraping elements to the stirrer body, ensuring reliable continuous operation. When disengaged, they allow quick removal for maintenance, thus providing both operational reliability and ease of maintenance through a single design.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the stirrer includes multiple locking elements for secure attachment, then the operational stability is improved, but the ease of assembly and disassembly deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The locking elements are designed with dynamic characteristics, allowing them to be easily engaged and disengaged through simple movements. When engaged, they provide secure attachment ensuring operational stability. When disengaged, they enable quick assembly and disassembly operations. The dynamic design transforms what would be static, difficult-to-adjust connections into simple, reversible actions.
Data Source
AI summary
A machine for processing liquid or semi-liquid food products, includes: at least one container for containing the product to be processed; and at least one stirrer, mounted inside the container, to rotate about an axis of rotation. The stirrer includes at least: a first protuberance extending along the axis of rotation; a plurality of scraping elements, each provided with a cavity for accommodating the first protuberance; a first locking element, removably associable with the first protuberance and movable between an engaged position, where it is locked to the first protuberance to couple the scraping elements to the first protuberance, and a disengaged position, where it is movable relative to the first protuberance to allow uncoupling the scraping elements.