Removable Meat Grip Slide Rod for Faster Food Slicer Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food slicers with permanently attached or complex removable meat grip assembly slide rods face challenges in ease of removal and installation, adding complexity and cost to the manufacturing process.
Innovation Solution
A food product slicer with a slide rod mounting system featuring a non-circular opening defined by a retention ledge and a retention lug, allowing for easy installation and removal through a simple 120-degree rotational maneuver, facilitated by a resilient member biasing the slide rod outward.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a permanently attached meat grip assembly slide rod is used, then the structure is simple and reliable, but the ease of cleaning and breakdown is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The meat grip assembly is divided into separable components: the slide rod can be removed from the tray, allowing the tray to be cleaned separately. This segmentation enables complete disassembly for thorough cleaning while maintaining structural integrity during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The slide rod is designed to be extractable from the tray through a removal mechanism. This extraction capability allows the slide rod to be taken out for cleaning or replacement, improving ease of maintenance while maintaining reliable operation when installed.
2Ease of operation
If a removable slide rod with spring-biased pin or flexing retention clip is used, then the ease of removal and installation is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The slide rod is designed to be easily extracted from the tray through a simple removal mechanism. This extraction capability allows the slide rod to be taken out for cleaning or replacement, improving ease of maintenance while maintaining reliable operation when installed.
Solution Approach 2:
The meat grip assembly is divided into separable components: the slide rod can be removed from the tray, allowing the tray to be cleaned separately. This segmentation enables complete disassembly for thorough cleaning while maintaining structural integrity during operation.
3Reliability
If a threadedly attached slide rod is used, then the reliability of connection is improved, but the ease of removal and installation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The connection mechanism transitions from a static threaded attachment to a dynamic removable connection. The slide rod can be easily inserted and removed from the tray through a simple maneuver, providing both reliable connection during operation and ease of removal for cleaning.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution simplifies the process of cleaning and breakdown, enhances user willingness to sanitize, and provides a quick-release mechanism for the slide rod, making it easier to use and maintain.
Implementation Method 1
the slide rod is biased in a direction outwardly along the slide rod axis away from the knife
Data Source
AI summary
A food product slicer includes a base, a knife mounted for rotation relative to the base, a carriage assembly mounted to the base for reciprocal movement back and forth past a cutting edge of the knife, wherein the carriage includes a tray, a movable gauge plate for varying a thickness of food product slices, a slide rod releasably connected to the tray and having a slide rod axis and a meat grip assembly mounted on the slide rod. The slide rod is releasably retained to the tray by a seating arrangement, and the slide rod is biased outwardly along the slide rod axis away from the knife, and/or a mount arrangement of the slide rod includes a keyway style opening with slide rod retaining features.