Cylindrical Meat Packaging Device With Locking Blades
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging methods for cylindrical or frusto-conical meat products are inefficient in preventing liquid leakage and odor give-off, leading to waste of labor and material, and often result in the packaging material being incorporated into the meat product.
Innovation Solution
A packaging device with a rotating frame, robot arm, and locking blades that wraps a flexible coating material around the meat product in an automated manner, ensuring a liquid-tight seal and preventing material from slipping into the meat.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If manual wrapping with folio material is used, then the packaging process is simple, but liquid leakage from the bottom end cannot be prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging process is segmented into distinct functional components: the wrapping mechanism applies folio material to the cylindrical meat product, while separate locking blades independently secure the bottom end. This segmentation allows each component to specialize in its function, with the locking blades providing reliable leakage prevention without complicating the overall manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking blades act as an intermediary element between the wrapping mechanism and the final packaged product. They mediate the sealing process by compressing the folio material at the bottom end, creating a reliable seal that prevents liquid leakage while maintaining the simplicity of the manual wrapping approach.
2Reliability
If the meat product is wrapped many times with strip material to prevent leakage, then liquid leakage is prevented, but labor time and packaging material are wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging system divides the sealing function into two parts: initial wrapping provides basic coverage, while the locking blades provide specialized bottom-end sealing. This eliminates the need for excessive wrapping layers, as the locking blades achieve reliable leakage prevention in a single action, dramatically improving packaging efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking blades change the physical state of the folio material at the bottom end by applying compression, transforming it from a loose wrap into a tight seal. This parameter change (from unwrapped to compressed/sealed) achieves reliable leakage prevention without requiring multiple wrapping layers, thus maintaining productivity.
3Ease of operation
If the strip material is manually wrapped, then the packaging process is flexible, but the strip material slips into the meat slices
Solution Approach 1:
The locking blades serve as an intermediary that secures the folio material at the bottom end before the wrapping process completes. This intermediary action prevents the strip material from slipping into the meat slices by creating a fixed anchor point, eliminating contamination while preserving the flexibility of manual wrapping operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking blades perform a preliminary securing action at the bottom end of the meat product during the wrapping process. This preliminary action prevents subsequent slippage of the strip material into the meat slices, eliminating contamination risks while maintaining operational flexibility.
4Manufacturing precision
If automated packaging with rotation and locking blades is used, then packaging quality is standardized and leakage is prevented, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The automated packaging device is segmented into modular functional units: a rotation mechanism for the meat product, a wrapping mechanism for applying folio material, and locking blades for bottom-end sealing. This segmentation allows each component to be simple and well-defined, achieving standardized packaging quality without excessive overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking blades perform multiple functions: they compress the folio material to create a seal, prevent liquid leakage, and stop the strip material from slipping into the meat. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components, maintaining device simplicity while achieving high packaging precision and consistency.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A packaging device for packaging a meat product having a cylindrical shape is disclosed. The device has a robot arm which is rotatably attached to the arm holder and which, in use, carries a roll of a flexible coating material for wrapping on the surface of the meat product. Said packaging device further comprises a pair of locking blades which are adapted to move in the horizontal plane. The pair of locking blades compresses the flexible coating material at the bottom end of the meat product such that the flexible coating material is matted on the bottom surface of the meat product when said meat product is rotated around its primary axis.