Microwave oven with a tray
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional microwave oven trays with rubber ferrite heat generators melt or are damaged at high temperatures, limiting cooking to below 200°C and making it difficult to achieve grill marks on food.
Innovation Solution
A microwave oven tray with heat generators formed from ceramic materials like carbon, graphite, or ferrite, applied through transfer coating on the surface, allowing for higher temperature cooking and grill mark formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If rubber ferrite is used as heat generator in microwave oven tray, then the tray can be manufactured with ease, but the tray cannot withstand high temperatures above 200°C and the heat generator melts or is damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials by combining ceramic particles (ferrite, carbon, or graphite) with a binder material to form a heat-resistant coating. This composite structure allows the tray to withstand high temperatures while maintaining manufacturability, as the ceramic particles provide heat resistance and the binder provides structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material composition parameters by replacing organic rubber ferrite with inorganic ceramic materials (ferrite, carbon, graphite) that have higher thermal stability. This parameter change enables the tray to operate at temperatures above 200°C without degradation of the heat generator.
2Reliability
If the tray temperature is kept below 200°C to protect rubber ferrite heat generator, then the heat generator is protected from damage, but grill marks cannot be formed on food
Solution Approach 1:
The ceramic-based composite heat generator enables the tray to reach temperatures above 200°C without damage, thereby enabling grill mark formation while maintaining heat generator durability through the inherent heat resistance of ceramic materials.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the material composition from rubber ferrite to ceramic materials, the maximum operating temperature parameter is increased from below 200°C to above 200°C, enabling new cooking functions such as grill mark formation while maintaining material durability.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional rubber ferrite heat generator is used, then the tray can be easily manufactured, but the tray surface becomes difficult to clean at high temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The ceramic particle composite coating provides a non-stick, heat-resistant surface that is easy to clean while maintaining ease of manufacture. The smooth ceramic surface prevents food residue adhesion even at high temperatures, solving the cleaning difficulty issue.
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
Enables cooking at temperatures up to 300°C or more, effectively forming grill marks on food while maintaining the tray's structural integrity and ease of cleaning.
Implementation Method 1
heat generators formed of a material absorbing high frequencies to generate heat
Implementation Method 2
heat generators formed of at least one of carbon, graphite and ferrite
Data Source
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AI summary
A tray for a microwave oven and a microwave oven having the same is disclosed. Heat generators are formed on the surface of a tray unit of the tray for a microwave oven through transfer coating carried out at a high temperature, and thus the tray for a microwave oven may be heated to a high temperature, thereby being capable of effectively forming a grill mark on food to be cooked.