Modular Roller Grinding Mill for Scalable Small Batch Brewing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing roller grinding mills are not adaptable for small batch environments and lack ease of serviceability, making them unsuitable for small craft beer brewing operations, and initial investments are not scalable as businesses grow.
Innovation Solution
A modular roller grinding mill design featuring adjustable and fixed grinding rollers with precision gap adjustment, driven by a motor with variable speed control, allowing for easy expansion and maintenance, with modules that can be easily added or replaced as needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional roller grinding mills are designed for high capacity beer production, then manufacturing efficiency and productivity are improved, but adaptability to small batch environments and ease of serviceability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The roller mill is divided into separate functional modules including a hopper module, grinding module, and collection module. Each module can be independently manufactured, assembled, and serviced. The grinding module contains the roller assembly that can be easily removed and replaced, enabling the system to adapt to different production scales while maintaining high efficiency capability when needed.
2Productivity
If traditional roller grinding mills are designed for high capacity beer production, then productivity is improved, but ease of serviceability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The mill is segmented into modular components where the grinding roller assembly can be independently accessed and serviced. The roller is positioned such that it can be removed from the end of the housing without disassembling the entire mill, allowing quick maintenance and repair while preserving the high-capacity grinding capability when the roller is new.
Solution Approach 2:
The design incorporates features that enable operators to perform basic maintenance tasks without specialized mechanical training or tools. The roller can be manually removed and replaced by opening access ports, and the modular design allows users to service the mill themselves, eliminating the need for dedicated maintenance staff while maintaining high productivity.
3Ease of manufacture
If purpose-built high capacity mills are used, then manufacturing efficiency is improved, but scalability and cost-effectiveness for growing businesses deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The mill is constructed from standardized modular components that can be manufactured using efficient batch production techniques. Each module (hopper, grinding mechanism, collection chamber) can be independently manufactured and then assembled, allowing the base design to be produced efficiently while enabling customers to start with a small configuration and add modules as their business grows.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular design creates universal interfaces and standardized components that can be used across different mill configurations. A single hopper module can serve a small homebrew setup, and additional grinding modules can be added later to serve a growing craft brewery, making the initial investment scalable without requiring complete system replacement.
Data Source
AI summary
A roller mill module with a fixed grinding roller with a first grind surface rotatably supported within a grind area between a first drive end and a second drive end of a support structure; an adjustable grinding roller with a second grind surface rotatably supported within the grind area; the adjustable grinding roller movable with respect to the fixed grinding roller to adjust a grind gap between the first grind surface and the second grind surface; a drive shaft of the fixed grinding roller and a drive shaft of the adjustable grinding roller extending from the first and the second drive ends of the support structure; and a sample port provided in a front side of the support structure; a sample passage coupled to the sample port extending to a position below the grind area and opposite a sampler stop surface.