Modular Injection Chamber for Meat Processing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing machines for injecting treatment fluids into meat or fish products face high maintenance and cleaning costs due to complex assembly and leak-tightness requirements, making these processes labor-intensive and expensive.

Innovation Solution

A modular injection chamber structure with interconnected longitudinal and transverse ducts, equipped with oscillating plates and seals, allows for easy detachment, assembly, and cleaning, featuring a block that can be fixed using articulated bolts and nuts for improved handling and leak-tightness.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of repair

If a traditional injection chamber structure is used, then the system maintains structural integrity and leak-tightness, but the maintenance and cleaning tasks become very expensive and labor-intensive due to difficulty of disassembly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of maintenanceVSAvoidassembly complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of repairVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The injection chamber is divided into multiple detachable blocks (first block, second block, third block) that can be easily separated from each other. Each block contains specific components (needles, ducts, seals) that can be independently accessed, removed, and cleaned. This segmentation allows maintenance personnel to disassemble the chamber for cleaning without requiring complete disassembly of the entire injection system, significantly reducing maintenance time and labor costs while maintaining structural integrity during operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of repair

If the injection chamber is made as a single integrated unit, then leak-tightness is maintained, but the cleaning and inspection tasks require significant labor time and are expensive

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of cleaningVSAvoidleak-tightness
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of repairVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The block structure is pre-configured with integrated sealing elements (seals, gaskets, or O-rings) at all connection interfaces between blocks and with the housing. These sealing components are built into the design from the beginning, ensuring leak-tightness is maintained during assembly. The seals are positioned at critical junctions where blocks connect to the housing and to each other, preventing fluid leakage while allowing the blocks to be easily detached for cleaning and reassembled for operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If the injection chamber structure is simplified for easy maintenance, then labor costs are reduced, but the structural integrity and leak-tightness may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemaintenance efficiencyVSAvoidstructural integrity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The injection chamber is divided into multiple detachable blocks (first block, second block, third block) that can be easily separated from each other. Each block contains specific components (needles, ducts, seals) that can be independently accessed, removed, and cleaned. This segmentation allows maintenance personnel to disassemble the chamber for cleaning without requiring complete disassembly of the entire injection system, significantly reducing maintenance time and labor costs while maintaining structural integrity during operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The block structure is pre-configured with integrated sealing elements (seals, gaskets, or O-rings) at all connection interfaces between blocks and with the housing. These sealing components are built into the design from the beginning, ensuring leak-tightness is maintained during assembly. The seals are positioned at critical junctions where blocks connect to the housing and to each other, preventing fluid leakage while allowing the blocks to be easily detached for cleaning and reassembled for operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2153728B2Machine for injecting fluids into meat or fish products
Publication Date: 2017.05.03 METALQUIMIA SA
  • EP2153728B2 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2153728B2 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2153728B2 patent drawingFigure 3a~3b

AI summary

The machine for injecting fluids into meat or fish products comprises an injection head with parallel hollow needles (11) that can be retracted by contrast elastic means, provided to be lifted and lowered in relation to a conveyor for conveying products, each needle (11) having an inlet opening leading into its cannula that can be located in a pressurized fluid injection chamber having a fluid inlet, the chamber being formed by a block with longitudinal ducts interconnected by ducts and a plurality of transverse ducts for the passage of the needles (11) intersecting the longitudinal ducts, each duct comprising sleeves provided with seals, said block being detachable from a housing for the head and fixed by oscillating plates, one for guiding the needles and the other (19) carrying a plurality of cylinders (20) supplying said contrast elastic means.