Stainless Steel Mozzarella Rollers for Hygienic Shredding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mozzarella shredding machines suffer from inadequate shredding performance, frequent downtime due to shredding issues and complex cleaning processes, and hygiene concerns, particularly with plastic rollers and inconvenient hopper removal.
Innovation Solution
A mozzarella shredding apparatus with stainless steel cylindrical rollers featuring staggered teeth and recesses, adjustable angular rotation speeds, and a removable hopper system, allowing for efficient shredding, reduced downtime, and improved hygiene.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If plastic rollers with discs are used for shredding mozzarella, then the shredding operation can be automated, but the mozzarella shreds get wrapped around the rollers and stuck in the space between discs, causing frequent downtime
Solution Approach 1:
The roller surface is segmented into multiple discs with spacing between them, allowing mozzarella to be processed in sections rather than as a continuous mass, reducing wrapping and sticking issues
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using smooth rollers that cause wrapping, the invention uses disc-shaped rollers with recesses that actively prevent wrapping by creating separation points and altering the contact geometry between the roller and mozzarella
2Ease of manufacture
If plastic rollers are used for shredding mozzarella, then the shredding operation can be performed, but bacterial charges remain in the joining areas of the rollers, creating hygiene concerns
Solution Approach 1:
The roller is made from a single material (stainless steel) throughout, eliminating the joining areas between different materials where bacteria could accumulate, ensuring uniform hygienic properties across the entire roller surface
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses stainless steel material that combines durability with inherent hygiene properties, replacing the plastic material that was difficult to clean and sanitize
3Stability of the object's composition
If the hopper and sliding plate are fixed to the machine body, then the structure is stable, but they must be removed by sliding the metal plate horizontally in a very inconvenient, slow and impractical manner
Solution Approach 1:
The hopper assembly is segmented from the main machine body, allowing it to be independently removed for cleaning without affecting the stability of the remaining structure
Solution Approach 2:
The hopper mounting transitions from a fixed rigid connection to a dynamic removable connection, allowing the hopper to be easily detached and reattached as needed for cleaning operations
4Speed
If the rollers are keyed onto rotating shafts, then the rollers can be rotated, but the cleaning of this type of machine is complex and delicate
Solution Approach 1:
The roller assembly is segmented to allow easy separation of the roller from the drive mechanism, simplifying cleaning access without compromising the rotational function
Solution Approach 2:
The roller can be extracted from the machine body for separate cleaning, removing the complexity of cleaning internal joining areas and allowing the roller to be cleaned independently
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an apparatus for processing semi-finished dairy products, particularly for processing fryed and/or shredded mozzarella constituiting one of the filling components of finished dairy products such as burrata. The apparatus is equipped with a pair of counter-rotating rollers, fed from above and driven by independent motors, capable of fraying and/or teraing and/or shredding the fed mozzarella to produce the shreds which, in turn are collected in a special drawer below the counter-rotating rollers.