Oscillating Drum Coating Machine for Confectionery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing confectionery coating machines suffer from core abrasion, non-homogeneous drying, and complex construction, leading to issues like crumb formation, powder generation, and difficulty in varying thermodynamic conditions, which are problematic for coating delicate products.
Innovation Solution
A machine with a hollow drum and a helix body that rotates in opposite directions, allowing for cyclic oscillation and independent control of drying air flow characteristics in each chamber, reducing core abrasion and enabling precise coating and drying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the drum rotates in a single direction and the spiral body rotates independently to displace cores, then continuous coating operation is achieved, but high rubbing and abrasion of cores occurs leading to crumb and powder formation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the drum rotation and spiral body rotation into a synchronized system where both rotate in the same direction at the same speed, eliminating relative motion between them. This merging of motion reduces friction and abrasion on the cores while maintaining continuous coating operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of rotating the spiral body independently in the conventional manner, the patent inverts the approach by making the drum and spiral body rotate together in the same direction, fundamentally changing the relative motion dynamics to reduce core abrasion.
2Device complexity
If the drum rotates in a single direction, then the coating process is simplified, but the mass of cores sets in an inclined position requiring suboptimal positioning of delivery nozzle and blower head
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic motion by oscillating the drum in alternate directions during the coating cycle. This dynamic adjustment allows the cores to be repositioned periodically, enabling optimal positioning of the delivery nozzle and blower head relative to the core mass without compromising process simplicity.
3Productivity
If the delivery nozzle and blower head are positioned within the chamber, then coating and drying functions are provided, but part of the coating syrup hits the blower head causing non-homogeneous drying
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses preliminary action by oscillating the drum to reposition the core mass before the coating syrup is sprayed. This pre-positioning ensures that the cores are in an optimal configuration that prevents syrup from hitting the blower head, thereby ensuring homogeneous drying.
Solution Approach 2:
The drum oscillation is implemented as a periodic action that alternates the position of the core mass during the coating cycle. This periodic repositioning prevents the syrup from consistently hitting the blower head, maintaining drying homogeneity while preserving coating and drying functions.
4Productivity
If the blower head delivers drying air flow, then the coating material is dried, but part of the air flow intersects the coating syrup jet perturbing it and making spraying adjustment problematical
Solution Approach 1:
The drum oscillation performs a preliminary action by repositioning the core mass before the coating syrup is sprayed and before the drying air flow is delivered. This pre-positioning ensures that the syrup jet and air flow do not intersect, facilitating easier spraying system adjustment while maintaining effective drying.
5Adaptability or versatility
If the machine structure is made complex to allow independent control of thermodynamic conditions in each chamber, then drying steps can be varied, but construction complexity and cleaning difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a single oscillating drum mechanism that serves multiple functions: it controls core positioning, manages thermodynamic conditions, and facilitates cleaning. This multi-functional design achieves thermodynamic adaptability without proportionally increasing construction complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The drum oscillation enables parameter changes by dynamically adjusting the position and configuration of the core mass within the chamber. This allows variation of thermodynamic conditions through a single mechanism, achieving versatility without requiring complex multi-component structures.
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
The machine effectively reduces core abrasion and powder formation, ensures homogeneous drying, and simplifies construction and cleaning, allowing for flexible thermodynamic adjustments and improved coating quality.
Implementation Method 1
a high degree of rubbing of the cores against one another and against the internal surfaces of the drum and of the spiral body, with the consequence that, even after relatively short periods of treatment, there is a progressive abrasion of the cores
Implementation Method 2
a blower head for delivering a drying air flow for drying the sprayed coating material
Implementation Method 3
a delivery nozzle is provided for spraying the material used for coating the cores
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A method and a machine (1) for continuous coating of cores of products, in particular confectionery products, in which a hollow drum (3) rotating about an axis of its own (4) carries, stably connected inside it, a body (20) wound axially in a helix or a spiral, with which it delimits a plurality of treatment chambers (22), each adapted to house a mass of cores to be treated; in at least part of the chambers (22), the mass of cores is sprayed with a coating material during rotation of the drum (3) in a first direction of rotation about its axis (4), and impinged upon by a flow of process air during rotation of the drum (3) in a second direction of rotation opposite to the first direction of rotation, before feeding the coated cores into an adjacent chamber (22) causing the drum (3) to perform a complete rotation in one of the two directions of rotation.