Overhead Shaft Support for Food Equipment Maintenance Access
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food processing equipment requires substantial time and effort to service or replace bearings, bushings, and seals due to non-serviceable designs, often causing damage to equipment surfaces and space constraints during maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A temporary shaft support system that suspends the shaft from above using a lift mechanism, allowing technicians to access and service components without occupying floor space, featuring a holder, lift, and a threaded actuator for vertical movement, and a slip surface for reduced friction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If prior art temporary shaft supports are built inside the equipment to support shafts from below, then the shaft can be temporarily supported, but the footprint occupies large areas on the bottom walls and presents maneuvering difficulties for technicians
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional support approach by suspending the shaft from above rather than supporting it from below. The holder engages the upper end of the shaft and suspends it from the lift mechanism, which is attached to the vat wall or top. This inversion eliminates the need for large footprints on the bottom wall and provides unobstructed access for technicians to service bearings, bushings, and seals.
2Reliability
If prior art temporary shaft supports are built inside the equipment, then the shaft can be temporarily supported, but the supports may scratch or damage inner surfaces of walls of the equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces protective intermediaries between the support system and the equipment surfaces. The holder includes protective elements that prevent direct contact between metal components and the shaft, avoiding scratching. Additionally, the lift mechanism is positioned outside the vat or engages the top wall, eliminating the need for supports to contact the inner wall surfaces directly.
3Ease of repair
If shafts are supported from below using prior art temporary supports, then the shaft can be unloaded from supporting components, but the supports occupy large areas on the bottom walls of the equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions the support system from a two-dimensional footprint on the bottom wall to a three-dimensional suspension system utilizing the vertical dimension. The lift mechanism attaches to the top or side walls and suspends the shaft vertically, freeing up the entire bottom floor area for technician movement and component access.
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
Facilitates easier and safer maintenance by providing ample workspace within the vat, reducing damage risks and improving maneuverability for technicians, while allowing for efficient servicing of rotating assemblies.
Implementation Method 1
The threaded actuator may include a threaded segment of the rod and may also include a handle that can rotate and that engages the threaded segment of the rod so that rotation of the handle forces the rod and holder to travel upwardly or downwardly.
Implementation Method 2
A slip surface may be provided between the handle and a base that engages a supporting surface of the vat. The slip surface may have a lower coefficient of friction than the bottom surface of the central hub of the handle
Data Source
AI summary
A temporary shaft support system is provided that can be used with an enclosure such as food processing equipment. The system may include a holder for engaging a shaft to be supported, and a lift that is supported from the food processing equipment at a position that is higher than the shaft to allow the shaft to be suspended and supported without occupying floor space of the food processing equipment. The lift may be supported by a top wall of the food processing equipment or may be supported by a drive mount that attaches a shaft-rotating drive to the food processing equipment.