Packaging Machine Film Unit Pivoting for Hygiene
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging machines face challenges in cleaning sensitive components without damaging them, especially when packaging food products like cheese, as cleaning agents and water can harm components like the film knife and guides during intensive cleaning processes.
Innovation Solution
The film unit, folding channel, and sealing lamellae are designed to pivot between an operating and cleaning position, allowing them to be shielded from direct product contact and cleaning agents, enabling the machine to be cleaned without exposing sensitive parts to water and cleaning agents, while maintaining accessibility for other components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the packaging machine is cleaned intensively with water and cleaning agents, then the hygiene requirements are met, but the sensitive machine components (film knife, guides) are damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging machine is divided into two separate modules: a stationary support frame containing cleaning-sensitive components (film unit, folding channel, sealing lamellae) and a movable feed unit containing product-contact components. This segmentation allows the cleaning-sensitive components to be isolated from the cleaning process while enabling thorough cleaning of the feed unit and packaging piston, thus resolving the contradiction between hygiene compliance and component protection
Solution Approach 2:
The feed unit is extracted as a separate movable component from the stationary support frame. This extraction enables the feed unit to be removed and cleaned separately with intensive cleaning agents and water, while the sensitive components remaining in the stationary frame are protected from direct contact with cleaning agents, thereby meeting hygiene requirements without damaging sensitive parts
2Stability of the object's composition
If the film unit is fixed in position, then the packaging process is stable, but the machine cannot be cleaned without exposing sensitive parts to water and cleaning agents
Solution Approach 1:
The feed unit is designed with movable mounting relative to the stationary support frame, allowing it to be dynamically repositioned or removed. This dynamic design enables the feed unit to be accessed for cleaning while the sensitive components in the stationary frame remain protected, thus improving cleaning accessibility without compromising the stability of the packaging process when the unit is in its working position
3Device complexity
If all components are cleaned together, then the cleaning process is simple, but sensitive components are exposed to harmful cleaning agents
Solution Approach 1:
The machine is segmented into a stationary frame with protected components and a movable feed unit with cleaning-exposed components. This segmentation allows selective cleaning of only the feed unit and packaging piston that require intensive cleaning, while the sensitive components in the stationary frame are automatically protected, thus simplifying the cleaning process by eliminating the need to protect individual components while still preventing harmful exposure
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a packaging machine with a stationary support frame (10) in which a feed unit (20), a film unit (24), a folding unit with a packaging piston (22), a folding channel (26) and sealing flaps (28), and a discharge unit are held. The film unit (24) is movably mounted relative to the support frame (10) such that it is adjustable between an operating position and a cleaning position relative to the feed unit (20) and the packaging piston (28).