Panko Coating Apparatus Solid Belt Recirculation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Commercial-scale food product coating apparatuses struggle to handle Panko-style bread crumb, which has a high moisture content and intermediate properties between dry particulate and thick viscous fluids, often causing clogging and sanitation issues due to its sticky and gumming nature.

Innovation Solution

A food product coating apparatus featuring a main conveyor with a solid web belt, a coating-material spreading system, and a recirculation system that collects and re-applies excess coating material, using a combination of bottom-coat and top-coat sprinkling conveyors with paddles to manage and distribute Panko effectively, avoiding the limitations of open wire mesh and drag-link constructions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If open wire mesh conveyor construction is used for dry particulate material, then dry particulate material is easily conveyed, but Panko sticks fast to the underlying support panel and builds mounds causing clogging

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconveyance of dry particulate materialVSAvoidcontinuous operation without clogging

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the fundamental parameter of conveyor belt material from open wire mesh to solid plastic or metal belt. This parameter change prevents Panko from sticking by eliminating the porous structure that allows moisture absorption and adhesion, while maintaining conveyance capability through the solid surface design

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent converts the harmful sticky nature of moist Panko into a beneficial coating mechanism. By allowing Panko to adhere to the solid belt surface temporarily, the system creates a controlled application method where the sticky property becomes useful for coating rather than harmful for clogging

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

2Ease of operation

If Panko is dried in an oven to reduce moisture content, then the material can run through dry particulate machines, but the coating material loses its fresh moist properties and requires additional drying equipment

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompatibility with existing dry particulate machinesVSAvoidadditional drying equipment

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the operational parameter of the conveyor system to accommodate high-moisture materials. By modifying the belt material and conveyor design, the system can handle Panko at 40-50% moisture content without requiring pre-drying, thus eliminating the need for additional drying equipment while maintaining ease of operation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Ease of operation

If drag-link conveyor construction is used, then dry particulate material is conveyed effectively, but Panko gums up the inside niche of each cell or pocket

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconveyance of dry particulate materialVSAvoidgumming and clogging of conveyor cells

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the conveyor construction parameter from drag-link with cells or pockets to solid plastic or metal belt. This eliminates the niches and cavities where moist Panko would gum up and harden, preventing the harmful gumming effect while maintaining effective conveyance capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Productivity

If recirculation system is implemented, then excess coating material is recovered and re-applied, but the system complexity increases with additional conveyors and collection mechanisms

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecoating material utilization efficiencyVSAvoidrecirculation system components

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the recirculation function with the existing conveyor system by using the same solid belt conveyor to both apply and recover coating material. The conveyor belt serves dual purposes: as the application surface and as the collection mechanism, eliminating the need for separate recirculation conveyors and reducing overall system complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The solid belt conveyor is designed to perform multiple functions: conveying food products, applying Panko coating material, and recovering excess coating material for recirculation. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed while maintaining high productivity through efficient material utilization

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS10306912B2Food product coating apparatus for panko crumb and the like

Publication Date: 2019.06.04 NOTHUM MANUFACTURING CO

AI summary

A food product coating apparatus has a main conveyor, a coating-material spreading system for spreading coating material across the main conveyor, and a coating-material recirculation system for recirculating excess-coating material spilling out the discharge end of the main conveyor. The recirculation system has at least one transverse collection conveyor and at least one counter-flow return conveyor, both of which like the main conveyor made of solid web material. The coating-material spreading system comprises a first overhead sifting loader near the intake end and a spaced away second overhead sifting loader. A food-product inflow conveyor transfers an inflow of food product to the main conveyor between the first and second loaders.