Filled Pasta Machine Roller Synchronization for Cutting Precision
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing machines for making filled pasta struggle with inconsistent cutting of dough layers due to variations in thickness, leading to poor quality products.
Innovation Solution
A machine with a shaping device comprising two rollers and a cutting roller that advance and shape the dough layers to receive filling, seal them, and cut individually, maintaining synchronization between shaping and cutting steps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single pair of shaping and cutting rollers is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the manufacturing precision deteriorates due to inability to adapt to thickness variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the shaping and cutting function into two separate roller pairs: a first roller pair for shaping and a second roller pair for cutting. This segmentation allows each roller pair to be independently adjusted and optimized for its specific function, thereby maintaining high cutting precision while managing device complexity through functional separation rather than consolidation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces adjustable and interchangeable roller pairs that can be dynamically configured to adapt to different dough layer thicknesses. The cutting rollers can be adjusted in position and configuration to compensate for variations in dough thickness, enabling the system to maintain precise cutting across different product specifications without requiring complete hardware changes.
2Device complexity
If the cutting roller is positioned downstream of the shaping rollers, then the process flow is simplified, but the manufacturing precision deteriorates due to stress-induced deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the cutting rollers immediately adjacent to and in conjunction with the shaping rollers, allowing the cutting action to be performed while the dough is still under controlled shaping conditions. This preliminary cutting action prevents the dough from being subjected to stress-induced deformation during transport to a separate downstream cutting location, thereby maintaining cutting accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the shaping rollers as an intermediary mechanism that simultaneously performs both shaping and cutting functions. The shaping rollers act as mediators between the dough supply and the final cut product, ensuring that the cutting occurs under controlled conditions rather than after the dough has been subjected to stress during separate handling operations.
3Reliability
If the dough layers are sealed around the filling, then the product quality is improved, but the ease of manufacture deteriorates due to difficulty in adapting to thickness variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs adjustable roller pairs that can be dynamically positioned and configured to accommodate varying dough layer thicknesses. The shaping and cutting rollers can be adjusted to maintain proper sealing pressure and geometry across different thickness specifications, enabling the system to produce consistent quality products while adapting to manufacturing variations without requiring complete hardware reconfiguration.
Data Source
AI summary
This invention relates to a machine for making filled pasta and which comprises a first feeding device (9) for feeding a first layer (7) of pasta dough, a second feeding device (10) for feeding a second layer (8) of pasta dough and a shaping device (11) for shaping the filled pasta products (2), located downstream of the first and second feeding devices (9, 10), with reference to the direction of unrolling the first and second layers (7, 8) of pasta dough; the shaping device (11) comprises a first and a second advancing and shaping roller (23, 24) for the first and the second layer (7, 8), respectively, disposed to face and be tangent to each other at a coupling station (26) for coupling the first and the second layer (7, 8) around a respective filling (4) and a cutting roller (25) acting in conjunction with one of either the first or the second roller (23, 24), in particular with the second roller (24); the cutting roller (25) and the roller (24) of the shaping device (11) it acts in conjunction with, in particular the second roller (24), are tangent to each other at a cutting station (35) where each product (2) is separated from the first and the second layer (7, 8) of dough.