Pasta Forming Nozzle and Knife Layout for Downward Dough Ejection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pasta-forming installations face issues with high production rates leading to premature ejection of dough pieces, interference with flouring processes, excessive flour consumption, complex maintenance, and operational delicacy, resulting in production disruptions and quality inconsistencies.
Innovation Solution
A pasta-forming device with a cutting roller featuring individual knives that exert a downward driving force on dough pieces during cutting, combined with a flouring device positioned above the extrusion nozzles to apply flour before cutting, ensuring a controlled, downward ejection trajectory and precise cutting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high rotational speed is used for the cutting roller to achieve high production rates, then productivity is improved, but dough pieces are prematurely ejected from cups due to centrifugal force
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting roller is divided into multiple independent cups arranged in a circle, each cup capable of independently receiving and holding a dough piece. This segmentation allows the cutting roller to rotate at high speeds while maintaining reliable dough piece containment in each individual cup, resolving the contradiction between productivity and ejection control.
2Productivity
If the cutting roller rotates at high speed to increase production rate, then productivity is improved, but the trajectory of cups interferes with flouring process
Solution Approach 1:
The flouring device is positioned in a different spatial dimension (above the cutting roller) and operates independently in the vertical direction, while the cutting roller operates horizontally. This dimensional separation eliminates interference between the flouring process and cup trajectory, allowing high-speed rotation to continue without compromising flouring effectiveness.
3Productivity
If cups rotate rapidly to maintain high production rate, then productivity is improved, but flour is retained in cups causing excessive consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The flouring device applies flour to the dough pieces before they are placed in the cups or before the cups reach the scoring zone. This preliminary flouring action ensures adequate lubrication is applied in advance, preventing flour retention during high-speed rotation and reducing overall flour consumption while maintaining production rate.
4Productivity
If complex cup-based cutting mechanism is used to achieve continuous cutting, then productivity is improved, but maintenance complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cup-based cutting roller design allows each cup to function independently and the entire assembly to be easily disassembled for cleaning and maintenance. The modular structure enables self-service maintenance where individual cups can be replaced or serviced without affecting the entire system, reducing maintenance complexity while maintaining continuous production capability.
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 solution enables high production rates with reduced flour consumption, clean and reliable forming, simplified maintenance, and robust operation, while minimizing production interruptions and maintaining optimal quality.
Implementation Method 1
However, using high rotational speeds can lead to premature and untimely ejection of the dough pieces from their individual cups due to centrifugal force
Implementation Method 2
the trajectory of the cups is likely to interfere significantly with that of the flour, hindering the flouring process
Data Source
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AI summary
Pasta forming device, installation and corresponding manufacturing process. The pasta forming device comprises extrusion nozzles, knives for cutting said extrudates to form dough pieces, and a flouring device, characterized in that the knives are designed to exert a downward force on each of said dough pieces to impart a downward ejection trajectory to them, said flouring device being arranged above the nozzle outlet to flour said extrudates as soon as they exit the nozzles.