Counter-Rotating Pin Mill Housing Displacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Counter-rotating pin mills used for grinding food products face challenges in easy cleaning and maintenance due to the large diameter of interengaging grinding discs and rotating pins, which often result in bending and require extensive dismantling for access, violating hygiene regulations.
Innovation Solution
A counter-rotating pin mill design featuring a housing assembly with displaceable parts along the grinding axis via parallel slide assemblies, allowing for simple opening and closing without pin contact, and using hydraulically actuated positioning assemblies for easy operation, maintaining accessibility and preventing pin bending.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the housing is opened for cleaning and maintenance, then accessibility to the grinding space is improved, but the grinding pins of opposing grinding discs contact each other and bend
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into two separable parts (first housing part and second housing part) that can be moved apart along the grinding axis. This segmentation allows the grinding space to be accessed for cleaning without requiring the grinding pins to be separated, thus preventing pin contact and bending while providing easy accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
Slide assemblies act as intermediary bearing elements between the first and second housing parts. These slide assemblies guide the relative movement of the housing parts along the grinding axis while maintaining proper alignment, preventing direct contact between grinding pins during the opening/closing operation.
2Reliability
If the housing parts are made heavy for stability, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation for opening and closing deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Hydraulic actuation systems are used to provide the force necessary to move the heavy housing parts apart and together along the grinding axis. This hydraulic assistance enables easy operation of the housing opening/closing mechanism while maintaining the heavy, stable construction of the housing parts for reliable operation.
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
Enables straightforward cleaning and maintenance of the grinding space without risking pin damage, ensuring compliance with hygiene regulations and reducing manual labor through hydraulic assistance.
Implementation Method 1
using hydraulically actuated positioning assemblies for easy operation
Implementation Method 2
A bearing device is formed by at least two slide assemblies arranged in parallel with the grinding axis... Each of the at least two slide assemblies comprises a slide bushing arranged in the first housing part and a slide axle guided in the slide bushing
Data Source
AI summary
A counter-rotating pin mill for grinding food products includes a housing assembly comprising a first and a second housing part. A first and a second grinding shaft are arranged coaxially in the housing assembly on a grinding axis. A first grinding disk is arranged on an end of the first grinding shaft. A second grinding disk is arranged on an end of the second grinding shaft. The first and the second grinding disks are parallel to each other. A bearing device is formed by at least two slide assemblies arranged parallel with the grinding axis in the first housing part. The at least two slide assemblies comprises a slide bushing arranged in the first housing part and a slide axle guided in the slide bushing and being connected with the second housing part. The first and/or the second housing part is displaceable along the grinding axis via the bearing device.