Pivotable Comb Holder for Soft Food Cutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for cutting soft food masses, such as cheese, face issues with tines getting stuck between cutting disks, leading to tearing and jamming, and are difficult to clean and maintain, especially when producing thin strips.
Innovation Solution
A device with a pivotable comb holder that allows easy insertion and removal of comb tines between cutting disks, enabling a maintenance position for cleaning and preventing tines from being damaged during installation, and adjustable positioning for optimal operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If tines are inserted into intermediate spaces between cutting disks to prevent food band lifting, then the food band is held down effectively, but the tines are easily damaged and difficult to position correctly
Solution Approach 1:
The comb holder is made pivotable about the rotational axis of the cutting cylinder, allowing it to move between an operating position where tines engage the food band and a maintenance position where tines are accessible for installation and cleaning. This dynamic positioning resolves the contradiction by providing both effective hold-down function during operation and easy access during maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution adds a rotational dimension to the comb holder positioning, allowing it to pivot around the cutting cylinder's rotational axis. This creates two distinct operational states (operating and maintenance positions) that simultaneously satisfy both the need for reliable food band holding and easy tine installation/access.
2Manufacturing precision
If the device cuts extremely thin strips, then the cutting precision is improved, but the tines become more fragile and easily damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The pivotable comb holder allows the tines to be positioned precisely for cutting thin strips while providing easy access for replacement if damage occurs. The ability to quickly move to the maintenance position and replace tines compensates for their increased fragility when cutting extremely thin strips.
3Device complexity
If the comb holder is fixed in position, then the structure is simpler, but cleaning and maintenance of tines becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The comb holder is designed to pivot about the rotational axis, creating a simple rotational mechanism that provides easy access to the tines for cleaning and maintenance while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure. This resolves the contradiction by adding minimal complexity to enable easy maintenance.
4Productivity
If multiple cutting disks are used to produce multiple strips, then the productivity is improved, but the intermediate spaces become more difficult to access for tine installation
Solution Approach 1:
The pivotable comb holder allows the entire comb assembly to be rotated into a maintenance position where all tines become accessible regardless of the number of cutting disks. This resolves the contradiction by providing a unified access mechanism that works for any number of strips while maintaining high productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
A device for the longitudinal cutting of a wide food band of a soft food mass which is moved in a conveyance direction on a conveyor belt, wherein a cutting cylinder rotating in the conveyance direction is provided on which is mounted a number of cutting disks disposed coaxially to the rotational axis A for cutting into the food band with the edge thereof, wherein a comb having a plurality of comb tines is provided, which in an operating position engage into the intermediate spaces between the cutting disks during the longitudinal cutting in order to hold down the cut strips on the conveyor belt, wherein the comb is held on a comb holder so as to be pivotable about the rotational axis, wherein the comb holder can be transferred from the operating position and a maintenance position by pivoting about the rotational axis.