Rotating Forming Elements for Pizza Dough Edge Shaping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial machines for making pizzas with gluten-free flours face challenges in creating a pizza base with a characteristic outer edge, as the sticky and consistent dough tends to adhere to forming elements, preventing the formation of a disc with an edge similar to handmade pizzas.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with forming elements that rotate and widen to crush the dough uniformly, using dispensing means to release detaching substances like flour to prevent adhesion, allowing for the creation of a pizza disc with a defined edge, suitable for industrial production and automation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional forming pads are used to crush dough balls, then a circular shape with side edge can be imprinted, but the dough tends to stick to the pad and cannot be formed properly when using gluten-free flours
Solution Approach 1:
The dispensing means apply detaching substances to the forming elements before the dough comes into contact with them. This preliminary application of release agents prevents adhesion issues that would otherwise occur during the forming process, allowing gluten-free dough to be properly formed without sticking to the pads.
Solution Approach 2:
A detaching substance acts as an intermediary between the forming elements and the gluten-free dough. This intermediate layer prevents direct adhesion between the sticky dough and the forming pad surface, enabling the forming process to proceed successfully with difficult-to-form doughs.
2Device complexity
If a fixed pad is used to form the pizza disc, then the process is simple, but the apparatus cannot handle rows of dough blanks advancing on a conveyor belt
Solution Approach 1:
The forming elements are made rotatable and are capable of widening movement, transforming them from static to dynamic components. This allows the forming elements to process multiple dough blanks in sequence as they advance on the conveyor belt, enabling industrial-scale production while maintaining the simplicity of the basic forming mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable and widenable forming elements continuously process dough blanks as they move along the conveyor belt. This continuous action eliminates idle time between forming operations, maximizing productivity for industrial production while keeping the apparatus structure relatively simple.
3Manufacturing precision
If high pressure is applied to crush the dough uniformly, then the disc shape is well-formed, but the apparatus is not suitable for industrial use with advancing dough blanks
Solution Approach 1:
The forming elements incorporate rotation and widening movements that achieve uniform dough crushing without requiring excessive pressure. The dynamic motion distributes the forming action more evenly across the dough surface, allowing industrial processing of advancing blanks while maintaining good disc formation quality.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 2A
AI summary
Apparatus and method for making a pizza disc starting from dough blanks (30); it is provided to exert an operating step with pressure on the dough blank (30) by means of rotation and progressive enlargement of forming elements (2, 3) thereof; moreover, it is provided to release detaching substances at least during said operating step by means of dispensers (4, 5).