Pizza Dough Stretching Machine with Radial Groove Pressing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dough-stretching machines are inefficient for producing planar shapes of food dough, particularly for pizzas with thick crusts, as they require manual finishing and are not suitable for quick production in commercial settings, leading to loss of leavening gases and inconsistent product quality.
Innovation Solution
A dough-stretching machine with a frame, support plane, and dough-stretching unit that mimics manual stretching techniques using a shaped plate and radial grooves, allowing for gentle pressure distribution and radial movement of dough to create a home-made appearance without prior compression, featuring a telescopic shaft and kinematic means for precise control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a rolling pin or roller machine is used to stretch the dough, then the stretching operation becomes easier and more consistent, but there is greater loss of leavening gases in the mixture
Solution Approach 1:
The pressing element features an uneven lower surface with central protrusions and peripheral recesses, creating localized pressure zones. The central protrusions apply pressure only to the center of the dough, allowing leavening gases to migrate outward without being compressed away, while still achieving the desired stretching effect.
2Loss of substance
If manual stretching is used, then the product has a home-made appearance and leavening gases are preserved, but production time increases and requires more operators
Solution Approach 1:
The pressing element replicates the finger-pressing action of manual stretching through its geometric design. The central protrusions and peripheral recesses mimic the pressure distribution of human fingers, automatically reproducing the home-made stretching effect without requiring human operators.
3Productivity
If roller machines with compression are used, then stretching efficiency improves, but the dough requires subsequent manual finishing to achieve home-made appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The pressing element's geometric design automatically creates the desired dough shape and texture during the stretching process itself. The central protrusions and peripheral recesses work together to produce a home-made appearance without requiring any subsequent manual finishing operations.
4Productivity
If roller machines are used for industrial production, then production speed increases, but the machine is not suitable for pizzas with thick crust
Solution Approach 1:
The pressing element is designed with adjustable parameters including the height and distribution of central protrusions, allowing it to adapt to different dough types and desired crust thicknesses. This geometric flexibility enables the same device to handle both thin and thick crust pizzas while maintaining high production speed.
Data Source
AI summary
A dough-stretching machine, which is particularly adapted to stretch pizza dough, includes a frame associated with which are a support plane for the mass of dough to be stretched; a dough-stretching unit arranged at the top and coaxially to the support plane according to the defined vertical axis of the frame; movement apparatus for moving the support plane towards/away from the dough-stretching unit. The dough-stretching unit includes a modelling body configured to come into contact with the mass of dough; a plate in which a plurality of radial grooves are identified, each of which slidably houses a modelling element for the mass of dough; kinematic apparatus adapted to move the modelling elements along the radial grooves towards the vertical axis or away from the axis itself. The kinematic apparatus comprising a threaded shaft having one end operatively connected to motorisation and the opposite end rotatably associated with the plate; a central core provided with a nut fixed on the threaded shaft; a plurality of rods each having one end hinged to one of the modelling elements and the opposite end hinged to the central core.