Reinforced Baking Tray Edge Structure to Prevent Sagging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional baking trays with non-stick coatings face issues such as food sticking, tray sagging, and difficulty in removing pastry due to flexibility, leading to inefficiencies and potential damage in industrial bread production.
Innovation Solution
A baking tray design featuring a bottom and vertical edges made of a woven heat-resistant material with a heat-resistant, non-electrically conductive anti-stick coating and a reinforcing metal element along the edges, which provides rigidity and secure attachment to prevent food from sticking and tray sagging, allowing for easy removal of pastry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a thin flexible foil is used for the baking tray, then heat transfer is ensured and contact between food and tray is optimum, but the vertical edges sag over time and the tray lacks structural support
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a flexible heat-resistant foil (for heat transfer and food contact) with a rigid reinforcing element (metal, ceramic, or glass fiber) to create a composite structure. The rigid element provides structural support to prevent sagging, while the flexible foil maintains thermal contact with the food. This composite construction resolves the contradiction between flexibility for heat transfer and rigidity for structural support.
2Strength
If the foil is made more rigid by using thicker glass fiber or thicker anti-stick coating, then structural support is improved, but heat transfer is hindered and contact between food and tray decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating the rigid reinforcing element specifically at the vertical edges where structural support is needed, while keeping the bottom and food-contact surfaces thin and flexible for optimal heat transfer. This localized reinforcement prevents sagging at the edges without compromising the thermal contact between the foil and the food.
3Ease of operation
If a non-stick coating is applied to facilitate food removal, then food sticking is prevented, but the film sometimes adheres to the pastry requiring additional manipulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure where the rigid reinforcing element provides dimensional stability that prevents the foil from deforming during baking. This stability ensures consistent non-stick performance by maintaining uniform contact pressure and preventing localized adhesion points, making food removal reliable without additional manipulation.
4Temperature
If the tray is flexible to ensure heat transfer, then contact between food and tray is optimum, but the tray does not provide support for the dish and food may run out or slide out
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite tray where the flexible heat-resistant foil maintains thermal contact with the food, while the embedded rigid reinforcing element provides the necessary structural support to contain the food. The rigid element acts as an internal skeleton that prevents the tray from collapsing or deforming under the weight of the food, solving the contradiction between flexibility for heat transfer and support 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 efficient, clean, and damage-free removal of bread loaves from baking tins without the need for oil or permanent Teflon coatings, extending the life of the trays and reducing waste by allowing for replacement only when worn or damaged.
Implementation Method 1
Glass fibres which are covered with an anti-stick coating... a foil with a non-stick coating... The anti-stick material is usually PTFE
Implementation Method 2
a foil of a woven heat-resistant material... heat-resistant rigid element... heat-resistant, not electrically conductive anti-stick material
Implementation Method 3
the foil is welded together such that the element (4) is fastened to the glass fibre foil in a loop-shaped border (5)
Data Source
Figure 1A~2c
Figure 3A~3C
Figure 4~5B
AI summary
The invention relates to trays comprising a bottom and vertical edges, for preparing and/or heating food. These trays consist of a foil, such as glass fibre fabric covered with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The trays have a reinforcing and heat-resistant element, such as a metal bar, near the top side of the vertical edges (3) of the recipient, along the entire periphery. The invention further relates to assemblies of such trays reversible attached to a support such as a bread tin.