Removable Blade Cutting Assembly With Centering Pins
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing conical coupling system in slicing machines makes it difficult to achieve precise alignment of the blade's cutting edge perpendicular to the rotation axis, leading to increased production costs and complexity in blade removal and reassembly.
Innovation Solution
A cutting assembly with a supporting element, centering pins, and a locking mechanism that includes a resting contact surface and a locking ring, allowing for easier and safer blade alignment and attachment, ensuring the blade is securely locked against a perpendicular surface using a combination of centering pins and a locking ring that rotates to engage and disengage from the blade.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conical coupling system is used to allow removable blade assembly, then the blade can be easily removed and reassembled, but the alignment precision of the cutting edge perpendicular to the rotation axis deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling system is segmented into distinct functional elements: centering pins that protrude from the blade to engage with holes in the pulley, and a separate locking ring that independently secures the blade. This segmentation allows each element to perform its specific function (centering vs. locking) without compromising the other, achieving both ease of operation and manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The centering pins act as intermediary elements between the blade and pulley, providing a mechanical reference that ensures precise perpendicular alignment of the cutting edge. These pins serve as mediators that translate the rotational symmetry of the pulley into precise angular positioning of the blade, resolving the alignment precision issue while maintaining removable operation.
2Manufacturing precision
If extreme precision processes are used to achieve correct blade arrangement, then the alignment precision improves, but the production costs increase considerably
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling system is designed to be self-aligning through the centering pins that automatically position the blade correctly when inserted into the pulley holes. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for expensive external alignment processes and skilled manual adjustment, achieving high precision through the inherent geometry of the coupling elements rather than through costly manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the coupling system by using protruding centering pins with specific dimensions and angular spacing that inherently define the correct blade orientation. By carefully selecting these geometric parameters during standard manufacturing, the system achieves precise blade arrangement without requiring post-manufacturing precision processes, thereby reducing production costs.
3Reliability
If a locking ring with transverse slots is used to secure the blade, then the blade can be firmly locked, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking ring serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides mechanical locking through engagement with the pulley, allows for blade removal when in the release position, and maintains blade positioning during operation. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components for each function, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining high locking reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking ring is designed to be dynamically positionable between a locked position (where it secures the blade firmly) and a release position (where it allows blade removal). This dynamic capability is achieved through the interaction between the locking ring's geometry and the centering pins, allowing the system to transition between states without requiring complex actuation mechanisms, thus maintaining simplicity while ensuring reliability.
Data Source
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AI summary
A cutting assembly (1) with removable blade for slicing machines or the like, which comprises: - a supporting element (2), which is extended around a main axis (3) and can be actuated with a rotary motion about the main axis (3); - a blade (4), which can be associated coaxially and detachably with the supporting element (2); - at least two centering pins (7), which are associated with the supporting element (2); the centering pins (7) are angularly spaced from each other around the main axis (3) and are parallel to the main axis (3); - at least two holes (8), which pass through the blade (4) and can be engaged by the centering pins (7); - a locking element (9), which is associated with the blade (4) proximate to the holes (8) and can move from a locking position, in which it is engaged with the centering pins (7) inserted in the holes (8), to a release position, in which it is disengaged from the centering pins (7), and vice versa. The supporting element (2) defines a resting contact surface (10), which is substantially perpendicular to the main axis (3), for a first face (11) of the blade (4), and the centering pins (7) protrude, with one of their ends, from the second face (12) of the blade (4), which is opposite with respect to the first face (11). The centering pins (7) have a shoulder (13) which is directed toward the resting contact surface (10) and the locking element (9), in the locking position, is wedged between the shoulder (13) and the second face (12) of the blade (4) to lock the blade (4) against the resting contact surface (10).