Rotary Knife Sharpening with Digital Profile Scanning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sharpening devices for rotary knives require separate copying plates for each type of knife, leading to increased costs and time, and fail to account for use-related wear and tear, resulting in suboptimal grinding results, especially when handling segmented knives.
Innovation Solution
A device with multiple receptacles for individual segments of rotary knives, equipped with a measuring device and a grinding tool that can be pivoted to adjust the grinding angle, allowing for precise grinding of each segment based on its unique cutting edge profile, eliminating the need for copying plates and accommodating knives with multiple segments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If separate copying plates are used for each knife type, then grinding precision is improved, but device complexity and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses optical scanning to create a digital copy of the cutting edge geometry, replacing physical copying plates with a virtual model stored in memory. This digital copy can be reused for multiple knives of the same type without requiring additional physical plates, thus reducing device complexity while maintaining grinding precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit stores multiple cutting edge profiles in memory and can select different profiles based on the knife type. A single device can handle multiple knife types by switching between stored profiles, eliminating the need for separate copying plates for each knife type and reducing overall device complexity.
2Manufacturing precision
If separate copying plates are used for each knife type, then grinding precision is improved, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting edge profile is scanned and stored in memory before the actual grinding process. This preliminary digital copying allows the grinding to proceed directly using the stored profile without requiring time-consuming attachment of physical copying plates during operation, thus reducing time consumption while maintaining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical scanning creates a digital copy that can be instantly recalled from memory, eliminating the time required to physically attach and align copying plates. The digital profile is immediately available for guiding the grinding process, significantly reducing setup time.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional sharpening devices are used, then one-piece knives can be ground, but segmented knives cannot be processed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the rotary knife into multiple segments that can be independently removed and processed. Each segment can be individually scanned, stored, and ground separately. This segmentation allows segmented knives to be processed effectively, as each segment can be handled as an independent cutting element.
Solution Approach 2:
The grinding process is applied locally to each segment's cutting edge based on its specific geometry stored in memory. The device adapts the grinding parameters to match the local requirements of each segment, ensuring reliable processing of segmented knives with potentially different geometries.
4Measurement precision
If copying plates are used, then knife type classification is possible, but use-related wear and tear is not accounted for
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting edge profile is scanned and stored in memory before grinding, capturing the actual current state of the cutting edge including any wear and tear. This preliminary measurement of the real condition allows the grinding process to compensate for existing wear and restore the cutting edge to its optimal geometry, improving grinding result quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical scanning system provides feedback about the actual cutting edge geometry, including wear patterns. The control unit uses this feedback information to adjust the grinding process, ensuring that the restored cutting edge achieves the desired geometry regardless of prior wear, thus improving grinding result quality.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device for sharpening rotary knives, in particular sickle knives or circular knives, in particular for a machine for slicing food products, which have at least two segments, having at least one receptacle on which at least one segment is fittable, at least one sharpening tool, wherein the sharpening tool and the segment fitted in the receptacle are movable relative to one another such that a cutting edge extending along the periphery of the segment can be sharpened by the sharpening tool, a measuring device for detecting the profile of the cutting edge of at least one segment, and a controller which is configured to use the detected cutting edge profile to control the relative movement between the sharpening tool and at least one segment.