Rotary Knife Vacuum Attachment for Debris Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional power operated rotary knives lack an efficient means to manage removed material during cutting or trimming operations, particularly in applications where unwanted tissue needs to be immediately separated from the product to prevent contamination, and valuable material needs to be collected effectively.
Innovation Solution
A power operated rotary knife with a vacuum attachment assembly that includes a vacuum hose and adapter, allowing for the suction of removed material away from the cutting region, preventing it from falling back onto the product or workstation, and facilitating collection in a receptacle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional power operated rotary knives are used for cutting and trimming operations, then cutting and trimming can be performed quickly, but removed material falls back onto the product or workstation surface causing contamination and requiring manual cleanup
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum attachment assembly extracts removed material from the cutting region through suction, separating it from the product and workstation surface. The vacuum hose and adapter create a dedicated extraction pathway that removes fat, tissue, and debris immediately after cutting, preventing contamination while maintaining high cutting speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum attachment assembly acts as an intermediary between the cutting blade and the collection receptacle. It mediates the removal of material by creating a vacuum pathway that transports removed tissue and fat away from the cutting zone, eliminating the need for manual cleanup and preventing product contamination.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If vacuum attachment assembly is added to power operated rotary knife, then removed material can be efficiently removed and collected, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum attachment assembly serves multiple functions: it removes removed material from the cutting region, prevents contamination of the product and workstation, and collects valuable tissue in a receptacle. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by addressing several problems simultaneously with a single integrated system.
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 removal and collection of material, reducing operator fatigue and contamination risks while allowing for the collection of valuable tissue, thus streamlining operations in meat processing and similar industries.
Implementation Method 1
A power operated rotary knife with a vacuum attachment assembly that includes a vacuum hose and adapter, allowing for the suction of removed material away from the cutting region
Data Source
AI summary
A power operated rotary knife including: a handle assembly, a head assembly and a vacuum attachment assembly. The handle assembly includes an elongated cylindrical handle housing defining a handle assembly longitudinal axis extending through a throughbore of the handle housing. The head assembly includes a rotary knife blade rotatably supported for rotation about an axis of rotation in a blade housing and a frame securing the blade housing to the distal end of the handle assembly in a position offset from the handle housing, the axis of rotation of the rotary knife blade being spaced apart from and parallel to the handle longitudinal axis. The vacuum attachment assembly includes an adapter including an upper boss affixed to the frame and a body for receiving a vacuum hose. A central axis of the adapter is parallel with respect to the rotary knife blade central axis and the handle assembly longitudinal axis.