Device for spreading a pourable food batter on a cooking plate
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pancake-making machines struggle to replicate the skill and consistency of manual crepe-making, leading to uneven cooking, texture issues, and an industrial appearance, while also being prone to fouling and requiring precise flat surfaces, which limits their adaptability and hygiene.
Innovation Solution
A device with a rotary shaft and two scrapers, one for spreading and the other for delimiting and pressing the dough, allows for adjustable height and inclination, using silicone materials for food safety and flexibility, and a merry-go-round system for continuous production, mimicking the gesture of a professional crepe maker while maintaining quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a mechanical dispenser-spreader is used to automate pancake making, then productivity increases and hygiene improves, but manufacturing precision deteriorates leading to uneven cooking and texture issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a floating mounting system for the rotating shaft that allows automatic adjustment of the scrapers' position relative to the cooking plate. The shaft can move vertically to maintain optimal contact pressure with the dough, adapting to variations in dough consistency and plate surface conditions. This dynamic adjustment mechanism enables consistent scraping action that replicates manual technique while maintaining automated productivity.
2Device complexity
If a fixed scraper design is used, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability deteriorates limiting use to specific dough consistencies
Solution Approach 1:
The floating mounting system allows the scraper assembly to automatically adjust its position and pressure based on the dough consistency and cooking plate conditions. This simple yet effective mechanism provides adaptability across different dough types without requiring complex control systems or multiple scraper configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows variation in operating parameters such as scraper pressure, rotation speed, and position relative to the dough deposit point. These parameter changes enable the same simple device structure to handle different dough consistencies and produce varied pancake styles, from thin crêpes to thicker galettes.
3Manufacturing precision
If the scraper continuously contacts the cooking plate, then manufacturing precision is maintained, but object-generated harmful factors increase due to fouling and wear
Solution Approach 1:
The scraper operates in periodic cycles of contact and slight separation as the shaft floats on the dough. The scraper engages the dough during the spreading phase, then lifts slightly during rotation to prevent excessive buildup and fouling. This periodic engagement pattern maintains spreading consistency while reducing continuous contact fouling and wear on both the scraper and cooking plate.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a device (100) for spreading a pourable food batter on a cooking plate (Pc) for making savoury or sweet pancakes or crepes, comprising a rotary shaft (Ar) intended to be arranged almost perpendicularly to the cooking side of the hot plate (Pc), a plate (Pn) attached to the rotary shaft (Ar) and having a spreading and scraping means, and at least one abutment (Mr) designed to rest on and roll or slide on the hot side of the cooking plate. According to the invention, the spreading and scraping means (Mt) comprises at least one scraper (R11), the free working edge of which is rectilinear so as to make it possible, firstly, to spread a dough previously deposited on the hot side of the cooking plate and, secondly, to scrape the batter while it remains in a liquid state so as to redeposit a layer of material upstream in order to form thin layers of said batter and to fill any holes, by replicating the action of a person skilled in the art of making savoury or sweet pancakes or crepes.