Rotating Flavouring Receptacle for Consistent Product Coating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for coating solid food products in flavourings face challenges in maintaining consistent target weights and efficiently using flavourings, as they often require extensive cleaning and are prone to underweight or overweight batches due to inconsistent flavouring distribution and retention.
Innovation Solution
A flavouring apparatus with a receptacle that rotates to mix a portion of product with a dose of flavouring, ensuring retention during mixing and using a reciprocating ejecting member to reliably deliver flavoured portions, along with a transport system for high throughput and integration with existing systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If product is coated in flavouring in large batches using gravity-based emptying, then processing throughput is improved, but weight consistency deteriorates due to sticky product not being properly discharged
Solution Approach 1:
The apparatus divides the large batch coating process into individual portion-sized batches. Each portion is coated separately in the coating chamber, ensuring that sticky product is properly discharged and weight consistency is maintained while still achieving high throughput through continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The coating chamber is designed to rotate during the coating cycle, dynamically mixing the product with flavouring. The chamber then reverses rotation to positively eject the coated product, ensuring complete discharge without weight variation.
2Manufacturing precision
If individual portions are coated after separate weighing, then weight criteria are met, but flavouring distribution consistency deteriorates due to variable coating amounts
Solution Approach 1:
The apparatus ensures that each individual portion receives a consistent local dose of flavouring through controlled dispensing into the coating chamber. The rotation and ejection mechanism ensures uniform flavouring distribution across the product surface while maintaining precise portion weights.
3Device complexity
If flavouring receptacle uses gravity to empty, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates due to incomplete discharge of sticky product
Solution Approach 1:
The coating chamber rotates during coating and then reverses to positively eject the product. This dynamic motion ensures complete discharge of even sticky product while maintaining a relatively simple receptacle design without complex ejection mechanisms.
4Stability of the object's composition
If helical blade conveys product through flavouring, then coating coverage is improved, but flavouring control deteriorates due to variable coating amounts along the trough
Solution Approach 1:
The apparatus controls the flavouring dose by precisely controlling the amount of flavouring introduced into the coating chamber and the rotation parameters. This ensures consistent flavouring coverage while maintaining precise dose control for each portion.
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
This solution ensures consistent target weights are met, minimizes flavouring loss, and maintains high throughput by reliably coating and ejecting flavoured product portions, reducing downtime and cleaning costs.
Implementation Method 1
the flavouring receptacle is arranged such that the portion of product and the dose of flavouring are retained in the flavouring volume during rotation of the peripheral sidewall
Implementation Method 2
an ejecting member movable relative to the peripheral sidewall through the flavouring volume towards the first end for ejecting a flavoured portion of product out of the flavouring volume through the first end of the flavouring receptacle
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
A flavouring apparatus for coating product in flavouring is provided. The apparatus comprises a flavouring receptacle configured for receiving a portion of product and a dose of flavouring. The flavouring receptacle comprises an open first end arranged to receive the portion of product in use, a peripheral sidewall at least partly defining a flavouring volume extending from the first end of the flavouring receptacle, the flavouring volume for receiving the portion of product and dose of flavouring, and an ejecting member movable relative to the peripheral sidewall through the flavouring volume towards the first end for ejecting a flavoured portion of product out of the flavouring volume through the first end of the flavouring receptacle. The apparatus comprises a drive system configured to rotate at least the peripheral sidewall of the flavouring receptacle so as to cause mixing of the portion of product and the dose of flavouring in the flavouring volume. In use, the flavouring receptacle is arranged such that the portion of product and the dose of flavouring are retained in the flavouring volume during rotation of the peripheral sidewall. A corresponding method of coating product in flavouring is also provided.