Rotating Mold Plate Patty Maker for Continuous Patty Ejection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food processing grinders lack an efficient mechanism for forming and ejecting patties from ground food products, requiring manual handling and limited capacity for simultaneous patty formation and ejection.
Innovation Solution
A patty maker attachment for a meat grinder featuring a rotatable mold plate with interchangeable mold cavities and a pivotable patty ejector mechanism that allows for automatic ejection of patties, enabling continuous patty formation and ejection without manual intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If a conventional grinder is used without a patty maker attachment, then the grinder can process ground food products, but it lacks the capability to automatically form and eject patties, requiring manual handling
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate functional modules: the existing grinder for ground food processing and the attached patty maker assembly with mold cavities and ejector mechanism. This segmentation allows the grinder to maintain its original function while the attachment provides automated patty formation and ejection capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patty maker attachment is designed to be universally compatible with conventional grinders through a standardized mounting interface. The single attachment device can form multiple patties simultaneously using multiple mold cavities and automatically eject them, providing multi-functional capability to the basic grinder.
2Productivity
If manual handling is used for patty formation and ejection, then the device structure remains simple, but the productivity and efficiency are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The ejector mechanism is designed to continuously move between retracted and extended positions, automatically ejecting formed patties from the mold cavities without requiring manual intervention. This continuous cyclic action maintains productivity while eliminating manual handling steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patty maker attachment performs the ejection function automatically through its own integrated ejector mechanism, which is actuated by the grinder's operation. The system serves itself by using the grinder's rotational motion to drive the ejector, eliminating the need for separate manual ejection actions.
3Quantity of substance
If only single patty formation is implemented, then the device complexity is low, but the capacity for simultaneous patty formation is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The mold plate is segmented into multiple independent mold cavities, each capable of forming a patty simultaneously. This segmentation of the mold plate structure allows for increased production capacity without proportionally increasing overall device complexity, as each cavity operates independently.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple mold cavities are merged into a single mold plate assembly that is mounted on the grinder. This combining of multiple forming stations into one integrated component allows simultaneous patty formation while maintaining a compact structure that attaches to the existing grinder.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the mold cavities remain stationary, then the structure is simple, but the ability to alternate between filling and ejection positions is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The mold plate is designed to rotate about the grinder's axis, dynamically changing the positions of the mold cavities relative to the grinder outlet. This dynamic positioning allows mold cavities to alternately occupy the filling position (receiving ground food) and the ejection position (where formed patties are discharged), enabling continuous operation without manual intervention.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for making patties with a ground food product includes a housing including an inlet for receiving the ground food product. A mold plate is positioned at least partially within the housing and includes first and second mold cavities. The mold plate is rotatable about an axis to first and second mold positions. In the first mold position, the first mold cavity is positioned within the housing for receiving the ground food product and the second mold cavity is positioned outside the housing for removing a patty formed therein. In the second mold position, the second mold cavity is positioned within the housing for receiving the ground food product and the first mold cavity is positioned outside the housing for removing a patty formed therein.