Sectioned Roller System for Automatic Intestine Finishing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual handling of small intestines in abattoirs is labor-intensive and stressful for operators, as they need to manually load and treat intestines in roller systems to remove the serosa membrane from the submucosa, which can lead to strain and inefficiencies in the processing of casings for sausage production.
Innovation Solution
An automated treatment system comprising a sectioned first rotatable roller and a second rotatable roller, with a feeder and gripper for automatic loading, and a robot section for handling intestines, allowing for the mechanical breaking and removal of the serosa membrane from the submucosa, reducing operator strain and increasing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual loading and handling of intestines is used in the roller system, then the system structure remains simple, but operator strain increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic self-loading of intestines through the sectioned roller design. The intestines are automatically fed into the roller system without manual intervention, as the sectioned structure allows them to be drawn in automatically during the finishing process where serosa is broken and removed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical handling with an automated roller system. The sectioned first roller and second roller work together to automatically process intestines, substituting human operators' manual loading and handling actions with a mechanized system.
2Productivity
If multiple operators are used for manual handling, then handling flexibility is maintained, but labor costs increase and operational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The first roller is divided into multiple sections along its axis, creating separate processing zones. This segmentation allows the roller to handle multiple intestines simultaneously in different sections, increasing throughput without requiring additional operators or complex multi-roller arrangements.
Solution Approach 2:
The sectioned roller system performs multiple functions: it feeds intestines into the roller, breaks the serosa membrane, and removes serosa during the finishing process. This multi-functionality consolidates operations that would otherwise require separate devices and operators into a single integrated system.
3Speed
If continuous roller processing is used, then processing speed increases, but the ability to handle varying intestine sizes and conditions decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The roller system is designed to dynamically adapt to different intestine characteristics. The sectioned structure allows each segment to independently accommodate varying intestine diameters and conditions, while the continuous rotation maintains consistent processing speed across all sections.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the first roller can be designed with varying surface properties, diameters, or rotational speeds to handle specific types of intestines or processing stages. This local customization within the unified roller system maintains overall processing speed while adapting to local variations in intestine characteristics.
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 automated system significantly reduces the number of operators needed for handling intestines, minimizes operator strain, and enhances the efficiency of the finishing process by enabling automatic loading and handling of intestines, improving the quality and consistency of the casings produced.
Implementation Method 1
The small intestines may be passed through a set of rollers to loosen the tissue layers and to remove the mucosa
Implementation Method 2
Treating the intestines in a roller system comprising at least a first sectioned roller
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed is a treatment system for automatic treating intestines, such as for finishing i.e. removing the serose membrane from the submucose membrane. The system may comprise a feeder section for conveying a looped part of intestines, a roller section for treating the intestines and a robot section or an automatic handling section for handling the intestines in the roller section. The feeder section may collect intestines and deliver a pre-determined number of intestines to the robot section or automatic handling section which secure the serose membranes of the intestines are disrupted and are pulled off the when the intestines are treated in a roller section. The roller section comprises at least a sectioned first rotatable roller (1) which is sectioned in at least two sub-sections (1) leaving a space between the sub-sections through which the intestines are introduced to get in between the firstroller (1) and a second roller for treatment.