Self-Cleaning Pressing Screw for Vertical Juice Extractors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fruit and vegetable juice presses with a vertical axis of rotation and filter face complexity in assembly, disassembly, and cleaning, particularly due to the presence of an intermediate openwork cylindrical element with brushing or scraping features, which complicates usage and rinsing.
Innovation Solution
A pressing screw design with radially extending arms featuring cleaning elements, such as scrapers or brushes, that sweep the internal and external walls of the receptacle and filter drum, eliminating the need for an intermediate element and simplifying assembly and cleaning by allowing direct insertion of the screw into the filter drum.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an intermediate element with brushes or scrapers is added to clean the filter and receptacle walls, then cleaning capability is improved, but device complexity and assembly difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning function is merged with the pressing screw by integrating cleaning elements (brushes or scrapers) directly onto the screw body. This eliminates the need for a separate intermediate cleaning element, reducing device complexity while maintaining effective cleaning capability of the filter and receptacle walls
Solution Approach 2:
The pressing screw is given multiple functions: it performs both the pressing/extraction function and the cleaning function. By equipping the screw with cleaning elements that contact the filter and receptacle walls during rotation, a single component achieves dual purposes, simplifying the overall device structure
2Ease of operation
If an intermediate element with brushes or scrapers is added to clean the filter and receptacle walls, then cleaning capability is improved, but assembly and disassembly complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning function is merged with the pressing screw by integrating cleaning elements (brushes or scrapers) directly onto the screw body. This eliminates the need for a separate intermediate cleaning element, reducing device complexity while maintaining effective cleaning capability of the filter and receptacle walls
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning elements are segmented into multiple components attached to different parts of the screw body, allowing them to clean different surfaces (internal receptacle wall and external filter wall) independently, improving cleaning effectiveness without complicating assembly
3Ease of operation
If an openwork cylindrical intermediate element is used for cleaning, then cleaning function is provided, but cleaning time after use increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning function is merged with the pressing screw by integrating cleaning elements (brushes or scrapers) directly onto the screw body. This eliminates the need for a separate intermediate cleaning element, reducing device complexity while maintaining effective cleaning capability of the filter and receptacle walls
Solution Approach 2:
The pressing screw performs self-cleaning during its normal operation. As the screw rotates during pressing, its cleaning elements automatically scrape and brush the filter and receptacle walls, eliminating the need for separate cleaning operations and reducing post-use cleaning time
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 design simplifies the assembly and cleaning process, reduces the complexity of the device, and enhances the efficiency of juice extraction by allowing direct contact of the cleaning elements with the walls, promoting effective evacuation of juice and dry matter.
Implementation Method 1
The pressing screw (5) comprises a body (18) provided with at least one main helical thread (19a, 19b) extending around an axis of rotation of the pressing screw
Implementation Method 2
The fin (26, 27) includes at least one cleaning element (28, 29) which makes it possible to sweep a wall (13a, 17b) to be cleaned during rotation of the pressing screw (5)
Implementation Method 3
at least one filter making it possible to more or less separate the juice from the dry matter under the action of the pressing screw
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~6
Figure 7~11
AI summary
The invention relates to a pressing screw (5) of an apparatus (1) for pressing food of the fruit and/or vegetable type, comprising a body provided with at least one main helical thread extending around a axis of rotation (X). According to the invention, the pressing screw (5) comprises at least one arm (24, 25) which extends radially with respect to the axis of rotation (X), said arm (24, 25) comprising at its end distally a fin (26, 27) configured to extend to a lower portion of the body remote from the body, said fin (26, 27) comprising at least one cleaning element (28, 29). The invention also relates to an apparatus (1) for pressing food of the fruit and/or vegetable type, comprising a receptacle (3), a filtering drum (4), a pressing screw (5), and means of rotational drive of the pressing screw (5) around a mainly vertical axis of rotation (X), in which the pressing screw (5) conforms to the aforementioned characteristics.