Silicone Food Mold Membrane Slot for Support Insertion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing molds for producing sweet or salty food products, such as ice-creams and confectionery, face issues like partial loss of food raw material during filling due to openings for support insertion, limited shape options for easy removal, and increased complexity and costs with metallic molds.
Innovation Solution
A mold with a shaped shell made of food-grade silicone elastomer featuring a membrane with a designed slot for easier support insertion and reduced leakage, allowing for a variety of shapes and easier handling of finished products.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an opening is made in the membrane for inserting a support element, then the support element can be inserted into the food raw material, but food raw material is lost during the filling phase
Solution Approach 1:
The support element is inserted into the food raw material before the membrane is sealed, during the filling phase. This preliminary action allows the support to be properly positioned within the food product before any sealing occurs, eliminating the need for post-filling insertion that would cause material loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism where the support element is inserted through a controlled interface during filling, and the membrane is designed to seal around this interface. This intermediary approach allows support insertion while minimizing the opening size and duration, reducing food material loss compared to traditional large openings.
2Device complexity
If the mold has a predominantly vertical development, then the mold structure is simple, but the shapes of finished food products are limited and difficult to remove
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane is designed to be flexible and deformable, allowing it to adapt to various food product shapes during filling and freezing. The membrane can be temporarily deformed to accommodate complex shapes, then returns to its original form for easy removal, providing versatility without requiring complex rigid mold structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a flexible membrane instead of a rigid mold wall to define the food product shape. This flexible shell can conform to various shapes during the filling and freezing process, then allows easy release of the finished product by reversing the deformation, overcoming the limitations of predominantly vertical rigid mold structures.
3Ease of operation
If the support element is inserted at different depths by the operator, then the insertion process is flexible, but the outer portion of the support element presents different lengths affecting strength and aesthetics
Solution Approach 1:
The support element is inserted to a predetermined depth during the filling phase, before the membrane is sealed. This preliminary positioning ensures consistent support element depth and length exposure across all products, eliminating variability while maintaining operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual operator judgment and measurement with a mechanical or automated positioning system that ensures consistent support element insertion depth. This substitution of mechanical precision for human variability achieves uniform product appearance and support strength while maintaining ease of operation.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention concerns a mold for producing sweet or salty food products and, in preferred, bit not exclusive way, ice-creams or confectionery products, comprising at least one support element. The mold comprises at least one shaped shell (10) made at least partly of silicone of food grade or soft elastomer which includes at least one concave surface or cavity (11), suitable to contain fluid or liquid food material; the shaped shell (10) comprises also at least one membrane (12) which delimits for at least a portion (16) the concave surface or cavity (11) e into which at least one opening (13) is made, suitable for inserting at least one support element in the food raw material contained in the concave surface or cavity (11). In this way, it is possible to produce food products complete of support elements on a longitudinal plane, reducing loss and consumption of primarily fluid or liquid food material placed inside the mold; furthermore, the shaped shell (10) comprises a tag (14) facing the opening (13) of the membrane (12) which allows the right insertion of the support element into the food raw material according to the desired length.