Automated Packing of Sliced Products in Rounded Corner Trays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shipping trays with rounded corners interfere with the automated loading of sliced products, causing damage and misalignment, leading to inefficiencies in packing and increased labor costs when loading by hand.
Innovation Solution
The process involves elevating the shipping tray to reduce the vertical drop of sliced products and using guiding gates to move rows from the center to the sides, avoiding the rounded corners and ensuring smooth entry and alignment of all rows.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If shipping trays with rounded corners are used, then structural integrity and ease of manufacture are improved, but automated loading of sliced products is interfered with, causing damage and misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The shipping tray is divided into multiple compartments or sections that are loaded sequentially. The guiding gates are segmented into multiple stages that guide different rows of products through different paths, allowing each row to be loaded without interfering with others and avoiding the rounded corner interference zone.
Solution Approach 2:
Guiding gates are introduced as intermediary elements between the product flow and the shipping tray. These gates temporarily hold and redirect the sliced products, guiding them into the tray through straight paths that avoid the rounded corners, thus preventing damage while maintaining structural integrity of the tray.
2Productivity
If multiple rows of products are loaded automatically, then productivity is improved, but product damage and misalignment increase due to interference with rounded corners
Solution Approach 1:
The loading process is segmented into separate stages for different rows. Guiding gates are positioned to load rows sequentially rather than simultaneously, allowing each row to be guided through a dedicated path that avoids the rounded corner interference zone, thus maintaining product integrity while preserving automated loading efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Guiding gates are positioned in advance to pre-align and guide the sliced products into the correct positions before they reach the shipping tray. This preliminary guidance ensures that products enter the tray through straight paths avoiding the rounded corners, preventing damage while maintaining high productivity.
3Reliability
If hand loading is used for three row shipping trays, then product damage is reduced, but labor costs and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The guiding gates and shipping tray configuration are designed to automatically guide and position the sliced products without requiring manual intervention. The system self-regulates the loading process by using the guiding gates to direct products into the correct positions, eliminating the need for hand loading while maintaining product integrity and reducing time consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
Guiding gates serve as automated intermediaries that replace manual labor in the loading process. These gates automatically guide multiple rows of sliced products into the shipping tray through straight paths that avoid rounded corner interference, maintaining product integrity while significantly reducing loading time compared to hand loading.
Data Source
AI summary
Sliced products are deposited in a shipping tray 10 by depositing a first row 71 of the sliced products in the center portion of the tray, moving the first row across the bottom of the tray to a first side wall, depositing a second row 72 of sliced products in the center portion of the tray, then moving the second row of sliced products to the opposite side wall, and depositing a third row 73 of the sliced products in the center portion of the tray. The lateral movement of the first and second rows of sliced products avoids obstruction by the perimeter rim of the tray and the endmost slices of the products tend to follow the curvature of the corners 17-20 of the shipping tray as they are moved toward the side walls of the shipping tray.