Slicing Machine Pressing Irregular Loaf for Constant Cross-Section
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for slicing irregularly shaped, elastic materials like meat into weight-precise slices are inefficient due to variations in cross-section and material consistency, often causing structural damage and adhesion issues during pressing and cutting.
Innovation Solution
A slicing machine that determines and controls the target length change of the material during pressing, using physical and non-physical data to maintain a constant cross-section, employing a form tube with adjustable cross-section and independently controlled press stamps to minimize structural damage and ensure precise slicing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If longitudinal pressing is applied to irregularly shaped loaves, then the loaf can be deformed into a strand with constant cross-section, but structural damage such as wrinkles and cracks occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The pressing operation is divided into two independent stages: longitudinal pressing to reduce length and cross-pressing to control cross-sectional dimensions. This segmentation allows each direction to be optimized separately, preventing the structural damage that occurs when applying longitudinal pressing alone to irregular loaves.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces cross-pressing in directions perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, adding dimensional control in the cross-sectional plane. This multi-dimensional approach allows the loaf to be compressed into a constant cross-section strand while minimizing structural damage by distributing the compressive forces across multiple directions.
2Manufacturing precision
If cross pressing is applied to control cross-section, then constant cross-section strand is achieved, but strong adhesion to form tube walls occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies longitudinal pressing first to reduce the loaf's length and then applies cross-pressing to achieve the desired constant cross-section. This preliminary action sequence prevents the loaf from adhering to the form tube walls during cross-pressing, as the longitudinal compression has already prepared the structure to better withstand the cross-sectional shaping without sticking.
3Manufacturing precision
If pressing force is increased to achieve constant cross-section, then manufacturing precision improves, but material integrity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The total pressing force is segmented into longitudinal and cross-sectional components applied in separate stages. This allows the material to be compressed systematically without applying excessive force in a single direction, thereby maintaining material integrity while achieving uniform cross-section.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the pressing parameters by applying compression in different directions (longitudinal first, then cross-sectional) with controlled force magnitudes. This parameter variation allows the material to be shaped into a constant cross-section strand while preserving its structural integrity through gradual, multi-directional compression.
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 machine effectively presses and slices the material with minimal structural damage, ensuring consistent slice weight and thickness by controlling the length change and cross-sectional influence, reducing adhesion and preserving the material's integrity.
Implementation Method 1
the loaf is pressed against a stop in the forming tube, at least in the axial direction of the forming tube, by means of a longitudinal press stamp, so that the loaf expands in its cross-section in such a way that it fills the entire inner free space of the forming tube
Implementation Method 2
a grown piece of meat does not have these characteristics, because each of these loaves has a different design and, in addition, a cross-section that changes over its length
Data Source
AI summary
A method is provided of pressing an irregularly shaped, elongated loaf of an elastic material into a strand with a cross-section which is constant along its longitudinal extension. The method includes disposing the loaf in a form tube of the slicing machine, and determining basic data of the loaf before pressing, the basic data comprising at least physical basic data of the loaf before pressing. The method further includes determining a target length change of the loaf between an unpressed state and a pressed state, determining a target cross-sectional change of the loaf between the unpressed state and the pressed state, and pressing the loaf in the form tube in at least one cross direction to the longitudinal extension by a cross press stamp and in a longitudinal pressing direction of the form tube by a longitudinal press stamp, according to the target length change and the target cross-sectional change.