Food Slicing Machine Weight Compliance via Dynamic Thickness Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food slicing machines often generate under-weight groups of slices, leading to significant 'give-away' when additional slices are added to meet minimum weight requirements, resulting in increased costs due to cumulative excess weight.
Innovation Solution
A food slicing machine with a control arrangement that adjusts slice thickness from the end portion of a food product to ensure under-weight groups meet the predetermined weight threshold by cutting slices of different thickness, reducing give-away by using a second parameter value when the remaining product is less than the threshold, and allowing for visual differentiation between standard and adjusted slices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If additional slices are added to under-weight groups at the make-weight station, then the minimum weight requirement is met, but give-away increases substantially
Solution Approach 1:
The control arrangement determines in advance when the remaining food product is less than a predetermined group weight threshold, and proactively adjusts slice thickness for the end portion before under-weight groups are created. This preliminary action prevents the need for make-weight operations and reduces give-away by ensuring slices are cut to appropriate thicknesses from the start.
Solution Approach 2:
The slicing machine dynamically adjusts the slice thickness parameter based on real-time detection of remaining food product. When the remaining amount falls below the threshold, the control arrangement automatically switches to a second parameter value that produces thinner slices, allowing precise control to meet group weight requirements without excessive give-away.
2Productivity
If the slicing machine maintains a fixed slice thickness parameter, then the slicing process is simple and consistent, but under-weight groups are frequently generated
Solution Approach 1:
The control arrangement continuously monitors the amount of remaining food product and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust the slice thickness parameter. This closed-loop control ensures that as the food product is consumed and approaches the end portion, the system adapts slice thickness to prevent under-weight groups, maintaining both productivity and weight compliance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the slice thickness parameter from a first value to a second value based on the detected remaining food product amount. This parameter adjustment allows the slicing machine to maintain high throughput while ensuring group weight requirements are met, particularly during the critical end portion slicing operation.
3Loss of substance
If variable slice thickness is implemented to reduce give-away, then cut precision increases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The slicing machine performs self-adjustment of slice thickness through its control arrangement, which automatically detects remaining food product and determines appropriate parameter changes without external intervention. This self-service capability reduces give-away while keeping the control system relatively simple, as the machine manages its own optimization without requiring complex external control infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
A food slicing machine is provided for slicing food products such as bacon, cheese or cooked meat for sale as groups of slices in separate packs. The food slicing machine includes a cutter for cutting slices from the food product and a controller for controlling the thickness of the slices. The machine cuts slices according to a first value of a slicing parameter until the controller determines when the amount of food product remaining to be sliced in an end portion of the food product is less than a predetermined group weight threshold. The controller causes a slice to be cut according to a second, different value of the slicing parameter from the end portion for addition to an under-weight group of slices, so that its weight at least equals the predetermined group weight threshold.