Snap-On Conveyor Frame Assembly for Sanitary Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conveyor belt systems in the meat, poultry, and vegetable industries face challenges in cleaning due to complex connections, numerous components, and difficult-to-clean crevices, making them problematic to assemble, disassemble, and maintain for sanitation compliance.
Innovation Solution
A conveyor system with a frame featuring toolbars and snap-on auxiliary components using a snap clamp design that engages a channel on the toolbar, allowing for easy mounting and removal of components without tools, enhancing cleanability and reconfiguration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional conveyor frame designs with multiple components and complex connections are used, then structural strength and stability are improved, but cleaning difficulty and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate components (brackets, supports, mounting features) into integrated frame members with built-in channels and mounting interfaces. This merging reduces the total number of parts while maintaining structural integrity, making the conveyor easier to clean by eliminating crevices between separate components.
2Stability of the object's composition
If traditional conveyor frame designs with multiple components are used, then structural stability is improved, but ease of assembly and disassembly deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the conveyor frame into modular components that can be independently assembled and disassembled. Each component features standardized mounting interfaces with channels that accept snap clamps, allowing quick tool-free assembly while maintaining structural stability through precise geometric fitting.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces snap clamps as intermediary elements that facilitate easy assembly and disassembly. These clamps engage with channels in the frame members, providing a simple mechanical interface that requires no tools while ensuring stable connections during operation.
3Strength
If complex connections between components are used, then structural integrity is improved, but cleaning accessibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts traditional fasteners, bolts, and complex connection mechanisms from the design, replacing them with simple snap-fit connections. This removal of extraneous components eliminates crevices and hard-to-reach areas, making the conveyor fully accessible for cleaning while maintaining structural integrity through the snap clamp engagement system.
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3B~3C
AI summary
A cleanable belt conveyor and a method for making a cleanable belt conveyor having a simplified frame design. The conveyor includes at least one toolbar and one or more auxiliary components mounted to the toolbar using a snap clamp having a protrusion that mates with a channel on the toolbar.