Spine Cutting Assembly With Movable Cutter for Higher Meat Yield
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spine processing devices struggle to effectively adapt to varying sizes and shapes of spine portions from four-legged slaughter animals, resulting in suboptimal meat yield and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A spine processing device with a cutting system comprising interconnected first, second, and third cutters, where the second cutter is movable and urged towards the first cutter, allowing it to follow the contours of articular processes, combined with a positioning device for stable carcass placement, enabling precise and adaptable meat loosening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a complex combination of cutters and positioning means is used, then cutting precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting device is divided into multiple independent cutters (first cutter for spinous processes, second cutter for articular processes, third cutter for dorsal side) that can be positioned and operated separately. Each cutter is assigned a specific cutting task, allowing precise control over the separation of meat from different spine components without requiring a single complex cutting mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
Different cutters are designed with specific local functions tailored to their respective cutting targets. The first cutter has blades optimized for cutting spinous process parts, the second cutter for articular processes, and the third cutter for the dorsal side. This localization of specific cutting functions to dedicated components achieves high precision without overall system complexity.
2Device complexity
If fixed cutting paths are used, then device simplicity is maintained, but adaptability to varying spine shapes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting device incorporates movable and adjustable components that allow the cutters to adapt their positions and cutting paths dynamically. The second cutter can move along the articular processes, and all cutters can be positioned at different locations along the spine portion. This dynamic adjustability enables the device to handle varying spine shapes and sizes while maintaining operational simplicity through mechanical adjustment rather than complex control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting device is designed with multiple cutters that can be positioned and operated to handle different types of spine portions from various four-legged slaughter animals. The same basic device structure with adjustable cutters can process pig, cattle, sheep, or goat spines, providing universal adaptability across different species and spine variations without requiring animal-specific equipment.
3Device complexity
If traditional cutting methods are used, then device simplicity is maintained, but meat yield deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting device segments the meat separation process into multiple controlled cutting actions along different paths (spinous processes, articular processes, and dorsal side). This segmented approach allows complete and systematic removal of meat from all relevant spine surfaces, maximizing yield by ensuring no meat is left behind, unlike single-cutter methods that may miss portions.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting device enables continuous and complete cutting action along the entire spine portion through multiple cutters operating in sequence or coordination. The first, second, and third cutters work together to continuously separate meat from all spine surfaces without interruption, ensuring maximum meat recovery throughout the entire processing operation rather than leaving gaps in the cutting process.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method, system and spine processing device, for loosening meat from a spine portion of a split carcass part of a four-legged slaughter animal, comprising a positioning device for positioning the carcass part; a cutting device for loosening the meat, by cutting, from spinous process parts and from articular processes, the cutting device comprising a first cutter for cutting along the spinous process parts; a second cutter for cutting along an outer side of the articular processes; a third cutter for cutting along an upper side of the articular processes. The second cutter is movable transverse to the cutting direction, relative to the first cutter. The cutting device has an urging element for urging the second cutter towards the first cutter in the transverse direction while cutting, such that the second cutter cuts along the outer side of the articular processes.