Stepwise Product Offset for Slicing Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
In multi-lane slicing operations, aligning the beginnings of food products relative to the cutting plane precisely is challenging due to variations in product length, leading to potential misalignment and compression, especially with fresh products like meat.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that offset products stepwise relative to each other and use lateral light barriers to detect and adjust their positions accurately before cutting, ensuring precise alignment with the cutting plane.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If product conveyors are retracted before the first cut to compensate for length differences, then product compression is reduced, but misalignment of product beginnings relative to the cutting plane occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs a preliminary product search run to detect the actual positions of product beginnings using photoelectric sensors before the cutting operation. Based on these detections, the control device calculates and applies individual offset values to each product conveyor, pre-positioning the products to compensate for length variations. This preliminary detection and adjustment eliminates both compression and misalignment issues during the actual cutting process.
2Adaptability or versatility
If product conveyors are independently movable to compensate for length differences, then adaptability to varying product lengths is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs photoelectric sensors to continuously detect the actual positions of product beginnings on each conveyor lane. These detection signals are fed back to the control device, which automatically calculates the required offset for each conveyor and adjusts their speeds accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables the system to adapt to varying product lengths without requiring complex manual adjustments or overly sophisticated conveyor mechanisms.
3Manufacturing precision
If a product search run is performed to detect product positions, then alignment accuracy is improved, but processing time is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The photoelectric sensors are positioned to detect product beginnings during the normal feeding process rather than requiring a separate search run that stops production. The system continuously monitors product positions as they move along the conveyors, allowing detection and adjustment to occur seamlessly during ongoing operation. This eliminates dedicated search time while maintaining alignment accuracy through real-time detection and automatic conveyor adjustment.
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
Ensures precise alignment of product beginnings with the cutting plane, minimizing misalignment and compression, even with varying product lengths, thereby maintaining consistent cutting performance.
Implementation Method 1
each product lane, along which a product is guided, is assigned a photoelectric sensor arranged at a defined distance to the cutting plane, whose detection range extends transversely to the product feed direction
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
In a method for slicing products (12), particularly food products, several products (12) are fed side by side along a product support (14) to a cutting plane (16) in which a cutting blade moves, in particular rotating and/or circumferentially. The products (12) are initially offset relative to each other in a step-like manner in the product feed direction (Z) via product conveyors (22). Starting from a first product (121), the products (121-12n) arranged next to it on at least one side are each offset by an amount (x) further back in the opposite direction of the product feed direction than the preceding product, up to the respective outermost product (12n). The products (12), offset relative to each other in a step-like manner, are moved at a defined speed towards light barriers (38, 40). The positions of the product beginnings (36) with respect to the cutting plane (16) are detected by the light barriers (38, 40).