Twisted Conveyor Loops for Water Jet Cutting
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing water jet cutting machines for food products face challenges in continuous operation due to the need for a loading platform, which disrupts automation, and conveyors cause excessive moisture from water jet splashes on metal meshes.
Innovation Solution
A conveyor system with continuous loops arranged parallel to each other and driven by rolls, featuring guide members that allow the loops to twist and align perpendicular to the water jet, minimizing moisture exposure and enabling continuous product movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a continuous belt conveyor with metal meshes is used to move products under the nozzle, then continuous cutting is enabled, but the products become excessively wet due to water jet splashes on the metal meshes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the rigid metal mesh belt with flexible transparent films (such as plastic or rubber sheets) that can conform to the product shape and allow water to pass through without splashing. These thin film structures maintain continuous product support while preventing water jet contact that would cause excessive moisture on the products.
Solution Approach 2:
The transparent film acts as an intermediary between the water jet and the product. It allows the water jet to pass through while preventing direct contact between the water and the product surface, thus enabling continuous cutting without transferring excessive moisture to the products.
2Reliability
If a loading platform is used in water jet cutting machines, then products can be supported during cutting, but continuous operation is disrupted due to the need to remove and replace the loading tray
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a continuous conveyor system with loops that circulate products under the nozzle without interruption. The conveyor maintains continuous contact with the products throughout their movement, eliminating the need to stop for tray removal or replacement and enabling uninterrupted cutting operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static loading platform to a dynamic conveyor system with moving loops. The conveyor continuously adapts its position and movement to maintain product support throughout the cutting process, allowing products to be moved through the cutting zone without manual intervention or operational interruptions.
3Ease of operation
If the conveyor loops are arranged parallel to the water jet direction, then product movement is simplified, but the water jet cannot effectively cut the products
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces guide members that twist the conveyor loops from a horizontal arrangement parallel to the water jet into a vertical configuration perpendicular to the jet direction. This dimensional change allows the water jet to effectively impact the products from above while the conveyor continues to move products horizontally, achieving both simplified movement and effective cutting.
Data Source
AI summary
A conveyor for moving products P to be cut by a jet of high-pressure liquid exiting a nozzle of a cutting machine in a vertical direction, including a plurality of continuous loops arranged parallel to one another and stretched between two drive rollers so that each determines an upper run and a lower run, each loop including at least two longitudinal walls; and two guide members associated with at least each of the loops and arranged between the two drive rollers, and enabling the upper run of the at least one associated loop to be twisted so that its longitudinal walls are, between the two guide members, parallel to the direction D.