Variable Capacity Press Device for Grape Marc
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Solution Overview
Problem
Small vineyards with unique conditions face challenges in grape pressing due to insufficient grape quantity, leading to difficulties in achieving optimal pressing quality and homogeneous distribution of marc, as standard presses are designed for larger capacities, resulting in either incomplete pressing or excessive crushing.
Innovation Solution
A horizontal press device with variable capacity, featuring a movable plate that adjusts its distance from a fixed wall using a telemeter sensor to ensure optimal crumbling and collapse of the marc cake, allowing for precise control and adaptation to the quantity of grapes, thereby minimizing crushing and cycle time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a standard press is used for small quantities of grapes, then the press structure remains fixed at nominal capacity, but the quality of juice deteriorates due to excessive crushing and incomplete marc distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The press incorporates a variable capacity system where the cage volume can be dynamically adjusted using telescopic elements and movable walls. This allows the press to adapt its pressing surface area and volume to match the actual quantity of grapes being processed, transforming a static nominal capacity design into a dynamic variable capacity system that maintains optimal pressing conditions regardless of load size
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the press structure by introducing adjustable cage volume, variable pressing plate area, and controllable recoil distance. These parameter changes enable the press to operate optimally across different grape quantities, preventing both excessive crushing and incomplete pressing that occur with fixed nominal capacity designs
2Productivity
If the press is loaded below nominal capacity, then smaller grape quantities can be processed, but the marc distribution becomes non-homogeneous and crushing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The press applies local quality by creating homogeneous marc distribution specifically in the active pressing zone through variable capacity adjustment. The pressing plate and cage are configured to ensure uniform material distribution only in the region where pressing actually occurs, rather than attempting to homogenize the entire nominal capacity volume. This localized approach to quality maintains precision even when processing small quantities
Solution Approach 2:
The variable capacity system dynamically adjusts the active pressing volume to match the grape load, ensuring that the pressing plate contacts and distributes the marc uniformly across the entire active surface. This dynamic adaptation prevents the non-homogeneous distribution that occurs when fixed presses operate below capacity
3Manufacturing precision
If the press recoils fully after pressing, then the marc cake collapses and crumbles, but the pressing cycle time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The press implements dynamic recoil control where the cage and pressing plate can stop at variable distances from the fixed wall based on the actual quantity of marc present. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to achieve optimal crumbling for each specific load size without always requiring full recoil, thereby reducing cycle time while maintaining marc quality
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from sensors that detect the quantity of grapes loaded and the position of the marc cake to automatically adjust the recoil distance. This feedback mechanism ensures the press recoils only as far as necessary to achieve proper crumbling, eliminating unnecessary travel time and optimizing the pressing cycle
4Device complexity
If a fixed size press is used, then the structure is simple and robust, but it cannot adapt to varying grape quantities from small vineyards
Solution Approach 1:
The press structure is segmented into modular components including telescopic cage sections, movable pressing plates, and adjustable walls. These segmented elements can be independently positioned to create different pressing volumes, allowing the simple robust basic structure to gain adaptability through modular configuration rather than requiring complete structural redesign
Solution Approach 2:
The variable capacity system uses nested telescopic elements where inner cage sections can extend or retract within outer sections. This nesting arrangement allows the press to vary its capacity while maintaining a compact overall structure, combining structural simplicity with capacity flexibility through space-efficient nested geometry
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
Enables high-quality juice extraction with reduced crushing and optimized pressing cycle time, even with smaller grape quantities, by adapting the press size to match the material load, ensuring consistent quality across varying grape amounts.
Implementation Method 1
a circular or rectangular plate movable in horizontal translation under the action of a jack
Implementation Method 2
the movable plate and the fixed wall have an inclination relative to the vertical, in the direction of the means for moving said movable plate, so that after removal of the latter, at least a portion of the marc cake is cantilevered and said portion is likely to collapse into the enclosure of the press
Implementation Method 3
means for determining and controlling the distance which separates said movable plate from said fixed wall, during the recoil after a press, as well as means for stopping said recoil when the required distance is reached, connected to said means for determining the distance
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A horizontal, variable-capacity press device comprising a chamber (3) for receiving the grapes, in which a rectangular plate (5) moves horizontally to crush the grapes against a fixed wall (4). The plate (5) and the fixed wall (4) are inclined such that, after the plate (5) is withdrawn, at least a portion of the pomace cake (7) is cantilevered and may collapse into the chamber (3). It further comprises means (8) for determining and controlling the distance between the movable plate (5) and the fixed wall (4), as well as means for stopping the recoil when the required distance is reached. These means (8) are connected to the means (8) for determining the distance between the movable plate (5) and the fixed wall (4). These means (8) consist of at least one rangefinder.