Varied Cavity Draft Angle for Sticky Food Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food product forming technologies, such as guillotine and rotary forming systems, face challenges in releasing sticky or semi-adhesive food products from cutters or molds, leading to inconsistent shapes and increased waste due to interconnective webbing or suboptimal ultrasonic energy application.
Innovation Solution
The use of cutters and rotary cutting wheels with varied cavity draft angles, which allow for improved food release by directing food products to areas with lower cavity draft angles, reducing adhesion and eliminating the need for external vents, while also incorporating ultrasonic activation and vented designs to enhance release efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a uniform cavity draft angle is used in cutters or molds, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but sticky or semi-adhesive food products stick to the inside of the cavities, causing inconsistent shapes and difficulty in release
Solution Approach 1:
The cavity draft angle is varied locally within the cavity rather than being uniform throughout. Different sections of the cavity wall have different draft angles optimized for their specific function: smaller angles for release-critical areas and larger angles for structural stability, thereby improving shape consistency without requiring complete redesign of the entire cavity structure
Solution Approach 2:
The cavity draft angle transitions from a static uniform value to a dynamic varied profile that adapts to the local requirements of different cavity regions. This dynamic variation in geometry allows the cavity to optimize both release properties and shape consistency across different sections during the forming process
2Reliability
If ultrasonic energy is applied to release food products from cutters, then release effectiveness is improved, but energy consumption increases and it is suboptimal for multilayered products
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the ultrasonic energy-based release mechanism with a mechanically optimized cavity draft angle design. By carefully engineering the draft angle variation, the cavity geometry itself facilitates release through reduced adhesion and improved gravitational ejection, eliminating the need for additional ultrasonic energy input
Solution Approach 2:
The cavity draft angle parameters are optimized to improve release effectiveness without relying on ultrasonic energy. By adjusting the draft angle values and their distribution throughout the cavity, the system achieves reliable release through geometric optimization rather than energy-intensive methods
3Ease of operation
If interconnective webbing is formed to pull food products from cutters, then release is achieved, but excess material is discarded as waste, increasing process cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the release function from the excess material webbing mechanism and embeds it directly into the cavity geometry through optimized draft angles. This eliminates the need to create interconnective webbing as a separate release mechanism, thereby preventing the generation of excess material waste while maintaining effective release
4Reliability
If vents are added to cutters or molds to improve release, then food product release is enhanced, but contamination risks and cleaning complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding vents that create contamination risks, the patent converts the cavity draft angle design itself into a release-enabling feature. The varied draft angle geometry naturally facilitates release through reduced adhesion and improved ejection, turning the cavity structure into a beneficial release mechanism without introducing harmful openings or contamination pathways
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
The varied cavity draft angle design enhances food release properties, maintains shape consistency, and reduces waste and contamination risks, particularly for sticky or multilayered products, compared to traditional uniform cavity draft angle systems.
Implementation Method 1
The application of ultrasonic energy has also been described for this purpose
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a cutter or mold having at least one sidewall defining a cavity, wherein the cavity draft angle varies. In some embodiments, the cutter may also include a base, i.e., the cutter can be a mold. The cutter or mold exhibits better release properties of food products molded or cut therewith than conventional cutters or molds having no cavity draft angle, or a uniform cavity draft angle. Rotary cutting wheels, that in some embodiments may be ultrasonically activated, as well as systems incorporating the cutters or molds are also provided, as are methods of forming food products using the cutters or molds.