CN115486534B

CN115486534B - Rotary-cut rounding assembly, rotary-cut rounding mechanism and rounding device

Info

Publication number: CN115486534B
Application number: CN202110677157.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 肖红明; 王德勇; 乐志荣
Original assignee: Kunshan Research & Development Center Of Uni President China Investment Co ltd; Uni President Enterprises China Investment Co Ltd
Current assignee: Kunshan Research & Development Center Of Uni President China Investment Co ltd; Uni President Enterprises China Investment Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-06-18
Filing date: 2021-06-18
Publication date: 2024-03-15
Anticipated expiration: 2041-06-18
Also published as: CN115486534A

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a rotary-cut rounding assembly, rotary-cut rounding mechanism, and rounding device for manufacturing spherical products. The rotary-cut rounding assembly comprises: a material extrusion element comprising a material inlet at a first surface, a material outlet at a second surface, and a material passageway between the material inlet and the material outlet, the material passageway comprising a first portion having a cylindrical shape and a second portion having a conical shape, and the second surface being configured as an inwardly concave surface; and a rotary cutting member including a rotary arm and two rotary cutters respectively mounted at both ends of the rotary arm, each rotary cutter being obliquely fixed to a corresponding one of both ends of the rotary arm, the second surface of the material extruding member facing the rotary cutter of the rotary cutting member when assembled into the rotary-cut rounding assembly. The rotary-cut rounding assembly can efficiently and stably manufacture spherical products with perfect roundness, and is particularly suitable for rounding high-viscosity materials.

Description

Rotary-cut rounding assembly, rotary-cut rounding mechanism and rounding device

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to the technical field of food processing machinery. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a rotary-cut rounding assembly for manufacturing spherical articles, a rotary-cut rounding mechanism comprising two or more of the rotary-cut rounding assemblies, and a rounding device comprising the rotary-cut rounding mechanism.

Background

The pearl milk tea is a drink originated from Taiwan province in China and mainly consists of milk tea and pearls. The pearl in the pearl milk tea is also called pearl powder circle, which is a leisure food with crystal clear appearance and high internal nutritive value, and can form unique aesthetic feeling and taste when being matched with the milk tea.

There are two main ways of rounding pearl powder used in manufacturing pearl milky tea currently popular in the industry: one is by calendaring, rubbing and cutting into a round; the other is carried out by means of granulation and spheronization using a pelletization device or a spheronization machine. For example, patent CN202407031U discloses a pill making machine for producing pearl milk tea, patent CN206629974U discloses a pearl rounding machine for producing pearl milk tea, patent CN212279748U discloses a production device for pearl rounding, patent TW M525070U discloses an improved rounding machine, and so on.

The above-mentioned rounding method and rounding equipment have some defects. For example, the above-mentioned round making method needs to be done by a secondary cooking process, so that the sanitation is not easy to control. In addition, the rounding mode and the rounding equipment can not meet the production requirement of a strongly viscous product, can not process the strongly viscous material into circles and the like.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present disclosure to overcome at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art.

In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a rotary-cut rounding assembly for manufacturing spherical articles is provided. The rotary-cut rounding assembly may include: a material extrusion element comprising a material inlet at a first surface, a material outlet at a second surface opposite the first surface, and a material passageway between the material inlet and the material outlet, wherein the material passageway comprises a first portion that is cylindrical and a second portion that is conical, and the second surface of the material extrusion element is configured as an inwardly concave surface; and a rotary cutting member including a rotary arm and two rotary cutters respectively mounted at both ends of the rotary arm, each of the rotary cutters being obliquely fixed to a corresponding one of both ends of the rotary arm, wherein, when assembled into the rotary cutting rounding assembly, the second surface of the material extruding member faces the rotary cutter of the rotary cutting member.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the length of the cylindrical first portion may be less than 2mm.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the length of the cylindrical first portion may be less than 1mm.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cone angle of the conically shaped second part may be between 60 ° and 80 °.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the rotational cutting blade may have an inclination angle between 30 ° and 60 ° with respect to a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the rotational arm.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the inclination angle of the rotary cutter may be 45 °.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the two ends of the rotating arm may include inclined surfaces adapted to fix the rotary cutter, and the inclined surfaces of the two ends may be configured to be parallel to each other.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the rotary cutter may include a substantially plate-shaped body, at least one slot may be provided on the body, a fastening element may be capable of fixing the rotary cutter on the inclined surface of the rotary arm through the slot, and the fastening element may be capable of sliding in the slot to adjust a fixing position of the rotary cutter on the inclined surface of the rotary arm before fastening.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the material extrusion element and the rotary cutting element are fixed on the same support structure to ensure accurate positioning of the material extrusion element relative to the rotary cutting blade of the rotary cutting element.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the center of the rotary arm of the rotary-cut member is fixedly mounted on a rotary shaft rotatably mounted on the supporting structure.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one of the second surface of the material extrusion element, the surface of the material passageway of the material extrusion element, and the surface of the rotary cutter of the rotary cutting element is plated with a release coating.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the rotational atherectomy assembly may further include a spray mechanism configured to spray an anti-adhesive agent at least to the rotational atherectomy element when in operation.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the rotary-cut rounding assembly may further include a motor for driving the rotary arm of the rotary-cut member to rotate.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the rotary-cut rounding assembly may further include a protection plate disposed at a side opposite to the material extruding element along an extension direction of the rotary arm.

In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a rotary-cut rounding mechanism is provided. The rotary-cut rounding mechanism may include: a base; and two or more rotational atherectomy assemblies according to the present disclosure disposed about the periphery of the base. The base may include a recess including a bottom surface and a side surface provided with two or more lateral discharge ports, each in fluid communication with a respective one of the rotary-cut rounding assemblies, such that material entering the recess can enter the rotary-cut rounding assembly via the lateral discharge port.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the rotational atherectomy mechanism may further include a diverter assembly disposed on the top surface of the base for diverting the material, wherein the diverter assembly may include a cap member, a cone member, and a diverter cavity formed between the cap member and the cone member, wherein the diverter cavity is configured to be in fluid communication with a lateral discharge port of the recess of the base.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the inner surface of the cap-shaped element and the outer surface of the cone-shaped element are configured not to be parallel to each other such that the width of the diversion chamber is tapered substantially along the flow direction of the material.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the cap member may be secured to the top surface of the base, while the cone member is secured in the recess of the base.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the top of the conical element is rounded and the taper of the conical element may be set between 60 ° and 80 °.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the width of the shunt cavity may be set between 10mm and 20 mm.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the conical element may be made of a stainless steel material and the outer surface of the conical element may be plated with a release coating.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the outer circumference of the base may have a substantially polygonal shape, and one of the rotary-cut rounding assemblies is provided at a position corresponding to each side of the polygon.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the rotary-cut rounding assemblies may be directly fixed at a corresponding position of the outer circumference of the base.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the rotational atherectomy devices may be secured at a respective location on the outer periphery of the base via an intermediate connection mechanism.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the intermediate connection mechanism may comprise two pipe sections, each of which may be provided with a first flange at a first end and a second flange of substantially circular shape, the second flanges of the two pipe sections abutting each other and being capable of being snap-connected together by a clip mechanism when the intermediate connection mechanism is assembled.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the clamp mechanism may include two semi-circular halves with one end pivotally connected and the other end capable of being secured to each other via a single securing element.

In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a rounding apparatus is provided. The rounding device comprises: the device comprises a material storage module, a material extrusion module, a material heating module and a rotary-cut rounding module, wherein the rotary-cut rounding module comprises a rotary-cut rounding mechanism according to the disclosure.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the material storage module may comprise a material container into which material in the material container may be pumped via a pumping device arranged between the material storage module and the material extrusion module.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the pumping device may be a peristaltic pump.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the material extrusion module and the material heating module are configured to mix shear and gelatinize the material at a high temperature before the material is conveyed to the rotary-cut rounding module.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the material heating module may be disposed below the material pressing module.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the material extrusion module may comprise a screw extruder.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the material heating module may include a heating element, a cooling element, and a controller, wherein the cooling element is configured to cool the material when a heating temperature exceeds a predetermined heating temperature of the material.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the material heating module is configured to heat the material extrusion module in sections.

It is noted that aspects of the present disclosure described with respect to one embodiment may be incorporated into other and different embodiments, although not specifically described with respect to the other and different embodiments. In other words, all embodiments and/or features of any embodiment may be combined in any way and/or combination, provided that they are not mutually contradictory.

Drawings

The various aspects of the disclosure will be better understood upon reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a rounding apparatus for manufacturing spherical articles according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a rotary-cut rounding module of the rounding device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a rotary-cut rounding mechanism suitable for use in the rounding device shown in FIG. 1, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a base adapted to mount two or more rotary-cut rounding assemblies, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a diverter assembly adapted to divert material according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a single rotary-cut rounding assembly according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 7 a-7 b are perspective and front views, respectively, of a material extrusion element of the rotary-cut rounding assembly of FIG. 6;

FIG. 7c is a schematic illustration of the engagement between the material extrusion element and the rotary cutting element of the rotary cut rounding assembly of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 illustrates an atomization mechanism according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 9a and 9b illustrate an intermediate connection mechanism adapted for removably mounting the rotary-cut rounding assembly of fig. 6, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

It should be understood that throughout the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like elements. In the drawings, the size of some of the features may be altered and not drawn to scale for clarity.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood, however, that the present disclosure may be presented in many different ways and is not limited to the embodiments described below; indeed, the embodiments described below are intended to more fully convey the disclosure to those skilled in the art and to fully convey the scope of the disclosure. It should also be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in various ways to provide yet additional embodiments.

It should be understood that the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. All terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the specification have the meanings commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art unless otherwise defined. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.

As used in this specification, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The use of the terms "comprising," "including," and "containing" in the specification mean that the recited features are present, but that one or more other features are not excluded. The use of the phrase "and/or" in the specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

In the description, an element is referred to as being "on," "attached" to, "connected" to, "coupled" to, "contacting" or the like another element, and the element may be directly on, attached to, connected to, coupled to or contacting the other element or intervening elements may be present.

In the description, the terms "first," "second," "third," and the like are used for ease of description only and are not intended to be limiting. Any feature expressed as "first," "second," "third," etc. is interchangeable.

In the specification, spatial relationship words such as "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "top", "bottom", and the like may describe the relationship of one feature to another feature in the drawings. It will be understood that the spatial relationship words comprise, in addition to the orientations shown in the figures, different orientations of the device in use or operation. For example, when the device in the figures is inverted, features that were originally described as "below" other features may be described as "above" the other features. The device may also be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the relative spatial relationship will be explained accordingly.

Referring to fig. 1, a rounding apparatus 10 for manufacturing spherical articles according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The rounded product may be a pearl ball in a pearl milk tea, or other rounded food or rounded medicament (e.g., other rounded food or rounded medicament suitable for being made from a gelatinized material) that can be made using the rounding apparatus 10 according to the present disclosure, or the like. The rounding device 10 may include a material storage module 11, a material extrusion module 12, a material heating module 13, and a rotary-cut rounding module 14.

As shown in fig. 1, the material storage module 11 may include a material container 110. The material storage module 11 may further include a stirring member to stir the material in the material container 110 such that the components of the material are uniformly mixed. The material in the material container 110 may be pumped into the material extrusion module 12 via a pumping device 15 arranged between the material storage module 11 and the material extrusion module 12. In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the pumping device 15 may be configured as a peristaltic pump. The applicant has found during design and testing that the pumping device 15 configured as a peristaltic pump is able to pump material more accurately and more stably than other forms of pump, enabling accurate dosing of the material. Additionally, a funnel element 16 may be provided at the material inlet of the material extrusion module 12 to facilitate easier pumping of material into the material extrusion module 12.

The material extrusion module 12 may include a screw extruder 121. In particular, the screw extruder 121 may be a twin screw extruder. The screw extruder 121 may be driven by a motor 122, and the motor 122 may be disposed at one end of the screw extruder 121 (as shown in fig. 1). The material extrusion module 12 is configured to mix shear the material before it is delivered to the rotary-cut rounding module 14. The mixing and shearing of the materials helps to avoid delamination of the material components and helps to uniformly mix the material components. The material may also be heated in the material extrusion module 12 to gelatinize it at a high temperature, which may avoid the prior art defect of needing to cook the prepared spherical product twice, thereby avoiding the influence on the sanitation of the spherical product due to the twice cooking operation.

The material in the screw extruder 121 may be heated by the material heating module 13 to gelatinize it at a high temperature. As shown in fig. 1, the material heating module 13 may be disposed below the material extrusion module 12, and more particularly, may be disposed below the screw extruder 121. The material heating module 13 may include a heating element and a controller. The material heating module 13 can accurately heat the material in the material extrusion module 12 via the controller. In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the material heating module 13 may heat the screw extruder 121 in the material extrusion module in sections, which helps to more precisely control the heating temperature of the screw extruder 121 and to perform multi-section high temperature gelatinization of the material within the screw extruder 121. The material heating module 13 may further comprise a cooling element (e.g. a cooling conduit adapted to flow through cooling water) to cool the material when the heating temperature exceeds a predetermined heating temperature of the material.

The material is transported to the rotary-cut rounding module 14 via the pipe 17 after being subjected to mixed shearing and high-temperature gelatinization in the material extrusion module 12, and the material is rotary-cut into circles in the rotary-cut rounding module 14. As shown more clearly in fig. 2, the rotary-cut rounding module 14 may include a frame structure 141 and a rotary-cut rounding mechanism 142 secured to the frame structure 141. An electric control cabinet for controlling the operation of the rotary-cut rounding mechanism 142 may also be provided at the top of the frame structure 141 at a position above the rotary-cut rounding mechanism 142. As shown in fig. 2, the frame structure 141 may be configured to be movable to enable easy replacement and movement of the rotary-cut rounding module 14.

Referring to fig. 3-6, a specific structure of a rotary-cut rounding mechanism 142 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The rotary-cut rounding mechanism 142 may include: a base 143; and two or more rotary-cut rounding assemblies 145 disposed about an outer periphery 1432 of the base 143 for rotary-cut rounding of the material. The rotary-cut rounding mechanism 142 may also include a diverter assembly 144 disposed on a top surface 1431 of the base 143 for diverting material.

As shown more clearly in fig. 4, the outer perimeter 1432 of the base 143 may have a generally polygonal shape. A rotary-cut rounding assembly 145 may be provided at a position corresponding to each side of the polygon, respectively. In the embodiment shown in fig. 4, the outer periphery 1432 of the base 143 is generally regular octagon, and thus, eight rotary cutting rounding assemblies 145 may be provided around the outer periphery of the base 143. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the outer circumference 1432 of the base 143 may be configured as a triangle, square, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, etc., such that three, four, five, six, seven, or more rotary-cut rounding assemblies 145 may be disposed around the outer circumference 1432 of the base 143 as desired. Preferably, the spin-cut rounding assemblies 145 may be evenly distributed around the outer circumference of the base 143. In some cases, only two rotary-cut rounding assemblies 145 may be provided around the outer circumference of the base 143, which are disposed opposite to each other.

The top surface 1431 of the base 143 may include a recess 1433. The recess 1433 extends downwardly from the top surface 1431 of the base 143 a depth such that the recess 1433 includes a bottom surface 1434 and side surfaces 1435. The side surface 1435 of the recess 1433 may have a circular shape or may have a polygonal shape substantially corresponding to the outer circumference 1432 of the base 143. The sides 1435 of the recess 1433 may be provided with a plurality of lateral outlets 1436, each lateral outlet 1436 may be in fluid communication with a respective one of the rotary-cut rounding assemblies 145 such that material entering the recess 1433 may exit the base 143 via the lateral outlet 1436 and then enter each of the rotary-cut rounding assemblies 145.

Referring to fig. 5, a specific structure of a diverter assembly 144 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The diverter assembly 144 may include: a cap-shaped element 1441; tapered element 1442; and a shunt cavity 1443 formed between the cap-shaped element 1441 and the tapered element 1442. The diverter chamber 1443 is configured to be in fluid communication with the plurality of lateral outlets 1436 of the side 1435 of the recess 1433 of the base 143. The cap-shaped element 1441 may be fixed to the top surface 1431 of the base 143, while the cone-shaped element 1443 may be fixed in the recess 1433 of the base 143. Cover member 1441 and cone member 1443 may be secured to top surface 1431 of base 143 and bottom surface 1434 of recess 1433 of base 143, respectively, using screws or other suitable securing mechanisms. The upper portion of the cap-shaped element 1441 may be connected in flow communication with the conduit 17 via an elbow 18 (see fig. 3).

In order to better divert material entering the diversion cavity 1443 and to cause it to be stably extruded, in one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the top of the tapered element 1443 is rounded. In addition, the inner surface of the cap-shaped element 1441 and the outer surface of the tapered element 1442 are configured not to be parallel to each other, so that the width of the flow dividing chamber 1443 formed between the cap-shaped element 1441 and the tapered element 1442 is gradually narrowed generally along the flow direction of the material (i.e., the upper width is large and the lower width is small). By means of the design of the conical element 1443 and the unique structure of the flow distribution cavity 1443 formed by the conical element 1443 and the cover-shaped element 1441, the problems of uneven distribution of materials in the cavity and large pressure difference in the prior art can be well solved. In addition, to enable stable flow of material within the diverter cavity 1443, the overall taper of the tapered element 1443 may be set between 60 ° and 80 ° and the width of the diverter cavity 1443 may be set between 10mm and 20 mm. The design can better utilize the gravity action of the material to stabilize the falling curve of the material, thereby facilitating the stable flow and extrusion of the material.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, tapered element 1443 may be made of a stainless steel material. To enable a smooth flow of highly viscous material, such as high temperature gelatinized pearl round material, through the shunt cavity 1443, an anti-sticking treatment may be applied to the outer surface of the tapered element 1443. For example, the outer surface of tapered element 1443 may be coated with a release coating.

Referring to fig. 6, a specific structure of a rotary-cut rounding assembly 145 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Rotary-cut rounding assembly 145 may include a material extrusion element 1451 and a rotary-cut element 1452. The material extrusion element 1451 is used to extrude material therefrom at a predetermined diameter, while the rotary cutting element 1452 is used to cut the portion of material extruded from the material extrusion element 1451 at the predetermined diameter to form a spherical article.

Fig. 7 a-7 b illustrate a specific structure of a material extrusion element 1451 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Material extrusion element 1451 may include a material inlet 1454 located on a first surface 1453, a material outlet 1456 located on a second surface 1455 opposite first surface 1453, and a material passageway 1457 located between material inlet 1454 and material outlet 1456. In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the material passageway 1457 may include a first portion 1458 having a cylindrical shape and a second portion 1459 having a conical shape. The diameter of the first portion 1458, which is cylindrical, may be equal to the diameter of the material inlet 1454. The second conically shaped portion 1459 tapers from the first cylindrically shaped portion 1458 toward the material outlet 1456 such that the diameter of the first end of the second portion 1459 is equal to the diameter of the first portion 1458 and the diameter of the second end is equal to the diameter of the material outlet 1456. In practice, applicants have found that configuring the material passageway 1457 to include the first portion 1458 having a cylindrical shape can significantly improve the roundness of the manufactured spherical article, while if the material passageway 1457 does not include the first portion 1458 having a cylindrical shape, the roundness of the manufactured spherical article can be significantly reduced. The length of the first portion 1458, which is cylindrical, may be less than 2mm, preferably less than 1mm, more preferably between 0.1mm and 1mm. The cone angle of the conically shaped second part 1459 may be between 60 ° and 80 °, preferably between 60 ° and 70 °.

To better form a spherical article, second surface 1455 of material extrusion 1451 may be configured as a concave surface (as shown in fig. 7 c). The radius of the concave surface is configured to be equal to the radius of rotation of rotational atherectomy element 1452 to facilitate mating operation with rotational atherectomy element 1452.

Returning to fig. 6, in one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the rotary cutting element 1452 of the rotary cutting rounding assembly 145 may include a rotary arm 1460 and two rotary cutters 1461 respectively mounted at both ends of the rotary arm 1460. The center (or center of rotation) of the rotary arm 1460 is fixedly mounted on the rotary shaft 1462 with respect to the rotary shaft 1462. Each rotary-cut rounding assembly 145 may include a motor 1468 for driving the rotary shaft 1462 so as to rotate the rotary arm 1460 via the rotary shaft 1462 under the driving of the motor 1468. In another embodiment according to the present disclosure, the rotary cutting element 1452 of the rotary cutting rounding assembly 145 may also include only one rotary cutter 1461 mounted on one of the ends of the rotary arm 1460.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, each of the two ends of the rotating arm 1460 may include a slope, respectively, in order to obliquely fix the rotary cutter 1461 thereto. In this embodiment, inclined surfaces of both end portions of the rotating arm 1460 are configured to be parallel to each other, and the rotary cutter 1461 may be configured to include a substantially flat plate-shaped body. When the rotary cutter 1461 is fixed on the inclined surface of the corresponding end portion of the rotary arm 1460, the inclination angle of the body of the rotary cutter 1461 with respect to the direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the rotary arm 1460 may be in the range of 30 ° to 60 °, preferably in the range of 40 ° to 50 °, and more preferably 45 °. In practice, the applicant found that when the inclination angle of the rotary cutter 1461 is less than 30 °, the rotary cutter 1461 is likely to adhere to the material to be cut and does not cut well; when the inclination angle of the rotary cutter 1461 is greater than 60 °, the rotary cutter 1461 may adversely affect the roundness or appearance of the manufactured spherical article. The angle of inclination of the rotary cutter 1461 is optimal at 45 ° at which the rotary cutter 1461 does not significantly adhere to the material being cut nor significantly affect the roundness and appearance of the spherical article produced. A cutting edge 1463 is provided at one end of the body of the rotary cutter 1461. The cutting edge 1463 extends obliquely with respect to the body surface of the rotary cutter. In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the angle of inclination of the cutting edge 1463 with respect to the body surface of the rotary cutter may be 60 °.

The body of the rotary cutter 1461 may be provided with a plurality of slots. The fastening elements may pass through the slots to secure the rotary cutter 1461 to the inclined surface of the corresponding end of the rotary arm 1460. The slot may be elongated to enable the fastening element to slide within the slot prior to fastening, thereby enabling adjustment of the fixed position of the rotary cutter 1461 on the inclined surface of the corresponding end of the rotary arm 1460. This allows the rotary cutter 1461 to be more flexibly installed and allows the rotary cutting radius of the rotary cutting rounding assembly 145 to be adjusted over a wide range, thereby improving the versatility of the rotary cutting rounding assembly 145.

When assembled into rotary cutting rounded assembly 145, second surface 1455 of material extrusion element 1451 faces rotary cutter 1461. As the rotary cutter 1461 rotates, the cutting edge 1463 of the rotary cutter 1461 is able to access, but not be interfered with, the second surface 1455 of the material extruding element 1451. In this way, as the cutting edge 1463 of the rotary cutter 1461 rotates past the second surface 1455 of the material extruding element 1451, the rounded material extruded from the second surface 1455 of the material extruding element 1451 can be cut off, thereby forming a rounded ball article.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, to ensure accurate positioning of material extrusion element 1451 relative to rotary cutter 1461, material extrusion element 1451 and rotary cutting element 1452 may be secured to the same support structure. The support structure may be configured in the form of a support plate. The sides of the material extrusion 1451 may be secured to a support structure. Specifically, the sides of the material extrusion element 1451 may be provided with a plurality of threaded holes, through which the material extrusion element 1451 may be secured to a support structure using fastening elements such as screws. The rotational axis 1462 of the rotary cutting element 1452 may also be rotatably mounted to the support structure, for example, it may be rotatably mounted to the support structure using bearings. Because the material extrusion element 1451 and the rotary cutting element 1452 are mounted on the same support structure, rotary cutting rounding assembly 145 according to the present disclosure does not produce relative displacement of material extrusion element 1451 and rotary cutting element 1452 during operation, thereby ensuring that rotary cutting rounding assembly 145 is capable of continuously and stably producing spherical articles. A protection plate 1467 may be further provided along an extending direction of the rotating arm 1460 at a side opposite to the material extruding element 1451 to prevent an operator from being injured by touching the rotary cutter 1461 fixed at an end of the rotating arm 1460.

For high-temperature gelatinized high-viscosity materials, it is necessary to prevent them from adhering to the material extrusion member 1451 and the rotary cutting member 1452 to affect the production efficiency. To this end, a release coating may be applied to at least the second surface 1455 of the material extruding element 1451 and the surface of the rotary cutter 1461. In addition, a release coating may be applied to the surface of the material passageway 1457 of the material extrusion element 1451. In another embodiment according to the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 8, a spraying mechanism 147 may be provided for each rotary cutting and rounding assembly 145. The spraying mechanism 147 is configured to, in operation, spray the anti-sticking agent onto the rotary cutter 1461 of the rotary cutting rounding assembly 145, and optionally the second surface 1455 of the material extrusion element 1451. On the one hand, the anti-sticking agent may further prevent the high viscosity material from sticking to the cutting blade 1461, and on the other hand, the anti-sticking agent may cool the cutting blade 1461 to avoid overheating of the cutting blade 1461. The anti-blocking agent may be an oil or other suitable anti-blocking agent. By providing the anti-sticking coating on the material extrusion member 1451 and the rotary cutting member 1452 in combination with the spraying mechanism 147 provided for each rotary cutting rounding assembly 145, the rotary cutting rounding assembly according to the present disclosure can be adapted to rotary cut materials having high viscosity without sticking, thereby greatly improving the production stability thereof and securing the production efficiency thereof.

As previously described, a rounding device 10 according to the present disclosure may include two or more rotary-cut rounding assemblies 145, each rotary-cut rounding assembly 145 being secured in a respective position at the outer periphery 1432 of the base 143. In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, each rotary-cut rounding assembly 145 may be directly fixed at a corresponding position of the outer circumference 1432 of the base 143 using a fastening element (e.g., a fastening screw). However, in another embodiment according to the present disclosure, each rotary-cut rounding assembly 145 may be fixed at a corresponding position on the outer periphery 1432 of the base 143 via an intermediate connection mechanism 148 that can be quickly assembled and disassembled. As shown in fig. 9a, the intermediate connection 148 may include two tube segments 1481. A first end of each tube section 1481 may be provided with a first flange 1482, such as a generally rectangular shape, and a second end may be provided with a second flange 1483, such as a generally circular shape. When assembled into the intermediate connection 148, the first flange 1482 of one of the two tube segments 1481 may be secured to the outer perimeter 1432 of the base 143 and the first flange of the other of the two tube segments 1481 may be secured to the first surface 1453 of the material extrusion member 1451. The second flanges 1483 of the two pipe sections 1481 abut each other and may be snap-connected together by a clip mechanism 1484. As shown in fig. 9b, the clamp mechanism 1484 may include two semi-circular halves 1485. One end of the two semi-circular halves 1485 are pivotably connected while the other end can be secured to each other via a single securing element (e.g., pin) 1486 to snap the two tube segments 1481 together.

The use of the intermediate connection 148 can provide the following advantages: 1) The intermediate connection mechanism 148 extends in a radial direction perpendicular to the outer periphery 1432 of the base 143, enabling the rotary-cut rounding assembly 145 to be mounted at a position farther relative to the outer periphery 1432 of the base 143, thereby increasing the mounting space for the rotary-cut rounding assembly 145. This is particularly advantageous for a rounding device 10 that includes a plurality of rotary cut rounding assemblies 145 that can avoid the inability to install the plurality of rotary cut rounding assemblies 145 due to the small installation space; 2) The intermediate connection mechanism 148 connects its two tube segments 1481 via the clamp mechanism 1484, which enables the two tube segments 1481 to be quickly assembled together and disassembled (e.g., quick assembly and quick disassembly of the two tube segments 1481 may be accomplished by simply inserting or extracting the pins 1486), which can greatly reduce the time to install and replace the rotary-cut rounding assembly 145, as compared to using multiple fastening elements, such as fastening screws. Because the rotary-cut rounding assembly 145 needs to be removed frequently for cleaning, the use of the intermediate connection mechanism 148 of the clamp mechanism 1484 greatly improves the work efficiency of the worker and reduces labor costs; 3) The use of the tube section 1481 also allows the material to be further cooled before it is spun, thereby further reducing its viscosity and allowing it to be cut more easily.

Exemplary embodiments according to the present disclosure are described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and changes can be made to the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. All changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The disclosure is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.

Claims

1. A rotary-cut rounding assembly for use in manufacturing spherical articles, comprising:

a material extrusion element comprising a material inlet at a first surface, a material outlet at a second surface opposite the first surface, and a material passageway between the material inlet and the material outlet, wherein the material passageway comprises a first portion that is cylindrical and a second portion that is conical, and the second surface of the material extrusion element is configured as an inwardly concave surface; and

a rotary cutting member including a rotary arm and two rotary cutters respectively mounted at both ends of the rotary arm, wherein the both ends of the rotary arm include inclined surfaces adapted to fix the rotary cutters, the inclined surfaces of the both ends are configured to be parallel to each other, each of the rotary cutters is obliquely fixed on an inclined surface of a corresponding one of the both ends of the rotary arm, and an inclination angle of each of the rotary cutters with respect to a direction perpendicular to an extending direction of the rotary arm is between 30 ° and 60 °, wherein, when the rotary cutting rounded assembly is assembled, a second surface of the material extruding member faces the rotary cutter of the rotary cutting member, and, when the rotary cutter rotates, a cutting edge of the rotary cutter can approach the second surface of the material extruding member without being interfered by the second surface;

wherein each of the rotary cutting blades comprises a substantially flat plate-shaped body provided with at least one slot through which a fastening member can fix the rotary cutting blade to the inclined surface of the rotary arm, and the fastening member can slide in the slot before fastening to adjust the fixing position of the rotary cutting blade to the inclined surface of the rotary arm; and is also provided with

Wherein the material extrusion element and the rotary cutting element are fixed on the same support structure to ensure accurate positioning of the material extrusion element relative to the rotary cutting blade of the rotary cutting element.

2. The rotational atherectomy device of claim 1, wherein the first cylindrical section has a length of less than 2mm.

3. The rotational atherectomy device of claim 2, wherein the first cylindrical section has a length of less than 1mm.

4. The rotational atherectomy device of claim 1, wherein the conical second section has a cone angle between 60 ° and 80 °.

5. The rotary-cut rounding assembly of claim 1, wherein the oblique angle of the rotary cutter is 45 °.

6. The rotational atherectomy assembly of claim 1, wherein the rotational arm of the rotational atherectomy member is fixedly mounted at a rotational axis, the rotational axis being rotatably mounted on the support structure.

7. The rotary cutting rounding assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of the second surface of the material extrusion element, the surface of the material passageway of the material extrusion element, and the surface of the rotary cutting blade of the rotary cutting element is plated with a release coating.

8. The rotary cutting rounding assembly of claim 1, further comprising a spray mechanism configured to spray a detackifier at least to the rotary cutting element when in operation.

9. The rotary atherectomy assembly of claim 1, further comprising a motor for driving rotation of the rotary arm of the rotary abrasive element.

10. The rotary-cut rounding assembly of claim 1, further comprising a guard plate disposed on a side opposite the material extrusion element along an extension direction of the rotary arm.

11. A rotary-cut rounding mechanism comprising:

a base; and

two or more rotational atherectomy assemblies according to any one of claims 1 to 10 disposed about the periphery of the base;

wherein, the base includes the depressed part, the depressed part includes bottom surface and side, the side is provided with two or more side discharge gates, every side discharge gate and corresponding one rotary-cut system circle subassembly fluid communication, so that get into the material of depressed part can be via the side discharge gate gets into the rotary-cut system circle subassembly.

12. The rotary-cut rounding mechanism of claim 11, further comprising a diverter assembly disposed on the top surface of the base for diverting the material, wherein the diverter assembly comprises a cap-shaped element, a cone-shaped element, and a diverter cavity formed between the cap-shaped element and the cone-shaped element, wherein the diverter cavity is configured to be in fluid communication with a lateral discharge port of the recess of the base.

13. The rotational atherectomy device of claim 12, wherein the inner surface of the cap member and the outer surface of the cone member are configured to be non-parallel to one another such that the width of the diversion chamber tapers generally along the flow direction of the material.

14. The rotational atherectomy device of claim 12, wherein the cap member is secured to the top surface of the base and the cone member is secured in a recess of the base.

15. The rotational atherectomy rounding mechanism of claim 12, wherein the top of the conical element is rounded and the taper of the conical element is provided between 60 ° and 80 °.

16. The rotational atherectomy device of claim 12, wherein the shunt chamber has a width between 10mm and 20 mm.

17. The rotational atherectomy rounding mechanism of claim 12, wherein the conical elements are made of a stainless steel material and an outer surface of the conical elements is plated with a release coating.

18. The rotational atherectomy mechanism of claim 11, wherein the outer perimeter of the base is generally polygonal in shape, with one rotational atherectomy assembly being provided at a location corresponding to each side of the polygon.

19. The rotary-cut rounding mechanism of claim 11, wherein each of said rotary-cut rounding assemblies is directly secured at a respective location on the outer periphery of said base.

20. The rotational atherectomy device of claim 11, wherein each of the rotational atherectomy devices is secured to the base at a respective location on the outer periphery thereof via an intermediate connection.

21. The rotary-cut rounding mechanism of claim 20, wherein the intermediate connection mechanism comprises two tube segments, a first end of each tube segment being provided with a first flange and a second end being provided with a second generally circular flange, the second flanges of the two tube segments abutting one another and being snap-connectable together by a clip mechanism when the intermediate connection mechanism is assembled.

22. The rotational atherectomy mechanism of claim 21, wherein the clamp mechanism comprises two semi-circular halves, one end of which is pivotably connected and the other end of which is fixable to each other via a single fixation element.

23. A rounding apparatus comprising: a material storage module, a material extrusion module, a material heating module, and a rotary-cut rounding module, wherein the rotary-cut rounding module comprises a rotary-cut rounding mechanism according to any one of claims 11 to 22.

24. The rounding device of claim 23, wherein the material storage module comprises a material container into which material in the material container is pumped via a pumping device disposed between the material storage module and the material extrusion module.

25. The rounding device of claim 24, wherein the pumping device is a peristaltic pump.

26. The rounding apparatus of claim 23, wherein the material extrusion module and the material heating module are configured to mix shear and gelatinize material at a high temperature prior to the material being conveyed to the rotary-cut rounding module.

27. The rounding device of claim 26, wherein the material heating module is disposed below the material extrusion module.

28. The rounding device of claim 23, wherein the material extrusion module comprises a screw extruder.

29. The rounding device of claim 23, wherein the material heating module comprises a heating element, a cooling element, and a controller, wherein the cooling element is configured to cool the material when the heating temperature exceeds a predetermined heating temperature of the material.

30. The rounding device of claim 29, wherein the material heating module is configured to heat the material extrusion module in sections.