NZ613284A - Mold for forming at least one food product - Google Patents
Mold for forming at least one food productInfo
- Publication number
- NZ613284A NZ613284A NZ613284A NZ61328412A NZ613284A NZ 613284 A NZ613284 A NZ 613284A NZ 613284 A NZ613284 A NZ 613284A NZ 61328412 A NZ61328412 A NZ 61328412A NZ 613284 A NZ613284 A NZ 613284A
- Authority
- NZ
- New Zealand
- Prior art keywords
- mold
- production
- data
- measurement unit
- station
- Prior art date
Links
- 235000013305 food Nutrition 0.000 title claims abstract description 72
- 238000005259 measurement Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 113
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 108
- 230000001133 acceleration Effects 0.000 claims description 12
- 238000005406 washing Methods 0.000 claims description 12
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 claims description 11
- 239000011241 protective layer Substances 0.000 claims description 7
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 claims description 7
- 241001589086 Bellapiscis medius Species 0.000 claims description 6
- 239000004615 ingredient Substances 0.000 claims description 4
- 230000001276 controlling effect Effects 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000000465 moulding Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 230000036961 partial Effects 0.000 claims description 2
- 102000004169 proteins and genes Human genes 0.000 claims description 2
- 108090000623 proteins and genes Proteins 0.000 claims description 2
- 229940035295 Ting Drugs 0.000 claims 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 16
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 13
- 230000035882 stress Effects 0.000 description 6
- 238000004458 analytical method Methods 0.000 description 5
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 5
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 4
- 238000005457 optimization Methods 0.000 description 4
- 235000019219 chocolate Nutrition 0.000 description 3
- 235000009508 confectionery Nutrition 0.000 description 3
- 230000000875 corresponding Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000007711 solidification Methods 0.000 description 3
- 210000000614 Ribs Anatomy 0.000 description 2
- 238000004140 cleaning Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000009434 installation Methods 0.000 description 2
- 150000002500 ions Chemical class 0.000 description 2
- 239000010410 layer Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000003014 reinforcing Effects 0.000 description 2
- 235000008733 Citrus aurantifolia Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 241001182492 Nes Species 0.000 description 1
- 235000015450 Tilia cordata Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 235000011941 Tilia x europaea Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- ASCUXPQGEXGEMJ-GPLGTHOPSA-N [(2R,3S,4S,5R,6S)-3,4,5-triacetyloxy-6-[[(2R,3R,4S,5R,6R)-3,4,5-triacetyloxy-6-(4-methylanilino)oxan-2-yl]methoxy]oxan-2-yl]methyl acetate Chemical compound CC(=O)O[C@@H]1[C@@H](OC(C)=O)[C@@H](OC(C)=O)[C@@H](COC(=O)C)O[C@@H]1OC[C@@H]1[C@@H](OC(C)=O)[C@H](OC(C)=O)[C@@H](OC(C)=O)[C@H](NC=2C=CC(C)=CC=2)O1 ASCUXPQGEXGEMJ-GPLGTHOPSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 230000003213 activating Effects 0.000 description 1
- 235000015173 baked goods and baking mixes Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 235000008429 bread Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 235000012970 cakes Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 235000013351 cheese Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 239000006071 cream Substances 0.000 description 1
- 235000013365 dairy product Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 238000007405 data analysis Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000003247 decreasing Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001419 dependent Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229920000591 gum Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001746 injection moulding Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000004571 lime Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000011236 particulate material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 235000014594 pastries Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 238000011002 quantification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000002829 reduced Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000003252 repetitive Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005070 sampling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000002604 ultrasonography Methods 0.000 description 1
Abstract
613284 A mold (10) for forming at least one food product with a measurement unit (20), the mold having a filling side and a back side (11) opposite to the filling side. Further, the measurement unit comprises: measuring means configured to measure at least one parameter while the mold is used in a production line or testing facility and a data transfer interface (26) configured to transfer data to an external processing unit. n a production line or testing facility and a data transfer interface (26) configured to transfer data to an external processing unit.
Description
MOLD FOR FORMING AT LEAST ONE FOOD PRODUCT
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a mold with at least one depression for forming food
products that is at the same time configured for optimizing the design of the mold,
the tion line and/or the tion
process. Said mold has a filling side that
is open to be filled with at least one food mass and/or at least
one food product
ient and a back side opposite to said filling side.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Molds are efficient tools in order to give food products a specific form. Due to their
essential role during the production process, to. they pass through a significant
number of production stages, they are exposed to various mechanical, ambient (such
as thermal) and chemical influences. For example, if the food products are removed
by knocking the mold, the mold may have to Withstand significant accelerations,
When the mold is cleaned after production in a washing cycle, the mold is within an
environment strongly ced by chemicals that assist in cleaning the mold for
the next production cycle. Here, the als may have the potential to deteriorate
the mold's material and therefore cause damage to the mold in the long run. In
addition to ical and chemical loads, the ambient ions surrounding the
mold change icantly as well. After filling the mold, the mold may well be
cooled down to temperatures below 0°C in order to achieve a fast solidification of
the food product. After the removal of the food product, the mold may be directly
transferred to the washing process that normally requires temperatures of about
50°C to 75°C. in other words, molds can be exposed to a substantial change in
temperature during a short period of time.
Although many ters may be used to optimize the production process, the
extent to which they influence the state and integrity of the mold is not generally
known. The ic requirements that have to be fulfilled according to the rules set
out for the food industry narrows down the choice of materials during the design
phase of such a mold to the materials certified for such a use. In other words, the
best material and design to withstand the conditions the mold is exposed to during
the production process may not be legitimate for use with food products.
WO 97043 PCT/U$2012/020903
Due to the repetitive use of molds during the production
process, at some point
problems such as e may have negative effects on the production process. For
example, a condition failure is chipped-off pieces of the mold’s al. This bears
the risk that parts of the chipped—off material ends
up within a food product.
Therefore, in such cases, the production s is brought to an immediate halt. As
a consequence, the food products that have been formed during the chipping-off
have to be discarded, and the production line has to be checked for
any residual
pieces of material left within the machinery. Since it is hard to determine when the
mold got damaged, a large number of food products
may contain pieces of broken
off material and the entire production run
may have to be discarded to avert any
risks to the health of the consumers. Only after such procedure, the production
continue. These. safety measures result in a delay of the production and therefore in
undesirable onal costs.
In order to avoid such costs, the molds are. designed with high safety s, leading
to molds that are bigger in size and therefore heavier and harder to move. in
addition, the lack of detailed knowledge concerning loads and the environmental
influences acting on such a mold results in a rather empirical design principle.
Hence, there is a need for optimization of the design of the mold and/or the
production line and/ or the production process to avoid the ence of failures of
the mold during production such as chipped—off material due to fatigue and/or high
loads.
Therefore, a first way to avoid structural problems with the molds is by zing
their design. As laid out above, this option can not be fully exploited
up to now due
to the lack of knowledge about the loads acting on such a mold during production
since sensors utilized for food production only register the state of the food product
in the mold such as the ature or the viscosity.
A second way is to develop means to detect a failure of the mold’s material. For
example, the German patent application DB 10 2004 012 580 Al uses a camera and
image ition to ine if all food products were removed from a mold.
Although this technology may be applied to monitor the integrity of the molds, such
a technique is in general stationary and therefore limited to only one stage of the
produco‘on.
Thus, DE 10 2604 012 580 could for example be used for the process and assembly for
producing a confectionery product disclosed in EP 1 676 485 Al, which forms the
basis for the two-part form of ndent claim 1. EP 1 676 485 A1 describes
injection-molding device for molding a tionery product which is shaped on all
sides. It can be produced by (i) preparing an aerated
sugar mass, (ii) injecting said
mass in a mould cavity defined by two separable mold surfaces having a
temperature below 0°C, and (iii) separating the mold surfaces and ng the
product.
Y OF THE INVENTION
The objective of the invention was therefore to provide the means that allows
optimizing the design of a mold for food. ts, the corresponding production
line and/or the corresponding production
process.
The present invention solves the above mentioned issues by providing a mold, an
apparatus, a method and a use in order to collect and transfer data describing the
state of the mold. This solution is brought forward by the. subject matter of the
independent claims, wherein the dependent claims describe further aspects of the
invention,
in a first aspect of the invention, a mold for forming at least one food t is
equipped with a measurement unit. The mold has a g side and a back side
opposite to said filling side. Further, the measurement unit comprises measuring 3
means configured to measure at least one parameter of the mold while the mold is
used in the production line or testing facility. Further, the unit comprises a data
transferring device configured to transfer data to an external processing unit.
Preferred food products are confectionery products (including ate, candy,
g gum and ice«cream), bakery products {including bread, cakes, pastries and.
dough) and/or dairy products (including cheese).
The measurement unit of the mold tates data acquisition directly at the point of
interest, namely the mold itself. Further, the mold may acquire and/or transfer the
data on~line and in real time. In one ment, the measurement unit
may only
comprise measarring mean-3, i.e. one or more sensors, and a data transferring device
Therefore, the design of the measurement unit can be kept simple and compact. This
has the age that such a measurement unit only requires a small installation
space for passing through the different production steps together with the mold‘
This architecture of the measurement unit also allows for a robust design that is
more fit to endure the production environment and, therefore, offers a longer life
\VO 20121097043 PCT/U82012/020903
time and higher reliability, The data transfer interface makes it possible
to outsource
at least parts of the data processing and ore further reduces the size of the
device. The ing measurement unit is small and has only few parts that are
exposed to the measurement environment and that have to be protected to avoid
malfmictlons. However, if a malfunction occrrrs, it is also easy to exchange such a
device. due to its size and at a low cost.
In another embodiment of the invention, the measuring means comprise at least
sensor that measures mechanical parameters such as stress, strain, acceleration,
orientation, ty and/or force, The sensor or sensors may apply tive
and/ or resistance working principles. For example, strain and stress may be
measured using at least one strain gauge, which in another embodiment are ly
ed to the mold and protected by a protective layer, if ary. Other
examples are gyro s measuring the orientation of the mold, acceleration
sensors and/ or force sensors, measuring the acceleration or force of the mold,
respectively, in at least one translational and/or rotational axis. Although in all
these examples, the sensors are preferably in direct contact with the mold, it is also
possible to use sensors that apply a non—contact measurement principle such as
ultrasound or laser. The latter enables, for e, the measurement of the velocity
and/or on of the mold,
Which parameters or which combination of parameters is measured, depends on the
objective of the measurement. In one embodiment of the invention, the measuring
means is configured to measure at least one parameter of the structure or structural
integrity of the mold. Additionally and or in another embodiment, it might be of
interest to measure accelerations that occur in the demolding station, for example a
mold knockout n, where the at least one food product is d. from the
mold. In the ng n this measurement may be complemented with a
measurement of the orientation of the mold. A person skilled. in the art will
appreciate that it may also be advantageous to choose a combination of sensors that
make it possible to identify certain events such as twisting or rotating the mold
during production in order to draw conclusions concerning the cause and effect of
certain production stages on the mold. It might also be desirable to investigate the
interrelationship between multiple parameters. For example, measuring the
temperature that the mold is exposed to during production may be useful to explain
parts of the stresses and strains occurring within the mold’s material.
PCTIU82012/020903
According to another embodiment of the invention, the measuring means comprise
at least one sensor, or in some embodiments multiple
sensors, to measure ambient
parameters such as pressure, temperature, humidity and/ or light. As explained
above, changes in temperature may cause l stress within the mold. Humidity
on the other hand might affect the heat er that occurs to the mold, for example
when washing said mold, and therefore indirectly determines the temperature
affecting the mold. Light (such as infrared light or UV light} could be used during
production and may well have adverse effects on the mold’s material and therefore
on the ural integrity of the mold.
in another embodiment of the ion, the measuring means comprise at least
and in some embodiments multiple sensors to measure one or more chemical
parameters such as partial pressures of gases, sugar t, viscosity, fat content,
protein and/or pH-value. Although at first sight, these parameters seem to reflect
only the quality of the foocl product itself, they may also have an effect on the
longevity of the mold. Certain gases may affect the mold’s material and therefore
their quantification might be useful to estimate the environmental nces the
mold is exposed to. Another example is the pl‘l—value, since it represents a l
parameter that might have adverse effects on the mold’s materials. i
in one embodiment of the invention, the measurement means are configured to
withstand or measure acceleration within a range of O to 30 G and/ or temperatures
within a range of 60°C to 120°C. High acceleration occurs, for example, when the
food products are knocked out of the mold in a mold knockout station, acting as
demolding n. However, such rations may also occur when the mold is
transferred from one production station to the next caused by the ort means.
Therefore, the ability to withstanci such influences without a negative effect on the
measurement is crucial. During the production of food products, the different
production stages may require a wide range of temperatures that the measurement
unit is exposed to during measurement. This range comprises low temperatures
such as below 0°C to cool down the food product after filling the at least one food
mass into the mold, or rather high temperatures, for example occurring during
g or washing and dismiecting the mold.
in addition, the measurement unit may be protected from the measurement
environment by at least one protective layer such as a sealing layer. Here, it is
especially ant that the protective layer does not affect the ement in an
undetermined way. This ment of the invention especially takes the effects of
the measuring environment on the measurement unit into
account. The protective
layer around the measurement unit is especially useful when the mold is washed
since it may be hard to find a location where the measurement unit is ly
protected from the measurement environment so no ction of the unit occurs.
It may be advantageous to design the protecn‘ve layer in
a way that it also forms a
housing for the measurement unit in order to simplify die attachment of the
measurement unit to the mold.
In another embodiment of the invention, the measurement unit is ed
to or
removably attached to said mold, preferably to the back side of the mold. Further,
the measurement unit may have a modular design in order to t different
measuring means. Such a modular design enables a wide
range of different s
to measure the at least one parameter that can be custom fit to each particular
question. concerning the loading of the mold. Further, the r design allows for
an optimum placement of the sensors on the mold. if the optimum placement for
multiple potentially different sensors is at several locations on the mold, the
measurement unit may well be separated into a main unit comprising the data
transfer interface and
optionally at least one measuring means and at least one
ary unit comprising at least one measuring means connected to the main unit.
This is especially the case if multiple strain
gauges are applied to the mold in order
to determine occurring strain at different locations of the mold in order to estimate
the loads acting on said mold during production or testing. Another exemplary
application may be the attachment of several acceleration sensors in order to
optimize the effectiveness of the mold knockout station at ent locations of the
mold in order to quickly and reliably remove the food product from the mold.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the processing unit is connected to a
control system for controlling the production line or the g facility. Integrating
the measurement unit in such a way allows optimizing the production
s for
the food product beside the aforementioned improvement of the design of the mold
and the tion line. For example, the cooling of the molds when containing a
food product can be closely ised in order to better understand how fast heat is
transported away from said product during solidification of the food mass. Another
example may be the objective to e a threshold ature of the mold during
the washing process in order to guarantee that the mold fulfills all hygienic
requirements before entering production.
PCT/U52012/020903
Up to now, it y takes too long before a defect in a mold is discovered, which in
turn causes high additional costs that could be reduced by decreasing the
response
time to such an event. Therefore, it may also be of interest to monitor those
parts of
the mold that are susceptible to be damaged in order to enable
a fast response if, for
example, material of the mold chips off. This solves the issue of having to discard a
complete production run of food products in order to assure that no chipped-off
parts of the mold remain within these products, representing a potential danger for
the consumer.
In another ment of the invention, the data transfer interface comprises a
wireless and/or a plug connection for transferring the measurement data. The
transfer of the data may take place during and/or after the collection of the data
from the measuring means. If seen as necessary, a data logging unit
may be added
to the ement unit as an integrated or modular entity. Which architecture is
chosen for the ement unit depends on the task the measurement unit has to
fulfill. For example, if the measurement unit is intended for optimizing the design of
the mold, a plug connection for transferring the data after the measurement has
taken place may well be sufficient and results in an advantageously simple design of
the unit. 011 the other hand, if the measurements are used to control or monitor the
production process or the mold at least during a set time , a constant transfer
of data during production may well be the better operation mode for the
measurement unit In another embodiment, probably in combination with the
aforesaid, it might be of advantage to also design the data er interface as a
module in order to ensure an easy and reliable transfer of measurement data.
In another ment of the invention, the measurement unit further comprises a
data logging unit to record the measurement data received from the measming
mans. Such a data logging unit has the advantage that data measured while
passing through production or testing can be read out after at least parts of the
production or testing have been ed. In order to do so, the data logging unit
may be easily connected. to a processing device such as a computer for the
subsequent data analysis by cable or ss connection. This provides a cost
effective way to collect data of the loads affecting the mold during production or
testing.
In r embodiment of the invention, a food production line comprises a mold as
described above that is passed through at least one of the ing production line
stations or testing facility stations such as a mold filling station, a mold washing
PCT/U82012/020903
station, a mold twister station, a mold rotator station, a mold cooling tunnel, and/
a ing station. All these stations are production ns that fulfill tasks
commonly found. for the production of food products. Adapting the architecture of
the measurement unit to provide optimum functionality for at least
one of these
stations ensures that only data that can, subsequeniiy be used for optimizing the
design of the mold and production line and/or the production of food products is
acquired. The insight that this data delivers, ensures that the design of the molds
and the production. lines becomes less empirical since it is based
on analytical s
of common engineering techniques such as finite element modeling
According to the aforementioned, the mold is intended for use in a food production
line and/or testing facility, This is especially ant, e molds for
producing food products have speciai requirements such as they have to be
biocompatibie and have to fulfill hygienic requirements, Le. it has to be le to
disinfect them.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the mold further comprises identification
means to distinguish the at least one mold equipped with a measurement unit from
other molds used in the production. Hence, one or more molds that are equipped i
with measurement units may be passed through the tion line. For the i
optimization of the mold design it may well be ient to pass the mold h
the at least one production step without filling the mold. if the measurement mold is
used among at least one other tion moid that is fully integrated in the
production s, Le. it used for the production of the food product, it is desirable
to equip at least the measurement mold with identifying means. These identifying
means, such as transponders or markings, facilitate the manual and/ or automatic
distinction between a normal tion mold and the measurement mold. This
makes it possible to ively skip production steps such as the filling of the mold.
For producing a food product while using a mold as described above, a related
method has been developed. In a first aspect of this method for producing at least
one food product comprising a mold, the method includes several steps. One step is
starting the measurement of the at least one parameter with the measurement unit.
Once at least parts of the at least one parameter has been obtained, another step is to
stop the measurement. Further, the at least one parameter is measured while the
mold is passed through at least one production line station or testing facility station
in which at least one production step is performed.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the method of producing the at
least one food product comprises at least one production
step at least once. Such a
step is filling the mold in a mold filling station with at least one food mass and/or at
least one food product ingredient such as particulate material. Another step is
washing the mold in a mold g station before and/ or after the mold is filled in
at least one filling station in order to remove remaining food products
or remainders
of food products from the mold. Further, twisting the mold in a mold twister station
at least once, preferably to remove the at least one food product or to reorient said
mold for another tion step
may also be performed. r step in the
production of the at least one food product is cooling the mold in a mold cooling
tunnel, preferably with at least parts of the food product within the mold, in order to
speed up the solidification process of the food mass and/or the food product
ingredient after the mold has been filled. A technique for removal of a food product
is passing the mold through a demolding station to separate the food product from
the mold. An example for such a demolding station is a mold ut station in
which the mold is d in order to remove the at least one food product. In other
words, the food product is d by accelerating the mold in at least one
direction. Another technique to remove the food product is to loosen the at least one
food product by vibrating the mold. r, a combination of these techniques may l
also be applied. l
Further, passing the mold through more than one production station may be
especially useful if the objective of the ement is to record the loading cycle for
parts of or a te production cycle.
It is also within the scope of the invention to start and stop the measurement of the
at least one parameter at least once during, before and/ or after the production
s. This is advantageous if data is to be recorded only at set time als, for
example, if only n stages in the production are to be monitored or investigated.
This avoids sorting out the data after each measurement in order to reduce the
recorded data points to the ones of interest in case data has been recorded during the
whole production cycle.
Another embodiment of said method is to transfer the measurement data from the
measurement unit to an external processing unit with a data transfer interface in
order to control the production process and/or to improve the design of at least
parts of the production line or {he testing faciliiy. Although the data acquired in this
me: is best fit for improving the design of the mold, it might also be useful to
improve the design of other parts of the production line. For example, it is possible
to improve the production by optimizing the precision
or the path of the molds
through the production steps. It also becomes possible to investigate the time
intervals of certain steps during production such
as the g of the mold or
cooling of the mold to save production time.
In a further embodiment of the method, the measurement data is transferred
aneous to and/or after the at least one produclion
step. lncluding such a task
in the production method is especially useful when data acquired with said mold
to be used for directly controlling or monitoring the production
process and/ or the
mold. This is the case if the mold has to reach a certain temperature during the
cooling process before it can be transferred to the next production step. Another
example is the heating of the mold during a washing cycle in order to fully remove
remaining chocolate. mass and/or food product ingredienls in said mold after
l of the at least one food product.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
Figure 1 shows a mold comprising a measurement unit.
Figure 2 shows the measurement unit in more detail.
Figure 3 shows a graph with measurement results ed with the mold.
DETAlLED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Figure I shows a mold 10 for food products with a measurement unit ‘20 ed to
it. The mold 10 has multiple depressions 14 with a specific shape for forming
chocolate bars. The chocolate bars may well contain another food product
ingredient such as a parficulate material, for example, nuts and/or s.
Although the mold '10 is for the production of ate bars, the invention may also
be d to molds for other food ts such as prah’nes or eam. The mold
is structurally reinforced with reinforcing means, preferably at: least one rib ‘12,
its back side 11.
The measurement unit 20 is attached to the back side 11 of a rectangular mold 10,
located approximately one. third of the mold’s side length
away from the boundary,
respectively. The measurement unit 20 is preferably r in one of its dimensions
than the height of the. ribs 12 so that the mold 10 could be put on its back side 11 on
plain surface without the measurement unit '20 touching said surface.
PCT/U52012/020903
Measurement unit 20 may be attached to at least one mold 10 during normal
production in order to tate the optimization of the design of said mold 10, the
design of at least part of a production line and/ or the optimization of the tion
process. The measurement unit 20 is preferably attachable and detachable from said
mold '10, r, it is also within the scope of the invention to integrate the
measurement unit 20 into the mold 10, for example to be part of the reinforcing
means or the depressions 3.4. Although measuring means, a data transfer interface
26 and a data logging unit are ated within the measurement unit 20, it has
very compact built (Figure '1).
Figure 2 shows a more detailed View of the measurement unit 20 that comprises an
integrated circuit board 24, a data transfer interface 26 attached to said t board
24, a protective layer 23 configured to protect the measurement unit 20 from the
measurement environment, a switch 21 to activate or deactivate the acquisition of
the at least one parameter and an energy supply 25 such as a battery. The
measurement unit 20 further has a local coordinate system 22 linked to an
acceleration sensor thereon. The measurement unit 20 may also n at least one
additional sensor, for example a temperature sensor and/or a sensor to detect
humidity. In this exemplary architecture of the measurement unit 20, the data
transfer is performed by the data transfer interface 26 by a cable tion after at
least parts of the measurement has taken place. However, it is just as easy to add a
wireless data transfer to the data transfer interface 26 or to replace it altogether.
In order to start the measurement, the measurement unit 20 is activated. This may
be ed by using a simple switch 21 or by remote control. in order to exchange
ds between a remote control and the. measurement unit 20, the wireless data
transfer interface may be used or an integrated additional remote control unit. The
remote control allows to turn the data acquisition of the measurement unit 20 on and
off at least once, for example, to only acquire data of ic production steps.
Another possibility is to program the measurement unit 20 at which time intervals
and/or sampling rates the measurement unit 20 should record and/or transfer data
from the measuring means.
The. measurement may be d before the mold ll) enters the production process
as well as at a point of time after the mold ‘10 entered the production process or at
multiple times during the production. Once the measurement is started, the
measurement unit 20 records the at least one mechanical, chemical and/or ambient
PCTI'U32012/020903
parameter. The resulting data points are either logged by a data unit and/or
may be
transferred in real—time while the data is ed. It is also an option of the present
invention to specifically collect data for specific
ters by only activating the
corresponding measuring means. In other words, only the measuring means
required in order to fulfill the measurement task, such as investigating the loads
acting on the mold 10 in at least one tion station, are activated when starting
the measurement.
During measurement, the protective layer 23 seals off parts of the measurement unit
that are susceptible to the measurement environment. The
measuring means may
be completely integrated into said measurement unit 20 and/
or may also have a
modular architecture. A modular architecture is for example advantageous
if it is
desirable to place the measuring means at different locations of the mold 10 to
ensure an optimal data ition. In case of a modular architecture of the
ement unit 20, the measuring means might either be connected by cable
connection and/ or wireless connection. The latter has the advantage of an easier
installation. The location for the measuring means has to be chosen according to the
task on hand. For example, in order to m a measurement of the acceleralion
the mold '10 is exposed to, the measuring means should not be placed at an
instantaneous center of rotation of the mold 10. If such a placement cannot be
avoided, more than one ration sensor may be used or more than one
measurement cycle can be performed. As a person. skilled in the art will appreciate,
multiple sensors have to be used as well for recording stress fields, strain fields,
temperature fields, humidity fields and/ or force fields. b1 order to ly acquire
data about the strains and stresses within the mold 105 during tion, additional
strain gauges may be connected to the measurement unit 20 (not shown).
Figure 3 shows post~processed measurement results of a ement unit 20 after
the mold 10 has passed through several production stations, namely
a twisting
station, a mold r station as well as a demolding station, respectively, mold
knockout station, and. has been transported between these stations by transporting
means. As can be appreciated in figure 3, during the time of ement, the
acceleration over lime in all three translational axes (51, 52, 53) as well
as humidity
and ature 40 have been recorded. The temperature is imately
constant throughout the whole measurement, wherein the humidity 30 decreases
over time with a slight increase at the and. The measurement of the acceleration
shows peaks that either corresponds to the twister station, the mold rotator
or the
demolding station. Further there is unsteady movement of the mold to between
these production stations while the mold 10 is transported by the transporting
means. in order to exactly determine. the reasons for the dy movement of the
mold 10, the measurement cycle
may be repeated several times and /or measuring
means may be added that record the exact position of said mold 10 that
can later on
be related to the occurrence of unsteady movement.
After stopping the measurement, again by using a normal switch 21 and/ or a remote
control, the. data can be post-processed for subsequent use, for example by applying
common engineering techniques such as finite element analysis or boundary
analysis. Further, other analysis techniques such as frequency analysis may be used,
for e, to detect if material has been chipped off the mold 10 and therefore
changed the frequency profile of said mold ‘10.
The measurement data may also be used to control the production
process on~line
and in real-time at least by ring the state of the mold '10 during production
during set time intervals that are, for example, found to be critical for the integrity of
the mold 10.
in y, the new and inventive way to measure the state of the mold 10 during 3
the production of food products provides the means to reliably and quickly provide l
data by measuring at least one parameter delivering objective valuable ation. 3
This information may he used for the design of new molds or the retrofit of existing E
molds. For the latter case, said ement unit 20 can be attached to a mold ll]
that shows, although carefully designed unexpected behavior such as unwanted
vibrations during production. The analysis of the acquired data makes it possible to
point out the weak spots of such a mold 10 and ore solves occurring problems
with existing molds without having to design complete new ones.
Recording chemical ters such as the pH~value may also help to optimize the
mold 10, the production line and/ or the production s. This is for example the
case for a mold washing station in order to determine how much the g liquid
changes the pvaalue the mold 10 is exposed to. For such a purpose, the measuring
means may well be attached to the front of the mold 10 or be integrated within the
mold 10 so that they are in contact with the front side of the. mold 10, for example by
being part of the surface of the depression 14 within the mold 10.
Claims (23)
1. A mold for forming at least one food product, the mold comprising a measurement unit, a g side and a back side opposite to the filling side, the measurement unit further comprising: measuring means configured to measure at least one parameter of the mold while the mold is used and passed through a production line or testing facility; and a data er interface configured to er measurement data to an external processing unit.
2. The mold according to claim 1, wherein the measuring means comprise at least one sensor to measure mechanical parameters selected from the group consisting of: stress, strain, acceleration, orientation, velocity and/ or force.
3. The mold according to any one of the ing claims, wherein the measuring means comprises at least one sensor to measure ambient parameters selected from the group ting of: pressure, temperature and/ or humidity.
4. The mold according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the measuring means comprises at least one sensor to measure chemical parameters selected from the group consisting of: partial pressures of gases, sugar content, ity, fat content, protein and/ or pH—Value.
5. The mold ing to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the measuring means are configured to withstand or measure ration within a range of 0 to 30 G and/ or temperatures Within a range of -50°C to 120°C and/ or in that the measurement unit is protected by at least one protective layer.
6. The mold according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the measurement unit is attached to or removably attached to the mold.
7. The mold according to claim 6, wherein the measurement unit is attached to or removably attached to the back side of the mold.
8. The mold according to claim 6, wherein the measurement unit has a modular design for the tion of different measuring means devices.
9. The mold according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processing unit is connected to a control system for controlling the production line or the testing facility.
10. The mold according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the data er interface comprises a wireless connection and/ or a plug connection for transferring the ement data during and/ or after the collection of data from the measuring means.
11. The mold ing to any one of the ing claims, wherein the measurement unit further ses a data logging unit to record the measurement data.
12. The mold according to any one of the preceding claims further comprising an identification means to distinguish the mold from other molds used in the production line.
13. A food production line for producing at least one food product comprising the mold according to any one of claims 1 to 12 and at least one of the following production line stations or testing facility stations: a mold filling station; a mold washing station; a mold twister station; a mold rotator station; a mold cooling tunnel; and a demolding station.
14. The use of a mold according to any one of claims 1 to 12 in a food production line and/ or testing facility.
15. A method for producing at least one food product sing the mold according to any one of claims 1 to 12, comprising; starting a measurement of at least one parameter with the measurement unit; stopping the ement of the at least one parameter with the measurement unit; and measuring the at least one parameter while the mold is passed through at least one food production line station or g facility n in which at least one production step is performed.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the production method comprises at least one of the following production steps performed_at least once: filling the mold in a mold filling station with at least one food mass and/ or at least one food product ingredient; washing the mold in a mold washing station before and/ or after the mold is filled in at least one filling station; twisting the mold in a mold twister station at least once; rotating the mold in a mold r station at least once; cooling the mold in a mold cooling tunnel; and passing the mold through a demolding station to separate the food product from the mold.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein twisting the mold in the mold twister station removes food products.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein cooling the mold in the mold cooling tunnel with at least parts of the food product within the mold.
19. The production method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the ement of the at least one parameter is started and d at least once during, before and/ or after the production process.
20. The tion method ing to any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein the measurement data is transferred from the measurement unit to an external processing unit with the data transfer ace to control the production s and/ or to improve the design of at least parts of the production line or the testing facility.
21. The production method of claim 20, wherein the ement data is transferred from the measurement unit to an external processing unit with the data transfer interface to improve the mold.
22. The production method according to any one of claims 15 to 21, wherein the measurement data is transferred simultaneously to and/ or after the at least one production step.
23. The mold according to claim 1, substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP11150703.4 | 2011-01-12 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
NZ613284A true NZ613284A (en) | 2014-04-30 |
NZ613284B NZ613284B (en) | 2014-08-01 |
Family
ID=
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