TWI592096B - Ice product forming equipment - Google Patents

Description

Ice molding machine

The present invention relates to a molding apparatus, and more particularly to an ice molding apparatus for producing ice products by using a three-dimensional printing technique.

Eating ice is one of the most common ways to cool down in hot climates. There are many types of ice, such as popsicles, cones, creams or ice cream. The shape of the ice product is formed by a predetermined mold, and the mold needs to be opened first, and has a certain cost. Therefore, generally, there is not much shape in a commercially available product, and if a special shape is required, It must be customized and costly.

In view of the need to produce a special shape of ice products, some practitioners fill the ice material in the extrusion machine, and then manually control the extrusion machine to squeeze out the raw materials, and form the desired shape according to the preference, just like The way to make a cake is the same. However, the aforementioned extrusion tool needs to be manually manipulated, the control process is not easy, and it is difficult to shape a scale that fully conforms to the desired shape. It is time-consuming and labor-intensive to manually control the extrusion machine. It is inevitable that the production of an ice product will cost a lot of money, and it is impossible to quantify the sale or enjoy it for many people.

In addition, the ice product extruded by the extrusion machine can not provide the heat preservation effect in the process, the extruded ice product can easily melt and destroy the shape, and the finished ice product cannot be set for a long time, so how to develop a tool The ice product can be manufactured accurately and quickly according to the designer's idea, and is not easily affected by the ambient temperature, which is an urgent problem for the downtime.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to provide an ice product forming apparatus which utilizes a three-dimensional printing technique to accurately and precisely print to make ice products conforming to a design ratio.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an ice forming apparatus which can maintain a low temperature state during the production process of the ice product and after the completion of the ice product.

In order to achieve the foregoing objective, the ice product forming apparatus of the present invention comprises a frame module comprising a vertical transmission unit and a horizontal transmission unit connected to each other, which are respectively driven by a driving motor; a three-dimensional printing module, The method includes a connecting portion and at least one nozzle connected to the connecting portion, the connecting portion is connected to the horizontal driving unit and is provided with at least one pair of ports, and the nozzle is further connected with a freezing unit for providing a freezing effect in the nozzle; At least one raw material supply device includes a storage tank, an output portion and a flexible conduit for storing the raw material, the output portion is disposed at one end of the storage bucket, and one end of the flexible conduit is connected to the output The other end is connected to the butt joint of the three-dimensional printing module, and the output portion is provided with a rotatable stirring element for stirring the raw material and pressing the raw material into the flexible conduit and the nozzle; And a control module electrically connected to the three-dimensional printing module and the driving motor, and the control module is stored in the lower part of the nozzle for receiving the raw material sent by the nozzle; Printing at least one image file, by setting the control of the control module, so that the printing head relative to the print pattern perspective drawing of ice cream.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerator is further disposed on the stage. The freezer is provided with a through hole and a freezing device for maintaining the temperature of the freezer at -5 ° C to -20 ° C, the through hole corresponds to the underside of the nozzle, so that the stereoscopic ice product printed by the nozzle is stored in the freezer, and a movable door is arranged on one side of the freezer to open the freezer. To take out the three-dimensional ice product.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the freezing unit of the nozzle includes a cooling tube and a freezing device, and the opposite ends of the cooling tube are respectively connected to the spraying Head and the freezer.

The ice product forming device of the invention utilizes the cooperation of the three-dimensional printing module, the raw material supply device and the freezer box, so that the raw material can be printed on the freezer through the nozzle according to the design pattern in the control module by the 3D printing technology. The ice product completely conforms to the size of the design pattern can be made accurately and quickly, and can be kept cold by the freezing unit of the nozzle during the manufacturing process, and continues to be kept cold by the freezer after completion. It can be seen that the ice product forming device of the invention effectively solves the traditional ice making process and cannot maintain the low temperature state after ice making, is easy to melt quickly, and cannot accurately and delicately form the defects of the ice product according to the designer's idea.

1‧‧‧Ice molding machine

10‧‧‧Drive motor

2‧‧‧Rack module

21‧‧‧Vertical drive unit

22‧‧‧Horizontal drive unit

3‧‧‧Three-dimensional printing module

31‧‧‧ sprinkler

311‧‧‧ nozzle

32‧‧‧Connecting Department

33‧‧‧Docking

4‧‧‧Freezing unit

41‧‧‧ Cooling tube

42‧‧‧Freezer

5‧‧‧Material supply equipment

51‧‧‧ storage bucket

52‧‧‧Output Department

53‧‧‧Soft catheter

531‧‧‧Insulation materials

54‧‧‧ stirring element

6‧‧‧ stage

61‧‧‧Freezer

611‧‧‧through hole

612‧‧‧ activity gate

613‧‧‧ cover

62‧‧‧ linkage device

7‧‧‧Control Module

71‧‧‧ display screen

8‧‧‧Materials

81‧‧‧ ice products

The first figure is a perspective view of the ice molding apparatus of the present invention.

The second figure is a schematic view of a raw material supply device of the present invention.

The third figure is a schematic diagram of the operation of the ice forming device of the first figure.

The fourth figure is a three-dimensional schematic view of a freezer box configured with the ice product forming apparatus of the present invention.

The fifth picture is a schematic diagram of the operation of the freezer.

Figure 6 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the three-dimensional printing module of the ice molding apparatus of the present invention.

Please refer to the first to fifth figures for a preferred embodiment of the ice product forming apparatus of the present invention. The ice product forming apparatus 1 of the present invention uses the three-dimensional (3D) printing technology and the printing module to produce an edible three-dimensional ice product. And can effectively ensure that the produced ice products are maintained at a low temperature.

The ice product forming apparatus 1 of the present invention comprises a frame module 2, a three-dimensional printing module 3, a plurality of material supply devices 5, a loading table 6 and a control module 7. The rack module 2 includes a vertical transmission unit 21 and a horizontal transmission unit 22 connected to each other. They are respectively driven by a driving motor 10, wherein the horizontal and vertical transmission units 21, 22 can be constructed by using a conventional rack structure of a conventional 3D printer, that is, a combination of a plurality of rod belts (such as the third diagram). Shown).

The three-dimensional printing module 3 includes a connecting portion 32 and a head 31 connected to the bottom surface of the connecting portion 32, and has a nozzle 311. The connecting portion 32 is coupled to the horizontal transmission unit 22 for allowing the head 31 to move horizontally or vertically with the vertical transmission unit 21 and the horizontal transmission unit 22. Further, the top of the connecting portion 32 is provided with a plurality of docking jaws 33 corresponding to the number of the plurality of material supply devices 5. The nozzle 31 is further connected with a freezing unit 4 for providing a freezing effect in the nozzle 31. One of the freezing units 4 may include a cooling tube 41 and a freezing device 42. The freezing device 42 is filled with refrigerant and the like. The agent is transported from the cooling pipe 41 to the head 31 so that the head 31 can be maintained at a low temperature of -5 ° C to -20 ° C (but not limited thereto). In another implementation, the freezing unit 4 can include a refrigerating wafer and a heat sink (not shown) to maintain the head 31 in a predetermined low temperature state. The connecting portion 32 is electrically connected to the control module 7 so that the nozzle 31 can be printed by the control module 7 and the control module 7 can be disposed on the frame module 2 or the connecting portion 32 (such as the fourth The display module 7 includes at least a display screen 71, a circuit board, a storage component, and a processor (not shown), wherein the display screen 71 is used to display setting parameters, and the storage component is shown. It is used to store a number of ice design patterns, and the processor is used for arithmetic processing and command transmission.

Each of the raw material supply devices 5 includes a storage tank 51, an output portion 52, and a flexible conduit 53, which is flexible and covered with a heat insulating material 531 (as shown in the third figure) to hold the flexible conduit 53. The wall of the pipe is cooled and insulated from high temperature, and the heat insulating material 531 can be a copper pipe with better heat preservation effect. The storage tank 51 is used for storing the raw material 8, which can be placed on the gantry. The output portion 52 is disposed at one end of the storage tank 51 and communicates with the storage tank 51, and may be a cylindrical shape, and is provided with a rotatable stirring member 54 therein. In this embodiment, the agitating member 54 is in the shape of a screw (as shown in the second figure) which is rotatable according to its central axis for agitating and mixing the material 8. One end of the flexible conduit 53 is connected to the output portion 52, and the other end is connected to the docking port 33 of the three-dimensional printing module 3. This embodiment has three sets of raw material supply devices 5, and the flexible conduits 53 of each set of raw material supply devices 5 are respectively connected to corresponding docking jaws 33 so that the raw material 8 can flow through the input connecting portion 32 into the showerhead 31.

When the ice product forming device 1 of the present invention is used, one or several ice product design files are first transferred to the control module 7 for archiving, and then stored in the storage drum 51 according to the required ice material, and then the control mode is set. The group 7 and the three-dimensional printing module 3 are activated. At this time, the spiral stirring element 54 in the output portion 52 starts to rotate and stir the mixed raw material 8, and the raw material 8 in the storage tank 51 is squeezed into the flexible conduit 53 to the connection. In the portion 32 and the nozzle 31, the horizontal transmission unit 22 and the vertical transmission unit 21 of the frame module 2 are moved left and right or up and down according to the design pattern, and the nozzle 311 of the nozzle 31 is then printed according to the graphic of the ice product design file. The raw material 8 is placed on the loading table 6 (as shown in the third figure); the ice raw material 8 can be laminated on the loading table 6 from bottom to top into a three-dimensional ice product 81, and the shape is exactly the same as the design drawing. type. Since the nozzle 31 has a freezing effect, the printed material can be rendered like a smoothie according to the temperature setting.

Please refer to the sixth embodiment for another specific implementation of the nozzle 31 of the present invention, wherein the number of the nozzles 31 corresponds to the number of the plurality of docking ports 33, in other words, the three groups of material supply devices 5 correspond to the three nozzles 31, each nozzle 31, the corresponding raw material 8 can be printed, and the control module 7 controls the timing of printing the raw materials by any of the nozzles 31. In other words, the plurality of nozzles 31 can produce ice products of different color materials of different compositions at one time.

Referring to the fourth and fifth figures, in particular, the ice product forming apparatus 1 of the present invention further includes a freezer box 61 movably disposed on the stage 6. The freezer box 61 is provided with a through hole 611 and a freezing device 42, and the freezing device 42 can be sprayed The head 31 is shared, or separately provided, to maintain the temperature of the freezer 61 at -5 ° C to -20 ° C. The freezer 42 can also be connected to the freezer 61 through a cooling pipe 41 and deliver the refrigerant to Inside the freezer box 61. The through hole 611 corresponds to the lower surface of the nozzle 31, so that the three-dimensional ice product 81 printed by the nozzle 31 can be directly stored and refrigerated in the freezer box 61. The size of the through hole 611 is larger than that of the nozzle 31, so that the nozzle 31 can pass through. The hole 611 is displaced. Further, one side of the freezer compartment 61 is provided with a movable door 612 for opening the freezing box 61 for taking out the three-dimensional ice product 8 inside the freezing box 61. Specifically, the stage 6 further includes a linkage device 62 electrically connected to the control module 7 to move the carrier 6 corresponding to the movement of the frame module 2 to make the through hole 611 on the freezer box 61. The nozzle 31 can also be moved, and a cover 613 can be disposed outside the through hole 611 for covering the through hole 611 to close the freezer 61 to maintain the low temperature state, thereby ensuring that the ice product 81 does not melt before being eaten. .

In summary, the ice product molding apparatus 1 of the present invention utilizes the cooperation of the three-dimensional printing module 3, the raw material supply device 5 and the freezer box 61, so that the raw material 8 can be controlled by the 3D printing technology via the nozzle 31 according to the control module 7. The design pattern is printed on the freezer 61, and the ice product can be accurately and quickly made to meet the design pattern size, and can be kept cold by the freezing unit 4 of the nozzle 31 during the manufacturing process, and after completion, The low temperature state continues to be maintained by the freezer 61. It can be seen that the ice product forming apparatus 1 of the present invention effectively solves the shortcomings of the conventional ice making process and the inability to maintain a low temperature state after ice making, is easy to melt quickly, and cannot accurately and precisely shape the ice product according to the designer's idea.

The above detailed description is intended to be illustrative of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and other equivalents and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Changes are intended to be included in the scope of the patents covered by the present invention.

1‧‧‧Ice molding machine

10‧‧‧Drive motor

2‧‧‧Rack module

21‧‧‧Vertical drive unit

22‧‧‧Horizontal drive unit

3‧‧‧Three-dimensional printing module

31‧‧‧ sprinkler

311‧‧‧ nozzle

32‧‧‧Connecting Department

33‧‧‧Docking

4‧‧‧Freezing unit

41‧‧‧ Cooling tube

42‧‧‧Freezer

5‧‧‧Material supply equipment

51‧‧‧ storage bucket

52‧‧‧Output Department

53‧‧‧Soft catheter

6‧‧‧ stage

7‧‧‧Control Module

8‧‧‧Materials

Claims (6)

An ice molding device comprises: a frame module comprising a vertical transmission unit and a horizontal transmission unit connected to each other and driven by a driving motor; a three-dimensional printing module comprising a connecting portion and Connected to the at least one nozzle of the connecting portion, the connecting portion is connected to the horizontal driving unit and is provided with at least one pair of ports, the nozzle is further connected with a freezing unit for providing a freezing effect in the nozzle; at least one raw material supply device The utility model comprises a storage tank, an output part and a soft conduit for storing raw materials, wherein the output part is arranged at one end of the storage bucket, one end of the flexible conduit is connected to the output part, and the other end is connected a docking port of the three-dimensional printing module, and a rotating stirring component is disposed in the output portion for stirring the raw material and extruding the raw material into the flexible conduit and the nozzle; a loading stage is disposed on the nozzle The bottom of the device is configured to receive the material sent by the nozzle. The carrier further includes a linkage device electrically connected to the control module, so that the carrier can move corresponding to the movement of the frame module. And a control module electrically connected to the three-dimensional printing module and the driving motor, wherein the control module stores at least one printing file, and the nozzle is printed by the setting control of the control module a three-dimensional ice product corresponding to the graphic of the printed image; wherein a freezer is movably disposed on the stage, the freezer is provided with a through hole and a freezing device for maintaining the temperature of the freezer -5 ° C to -20 ° C, the through hole corresponds to the underside of the nozzle, so that the stereoscopic ice product printed by the nozzle is stored in the freezer, and a movable door is provided on one side of the freezer to open The freezer is used to take out the three-dimensional ice product. The ice product forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the number of the at least one raw material supply device is plural, and the connection portion of the three-dimensional printing module is provided with a corresponding number of docking ports. The ice forming device according to claim 2, wherein the number of the at least one nozzle corresponds to the number of the plurality of docking ports. The ice molding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flexible conduit is covered with an insulating material to keep the wall of the flexible conduit cool. The ice product forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stirring element is in the form of a spiral rod for stirring and mixing the raw materials. The ice forming device of claim 1, wherein the freezing unit of the nozzle comprises a cooling tube and a freezing device, and the opposite ends of the cooling tube are respectively connected to the head and the freezing device.