Construction design, manufacture and upgrade of a filling machine for food industry products for smaller establishments

In my master’s thesis, I focused on the structural design, manufacture and upgrade of fillers for food industry products, specifically for smaller establishments. The topic was chosen due to the lack of suitable fillers on the market to meet the needs of smaller production facilities such as small butchers, tourist farms and farms.

Smaller establishments face specific challenges such as limited capacity, space and financial constraints and our goal was to take that in to account with design.

We also focused on the hypotheses set forth: (1) that a semi-automatic filling machine is faster and more accurate than a manual one, (2) the use of customized components increases reliability, (3) optimizing energy efficiency helps reduce energy consumption, and (4) the introduction of digitalization enables faster prototyping.

The methodologies used included a literature review, analysis of existing filling machines, CAD tools for prototype development, simulations, and practical tests. Digitalization was crucial for more accurate and faster development.

The economic analysis assessed the manufacturing costs of the filling machine.

The results showed that the improved design allows for more precise and faster filling of meat products, reducing operational costs and increasing productivity. The new filling machine is adaptable and easy to maintain, which is essential for small operations.

The use of bearings on drive shafts, a more powerful electric motor, and thicker support walls further improved the machine’s performance and reliability.

I proved that it is possible to create a filling machine with an appropriate design that meets the specific needs of small operations in the food industry, complies with high hygiene standards, is easy to maintain, and allows for competitive and efficient business operations.