Phil Szymanowski
Resume

Projects

Frozen Block Separator

A hydraulic machine that replaced a jackhammer job nobody could keep staffed, and went on to become a standard CHL product.

The first machine in the shop, loaded with a stack of frozen blocks
Fig. 1 The first machine in the shop, loaded with a stack of frozen blocks
Employer
CHL Systems
Role
Design Engineer, originating designer
Industry
Pet food
Period
2018 to 2020
Scale
10 hp HPU at 971 psi and 15 gpm, four cylinders, 731 lb carriage

The job nobody wanted

A pet food manufacturer had an operator in a Tyvek suit standing in a cold room for ten hours a day, breaking apart frozen blocks of product with an air-powered jackhammer. The blocks left their supplier separate, but they thawed slightly and refroze together in transit, so every delivery arrived as one solid mass. The work was cold and exhausting, and the plant couldn’t keep the position filled.

The test that decided the design

Before sizing anything, we tested what it actually takes to split a frozen block, pushing real product against a 500 lb reaction weight with a cylinder and a gauge in line. Our test rig was pneumatic, and when the block finally split, the whole rig lurched violently. Compressed air stores energy, and all of it releases the moment the resistance disappears. Hydraulic fluid is incompressible, so a hydraulic ram simply stops when the block gives way. That test is what led us to a hydraulic machine.

The machine

I specified the hydraulic power unit, a 10 hp pump at 971 psi and 15 gpm driving four cylinders against a 731 lb carriage. I compared bore sizes from 3/4 inch to 2 inch, trading force against cycle time, and we went with the 2 inch bore since splitting force mattered more than speed. Jack screws and a servo handle positioning. The machine is stainless and washdown rated with replaceable wear parts, and the guarding is layered with physical guards, a laser safety curtain, and light curtains.

How it developed

We built the first unit for the customer to run in production, and their feedback shaped the second design. CHL went on to offer it as a standard product, and at least four had sold by the time I left.

What I learned

This project taught me to test early and let the results change the plan. It also showed me that the best way to deal with a stored energy hazard is to design it out, rather than guard around it afterward.

The problem: a pallet of frozen blocks fused together in transit, with the jackhammer an operator used to break them apart
Fig. 2 The problem: a pallet of frozen blocks fused together in transit, with the jackhammer an operator used to break them apart
Me (left) and a coworker testing the force needed to split a real frozen block, pushing it against a 500 lb reaction weight
Fig. 3 Me (left) and a coworker testing the force needed to split a real frozen block, pushing it against a 500 lb reaction weight
A block split during testing. The pneumatic test rig lurched when it gave way, which is why the machine became hydraulic
Fig. 4 A block split during testing. The pneumatic test rig lurched when it gave way, which is why the machine became hydraulic
The first machine with its stainless guard panels open
Fig. 5 The first machine with its stainless guard panels open
The second-generation machine, which became a standard CHL product
Fig. 6 The second-generation machine, which became a standard CHL product
The second-generation machine with its guarding closed
Fig. 7 The second-generation machine with its guarding closed
A hydraulic cylinder and hose routing on the second-generation machine
Fig. 8 A hydraulic cylinder and hose routing on the second-generation machine

Specific skills

  • SolidWorks
  • collaboration with in-house machine and weld shops
  • hydraulic system sizing
  • empirical design validation through physical testing
  • stored energy hazard analysis
  • machine guarding and light curtain integration
  • servo and jack screw drive design
  • sanitary washdown machine design
  • designing a one-off that became a product line