Comment on Why do we still joke about setting up old wooden guillotines?
TranquilTurbulence@lemmy.zip 3 days ago
I propose we build a large paper cutter style contraption.
Let’s make the blade 5 m long so that it’s big enough for everyone to see. Also, the blade should be so heavy that it will always chop reliably. You should also put some nice bearings in the pivot point so that it always swings very smoothly.
Oh, but how do we lift a heavy blade like that? If electricity is available, you could have an electric motor to lift it up. If not, you would need some rope and pulleys.
As the blade falls down, it would need to shear the target material to make a clean cut. This means that you can’t have a huge gap between the blade and the lower surface it shears against. Just like in paper cutters, the stationary blade needs to be made of steel, but it doesn’t have to be super sharp. The gap is important though. Think of the gap between scissor blades and you’ll get the idea.
As the contraption will inevitably be contaminated with organic material, it could have an integrated Clean In Place system. After each cycle of operation, the CIP should spray the affected area with cold water and soap. If that doesn’t do the job, there would be a second program that uses hot water and soap, which would obviously require more energy.
All that water needs to come from somewhere, so you’re going need like an IBC container. If you need more than 1000 l, you might need to use a lorry to deliver enough water. Ideally though, you would operate in an area where you can just connect the contraption to a nearby water outlet. Ask a local a firefighter to help you out.
Also, all of that water needs to go somewhere too, so I would recommend operating it in a place where there’s a sewer near by.
Hold on, what was the question again? Got carried away by the logistics of all of this.