Unbelievable but true: Pringles uses supercomputers to design the shape of chips
- Tram Ho
Aerodynamics not only affects supercars or jets, it also affects… fries!
Around us there are seemingly simple things, but it is the result of long-term research to help human life become simple, and sometimes more interesting.
One of those items is Pringles' potato, designed to create a crack as soon as the user puts it in his or her mouth. But did you know that the shape of this potato piece was created by supercomputers?
Tom Lange is an engineer who worked at Procter & Gamble (P&G) for more than 30 years, responsible for product design. His daily job is to use a powerful computing calculator (HPC) to study the properties of objects around us, from potato chips to baby diapers. They are simulated by computers, then interact with surrounding elements such as water, air or solid objects before being mass produced in reality.
For example, with baby diapers, he must calculate their shape so that the urine of the newborn does not leak out. This work seems simple, but must take into account materials, fluid kinetics, diaphragm size, things that only supercomputers can do effectively.
Or as a coffee box case, supercomputers are used to simulate them during actual use, seeing the best plastic case or metal case. The metal casing is very sturdy, but it will 'smell' into coffee and make it not as fresh as when it was shipped. Plastic shell is not as durable as metal, but it solves the problem of taste.
"I have colleagues at Chrysler, the Dreamworks filmmaker or Morgan-Stanley bank, all thanks to product design with supercomputers at Procter & Gamble . " Other famous customers of this company are Charmin, Downy, Tide, Crest, Mr. Clean, Pampers and Hugo Boss.
A very interesting example, but demonstrating the importance of supercomputer product design lies in the collaboration of Procter & Gamble with Pringles – the world's largest producer of chips. When it came to P&G, Pringles questioned that they produced chips too quickly, that they flew out of the production line!
It sounds like a joke, but it is a major obstacle in the operation of Pringles. Mr. Lange said: “They have a very fast production line of potato chips, so much so that they catch the wind and fly out and fall into a pile and throw it away, very wasteful . ” To solve this problem, P&G used supercomputers to study the aerodynamic properties of potato chips.
Aerodynamics is a study of the impact of air on things, often applied to high-speed vehicles such as racing cars or airplanes, to increase efficiency and make them move more and more. faster. In the case of Pringles, P&G had to use its supercomputer to create non-winding potatoes, going from the beginning to the end of the chain without flying out.
Mr. Lange also shared that understanding the aerodynamic properties of potato chips is also important for their cooking process, for example, the shape of the potatoes will affect the interaction with oil and steam. With the most effective shape, the potatoes will be fried evenly, giving the right spice and the best quality to the consumers.
In the future P&G will also use its supercomputer to solve many other problems to make life easier for people. Mr. Lange had a wife-in-law who specialized in opening the lid of boxes or jars in the house because she suffered from wrist joint pain and could not open them herself. If we can make bottles with closed caps, but can be opened easily, it will help people like her to be much happier!
Source : ttvn.net