Heater-less ice maker assembly with a twistable tray

摘要

An ice maker assembly is provided that includes a tray having a plurality of ice-phobic recesses. The recesses may possess a total water volume of 70 cc or greater. The tray comprises metal material and can be formed with a substantially uniform strain distribution. The ice maker further includes a frame body coupled to the tray, a driving body that is rotatably coupled to the ice-forming tray, and a processor that is operatively coupled to the driving body. The processor controls the driving body to rotate the tray in a manner that flexes the tray to dislodge ice pieces formed in the recesses.

主权项

1. An ice maker assembly, comprising:
an ice maker with a heater-less tray formed from a metal material and having a plurality of recesses, each recess comprising an ice-phobic surface for direct contact with an ice piece formed in the recess, the ice-phobic surface comprises the metal material, is formed from the tray, and is characterized by a water contact angle (θc) of at least 90 degrees for a 5 milliliter droplet of water and a surface roughness (Ra) from 0.02 to 2 microns; a frame body that is coupled to the tray; a driving body that is rotatably coupled to the tray; and a processor that is operatively coupled to the driving body, wherein the processor controls the driving body to rotate the tray in a manner that flexes the tray to dislodge ice pieces formed in the recesses.