DE29517333U1 - Bowel holding device - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a casing holding device for a machine for filling sausages, with a filling tube which can be rotated about its longitudinal axis, onto which a casing can be pulled and which is provided at its front free end with a discharge opening for dispensing sausage meat, and with a driving device for fixing the casing to the rotatable filling tube.

Casing holding devices of this type are known. The casing holding device is part of a sausage filling and twisting machine, which is fed with sausage meat and positions it for filling into sausage casings. During the filling of the sausage meat thus processed into the casing, the casing, which is generally pulled onto the filling tube in a caterpillar shape, is pulled off from the front free end of the filling tube, which is caused by the sausage meat ejected from the discharge opening at the free end of the filling tube. So that the casing can only be pulled off at a defined, slowed speed under a defined pressure and can be tensioned so that the sausage is filled with the desired plumpness, the known casing holding device also has a casing brake, which preferably has a brake ring that encloses the free end of the filling tube and rests against it essentially under pressure, whereby depending on the design, the brake ring is either rotatably mounted and can preferably be driven synchronously with the filling tube or is non-rotatably mounted.

After the casing has been filled with a certain portion of sausage meat during the filling process described above, the filling tube is rotated around its own axis with the help of a drive mechanism in a subsequent twisting process in order to constrict the filled casing to form the sausage. The filled casing does not follow this rotational movement due to its inertia, and is preferably held in place either manually or by a downstream guide device, so that constrictions in the filled casing are then created at the end of the filling tube, thus producing individual, portioned sausages.

While natural casings can be pulled directly onto the filling tube and fixed in place so that they cannot twist without any additional aids due to their higher inherent elasticity, this is not possible with artificial casings. Artificial casings have very little inherent elasticity and form an essentially rigid casing. There would therefore always be a risk that if the diameter was not precisely matched to the filling tube, the artificial casing would only sit loosely on the filling tube and the tube would twist under the casing, making the twisting process more difficult and time-consuming, which would make the machine less economical to operate. For this reason, the known casing holding device for fixing the casing to the filling tube so that it cannot twist is provided with a drive device in the form of a clamp or clip that clamps the rear end of the casing strip to the rear end of the filling tube so that it cannot twist. From its rear end, which is fixed to the rear end of the filling tube, the casing, which is generally pulled up in a caterpillar shape, extends to the casing brake at the front free end of the filling tube, where it is then pulled off under defined pressure during the filling process. This is also where the casing is usually deshirred.

Even if the previously described known casing holding device has essentially proven itself in many applications, it has been found that in certain operating situations there is a risk that during the twisting process the torque exerted by the rear end of the casing, which is fixed in a rotationally fixed manner to the filling tube, on the part of the casing extending towards the front free end, causes the casing to twist. Such a twist or torsion not only has the same detrimental effect as the slip described above, which lengthens the twisting times and thus reduces the efficiency of the machine, but in the worst case can also lead to the destruction of the casing, which then disrupts the working process.

must be interrupted, which then has a significant negative effect on the economic efficiency of the machine. The risk of damage and tearing is even greater if the casing is not continuously unraveled only at the casing brake, while the rest of the part remains gathered together, but if the casing is also pulled apart into two or more gathered sections at another point, so that the casing loses its stability there and weak points are formed, which make it even more likely that the casing will tear.

A further disadvantage of the previously described known casing holding device is that after the casing has been completely removed from the filling tube, a piece of casing remains between the front and rear ends that cannot be processed. However, this leads to unnecessary waste, which also has a negative impact on profitability.

The object of the present invention is therefore to increase the operational reliability and reduce the operating costs of a casing holding device of the type mentioned above.

This task is solved in that, in the casing holding device of the type mentioned at the beginning, the driving device at the front free end of the filling tube creates such a frictional connection between the casing and the filling tube that the casing remains fixed to the filling tube in a rotationally fixed manner, but at the same time can also be moved along the filling tube.

Because, according to the invention, the casing is no longer fixed at the rear end of the filling tube, but at its front end, the majority of the casing, which extends from the driving device to the rear end of the filling tube, is no longer subjected to torque or torsional forces, but runs freely and unloaded during the twisting process, thereby avoiding the risk of damage or tearing. In contrast, the part of the casing that extends from the driving device forwards to the discharge opening, where it is pulled off the filling tube at the latest, is so short that it is sufficiently stable to be able to safely absorb the torque forces generated by the driving device. Accordingly, slippage and twisting of the casing are safely avoided, so that delays during the twisting process can no longer occur. In addition, the arrangement according to the invention allows safe and controlled deshirring at the front free end of the filling tube, since, according to the invention, the frictional connection between the casing

and filling tube is adjusted so that the casing can also be moved along the filling tube at the same time. An undesirable de-shirring of the casing caterpillar at other points no longer occurs. Finally, with the casing holding device according to the invention, the casing can be processed essentially completely up to its rear end, since the rear end of the casing runs freely not only in the circumferential direction, but also in the axial direction.

With the help of the invention, operational reliability can be increased, the portioning performance of the machine can be increased and handling can be simplified.

The driving device can be driven synchronously with the filling pipe and is preferably rigidly connected to it.

A further advantage of the design according to the invention is that the arrangement of a casing brake can optionally be dispensed with, in particular if the application requires a cost-effective machine that does not necessarily have to be in the high-performance range.

However, if a machine with higher capacity and higher operational reliability is desired, the use of a casing brake is recommended, which should then be provided on the side of the driving device facing the discharge opening. The casing brake should preferably be provided between the driving device and the discharge opening. In a currently particularly preferred design, the casing brake has a brake ring that encloses the free end of the filling tube and rests against it essentially under pressure. The brake ring can alternatively either be rotatable and preferably driven synchronously with the filling tube, or it can also be mounted non-rotatably.

A currently particularly preferred embodiment is characterized in that the driving device has at least one pressure means which presses the casing onto the filling tube from the outside in order to create a frictional connection between the casing and the filling tube. The pressure means should expediently consist of elastic material.

The pressure means can be conveniently attached to a support element in a rotationally fixed, preferably detachable manner, which in turn can be attached to the filling tube in a rotationally fixed, preferably detachable manner. In this design, a synchronous rotation of the pressure means with the filling tube is achieved in a simple manner, without a

complex mechanism is required. This means that the pressure means is arranged in a rotationally fixed manner with respect to the filling tube without slippage. So that the casing can run unhindered on the filling tube towards its front free end, the support element should be attached to the rear end of the filling tube.

The support element can preferably have the shape of a tube that has a larger diameter than the filling tube and is arranged coaxially to it. The tubular support element thus encloses the filling tube, which also offers protection for the casing sitting on the filling tube. The pressure means can be expediently attached to the end face facing the discharge opening or to the inner surface of the tubular support element.

The pressure means can be designed as a tab, for example. The pressure means can essentially enclose the free end of the filling tube in order to create the required frictional connection between the casing and the filling tube over the entire circumference. For this purpose, the pressure means should preferably consist of a ring.

A further preferred embodiment is characterized in that the driving device has at least one means provided on the circumference of the filling tube for increasing the effective diameter in order to tension the casing. While the previously described pressure means generates pressure from the outside on the casing and thus presses it onto the filling tube, in the present embodiment the frictional connection is generated from the inside, so to speak. With the help of the diameter enlarging means, which sits on the circumference of the filling tube, the effective diameter of the filling tube is increased so that the casing running over it is tensioned accordingly, whereby a frictional connection is generated between the casing, here on its inside, and the filling tube in the same way as with an external pressure force. The present embodiment is particularly effective if the diameter enlarging means essentially encloses the filling tube or if several diameter enlarging means are provided, which are essentially distributed over 360° of the circumference. Conveniently, the diameter enlarging means can be designed as a spring means acting radially outwards, preferably a leaf spring curved radially outwards.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. They show:

Figure 1 shows a cross-section of a first embodiment of the intestinal retaining device

device with a first embodiment of the driving device;

Figure 2 shows a cross-section of a second embodiment of the intestinal retaining device

device with the first version of the driving device and an additional casing brake; and

Figure 3 shows a cross-section of a third embodiment of the intestinal retaining device

device with a second version of the driving device and the casing brake.

The casing holding device shown in various designs in the figures is part of a sausage filling and twisting machine (not shown). This machine is generally fed with sausage meat via a filling funnel, which is then processed and then ejected through a filling tube 2 shown in the figures for portioning and filling into sausage casings. For filling into sausage casings, a casing 4 is pulled onto the filling tube 2 from the front free end 2a of the filling tube 2, specifically towards the rear machine-side end 2b of the filling tube 2 with a gathered caterpillar-shaped section 4b, which forms the largest part of the casing 4 pulled onto the filling tube 2, while at the front end 2a of the filling tube 2 the casing 4 is deshirred in a manner described in more detail below and pulled off the filling tube 2 with an essentially stretched single-layer section 4a. The front free end 2a of the filling tube 2 has a discharge opening 6 for the discharge of sausage meat conveyed from the sausage filling and twisting machine through the filling tube 2. The front free end 2a of the filling tube 2 has a conical shape tapering towards the discharge opening 6.

In the first embodiment shown in Figure 1, a driving ring 10 is provided which encloses the front free end 2a of the filling tube 2 at a short distance from the discharge opening 6 and exerts such pressure on the casing sitting on the filling tube 2 that the casing 4 is on the one hand fixed to the filling tube 2 in a rotationally fixed manner, but on the other hand can also be moved along the filling tube 2 in the axial direction towards the discharge opening 6 and can be deshirred at the same time. Accordingly, the driving ring 10, which is otherwise made of elastic material, separates the casing 4 into the deshirred, essentially stretched single-layer part.

4a, which runs from the driving ring 10 along the front free end 2a of the filling tube 2 over the discharge opening 10 and is drawn off from the filling tube 2 there, and the gathered, caterpillar-shaped part 4a, which, viewed in the direction of movement, lies behind the driving ring 10 and extends to the rear end 2b of the filling tube 2.

The driving ring 10 is attached to an outer tube 14 by means of a flange 12, which encloses the filling tube 2 with the casing 4 sitting on it. The outer tube 14 therefore has a larger diameter than the filling tube 2 and is arranged coaxially to it. The holding flange 12 surrounds the front end 14a of the outer tube 14, which is directed towards the front free end 2a of the filling tube 2, with the driving ring 10 being held on the front side of the latter. The holding flange 12 is provided with an opening 15 through which the front free end 2a of the filling tube 2 protrudes. In order to pull the casing 4 onto the filling tube 2 from its front free end 2a, the holding flange 12 together with the driving ring 10 can be removed from the outer tube 14.

The outer tube 14 serves to transfer the rotary movement of the filling tube 2 to the drive ring 10 so that it is arranged in a rotationally fixed manner relative to the filling tube 2. For this purpose, a cylinder piece 16 is coaxially and rotationally fixedly attached to the rear end 2b of the filling tube 2, to the circumference of which the rear end 14b of the outer tube 14 is attached with its inner surface. The rotary movement of the filling tube 2 is thus transferred via the cylinder piece 16 to the outer tube 14, which in turn drives the drive ring 10 held thereon accordingly.

For the filling process, sausage meat is now pressed through the filling tube 2 by a pump (not shown) of the machine (not shown) and filled through the discharge opening into the deshirred part 4a of the casing 4 pulled off from the front free end 2a of the filling tube 2. The drive ring 10 ensures that only one layer of the casing is pulled off from the shirred, caterpillar-shaped part 4b of the casing behind it and that the remaining caterpillar-shaped part 4b of the casing 4 is held back at the same time.

After a fixed portion of sausage meat has been ejected, the twisting process follows. For this purpose, the filling tube 2 is rotated about its longitudinal axis in order to create a constriction 20 in the filled portion, whereby the filled part 22 of the casing 4 is made into a finished sausage. The filled part 22 of the

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Due to its inertia, the casing 4 does not follow the rotary movement of the filling tube 2, while the parts 4a and 4b of the casing 4 sitting on the filling tube 2 are carried along by the filling tube 2 by the effect of the driving ring 10. This state is shown in Figure 1.

During the filling process and the subsequent twisting process, the filled part 22 of the casing 4 can be held and guided by an operator.

Figure 2 shows a second version of a casing holding device which, in addition to the previously described components of the first version of Figure 1, has a casing brake which, in the version shown in Figure 2, has a non-rotatably mounted brake ring 24. The brake ring 24 encloses the area of the front free end 2a of the filling tube 2 adjacent to the discharge opening 6 and rests there under pressure. The brake ring 24 can be made of metal, for example, and is provided with a conical inner surface 26 whose minimum diameter is smaller and whose maximum diameter is larger than the maximum outer diameter of the filling tube 2. As a result, the brake ring 24 can be brought with its conical inner surface 26 into contact with the tapered section of the front free end 2a of the filling tube 2, as can be seen in Figure 2. Because the brake ring 24 is additionally mounted so that it can move in the axial direction of the filling tube 2, the contact pressure of the brake ring 24 on the free front end 2a of the filling tube 2 is adjustable. In order to ensure that the deshirred part 4a of the casing 4 is carried along during the rotation of the filling tube 2 during the twisting process and to prevent the front free end 2a of the filling tube 2 from slipping under the deshirred part 4a of the casing 4, the front free end 2a of the filling tube 2 is generally made of a material that has a substantially higher coefficient of friction than the inner surface 26 of the brake ring 24.

On the front side of the brake ring 24 facing the filling tube 2 there is also a deshirring ring 28, the inner surface 30 of which in the embodiment shown in Figure 2 is aligned with the conical inner surface 26 of the brake ring 24 and is thus also conical. The inner surface 30 of the deshirring ring 28 has such a defined distance from the outer surface of the filling tube 2 that essentially only one layer of the casing 4 is guided through the space between the deshirring ring 28 and the filling tube 2 in the direction of the brake ring 24 (to the left according to Figure 2). Since the deshirring of the casing 4 already takes place at the middle

If the pulling ring 10 is used, the deshirring 28 serves merely as an additional precautionary measure in the - admittedly not very likely - case that more than one layer of the casing 4 should be pulled through under the pulling ring 10. In case of doubt, the deshirring 28 can therefore also be omitted.

The brake ring 24 and the deshirring ring 28 are fastened together to a holding part 32, which is designed so that the brake ring 24 and the deshirring ring 28 can be replaced if necessary, e.g. for maintenance or cleaning purposes. The holding part 32 is mounted so that it can be moved in the axial direction of the filling tube 2, whereby the brake ring 24 can be moved in the axial direction and its position relative to the filling tube 2 can be adjusted to produce the desired contact pressure. In order to be able to put on new casings, the holding part 32 together with the brake ring 24 and the deshirring ring 28 can be swiveled away in a manner not shown in detail so that the front free end 2a of the filling tube 2 becomes accessible.

To increase the ease of use, the design according to Figure 2 is also provided with holding rollers 34, which hold and guide the filled part 22 of the casing 4 securely and non-twistably.

The filling process and the twisting process are carried out in the same way as previously described using the first embodiment according to Figure 1, so reference is made to the corresponding passages.

Figure 3 shows a third embodiment of a casing holding device, which differs from the embodiment according to Figure 2 in that instead of the driving ring 10, the holding flange 12 and the outer tube 14 on the filling tube 2, an outwardly curved leaf spring 40 is attached to its front free end 2a or adjacent to it, which encloses the filling tube. The leaf spring 40 increases the effective diameter of the filling tube 2, whereby the casing 4 is expanded and stretched in the radial direction and thus a frictional connection is created between the casing 4 and the filling tube 2, which causes a rotationally fixed fixation of the casing 4 to the filling tube 2 and at the same time a deshirring of the casing 4, so that the casing 4 passes on the radially outwardly curved leaf spring 40 from its gathered caterpillar-shaped part 4b into the deshirring and essentially stretched single-layer part 4a for filling with sausage meat ejected through the discharge opening 6. Thus, in this embodiment, the

Frictional engagement is not created by pressure from the outside on the outside of the casing 4 as in the embodiments according to Figures 1 and 2, but from the inside by pressure on the inner surface of the casing 4.

Regarding the remaining structure of the third embodiment according to Figure 3 and its mode of operation, reference is made to the description of the second embodiment according to Figure 2.

Finally, it should be noted that the radially outwardly curved leaf spring 40 according to Figure 3 can be provided not only as an alternative to the driving ring 10 according to Figures 1 and 2, but optionally also in addition. With regard to the second and third embodiments according to Figures 2 and 3, it should be mentioned that the brake ring 24 provided as a casing brake can alternatively also be rotatably mounted and preferably driven by a drive mechanism synchronously with the filling tube 2. Finally, it should also be noted that in the third embodiment according to Figure 3, the brake ring 24 and the deshirring ring 28 as well as the holding rollers 34 can also be omitted, similar to the first embodiment according to Figure 1.

Claims (21)

Expectations 1. Intestine holding device for a machine for filling sausages, with a filling tube (2) that can be rotated about its longitudinal axis, onto which a casing (4) can be pulled and that is provided at its front free end (2a) with a discharge opening (6) for dispensing sausage meat, and with a driving device (10, 12, 14; 40) for fixing the casing (4) to the rotating filling tube (2), characterized in that the driving device (10, 12, 14; 40) at the front free end (2a) of the filling tube (2) creates such a frictional connection between the casing (4) and the filling tube (2) that the casing (4) remains fixed to the filling tube (2) in a rotationally fixed manner, but at the same time can also be moved along the filling tube (2). 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the casing (4) can be pulled onto the filling tube (2) in a caterpillar-like manner (4b) on the side of the entrainment device (10, 12, 14; 40) facing away from the discharge opening (6), and the entrainment device (10, 12, 14; 40) is designed in such a way that the casing (4) can be unraveled (4a) on its way to the discharge opening (6). 3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the driving device (10, 12, 14; 40) can be driven synchronously with the filling pipe (20). 4. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the driving device (10, 12, 14; 40) is rigidly connected to the filling pipe (2). 5. Device according to at least one of claims 1 to 4,
characterized by a casing brake (24) which is provided on the side of the entrainment device (10, 12, 14; 40) facing the discharge opening (6), preferably between the latter and the discharge opening (6). 6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the casing brake has a brake ring (24) which encloses the free end (2a) of the filling tube (2) and rests against it essentially under pressure. 7. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that the brake ring {24} is rotatably mounted and can preferably be driven synchronously with the filling pipe (2). 8. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that the brake ring (24) is mounted non-rotatably. 9. Device according to at least one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the driving device has at least one pressure means (10) which presses the casing (4) from the outside onto the filling tube (2). 10. Device according to claim 9, characterized in that the pressure means (10) consists of elastic material. 11. Device according to claim 4 and claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the pressure means (10) can be fastened to a support element (14) in a rotationally fixed, preferably detachable, manner, which in turn can be fastened to the filling tube (2) in a rotationally fixed, preferably detachable, manner. 12. Device according to claim 11, characterized in that the support element (14) is attached to the rear end (2b) of the filling tube (2). 13. Device according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the support element (14) has the shape of a tube, which has a larger diameter than the filling tube (2) and is arranged coaxially thereto. 14. Device according to claim 13, characterized in that the pressure means (10) can be fastened to the end face facing the discharge opening (6) or to the inner surface of the tubular support element (14). 15. Device according to at least one of claims 9 to 14,
characterized in that the pressure means is designed as a tab. 16. Device according to at least one of claims 9 to 14, characterized in that the pressure means (10) substantially encloses the free end (2a) of the filling tube (2). 17. Device according to claim 16, characterized in that the pressure means consists of a ring (10). 18. Device according to at least one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that the driving device has at least one means (40) provided on the circumference of the filling tube (2) for increasing the effective diameter in order to tension the casing (4). 19. Device according to claim 18, characterized in that the diameter enlarging means (40) substantially encloses the filling tube (2) or several diameter enlarging means are provided which are substantially distributed over 360° of the circumference. 20. Device according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that the diameter enlarging means is designed as a spring means (40) acting radially outward. 21. Device according to claim 20, characterized in that the spring means is a radially outwardly curved leaf spring (40).