FR2744338A1 - Extrusion assembly for producing chewing gum - Google Patents

Abstract

An extrusion assembly comprises a number of extrusion nozzles which are held in place in an extruder by holders (2). Each holder has two fins (4), diametrically opposite to each other which fit into grooves in the main body of the extruder. If the holder is rotated through 90 deg the fins are freed from the grooves and the holder and nozzle can be removed from their operating positions.

Description

 The present invention relates to an output assembly for single or multi-part extrusion group for rapid assembly / disassembly of each die-holder part on the front block of closing the press body.

 The extrusion groups for chewing dough or the like conventionally comprise a press body having on its front face a plurality of extrusion outlets each fed with paste from a common unit of preparation and kneading.

 The extrusion outlets are each equipped with a die-holder for mounting a die from which a streamlined product protrudes.

 During the operating phases of the group, all or some of the extrusion dies must be removed, in particular for their cleaning, or else for the assembly of a new die, for example having a different profile corresponding to the production of dies. a new type of product.

 The press bodies of the present extrusion groups generally consist of two complementary mechanical blocks, one fixed, forming the press body itself, integral with the frame of the extrusion group, and the other removable, constituting the closure front of the press body, mounted by its rear face on the opposite side of the fixed mechanical block by a fastening means such as screwing, bolting or other.

 The mechanical block for front closure of the press body contains a plurality of passages each serving as a seat for a die holder part of the extrusion group.

 The die holder parts are engaged and immobilized in these seats by the rear face of the front mechanical block, and open on the opposite face thereof constituting the front face of the press body.

 Such a constructive assembly, if it proves satisfactory for the proper maintenance of the die holder parts, has cons cons obvious disadvantages when the control or replacement of a die or a group of dies is necessary.

 The direct access to the dies from the front of the press body being made impossible by construction, the complete dismantling of the mechanical block of frontal closure and, consequently, of all the extrusion dies is inevitable to allow the access to the sectors.

 These dismantling operations, which are long and delicate, are costly in terms of labor, and penalizing in terms of the duration of stoppage of operation of the extrusion machine and hence of the production line. In addition, problems of alignment of the dies with the output of the compression chamber of the extruder to which they are connected can arise during the reassembly of the front mechanical block, which increases by the same manpower and downtime of the machine.

 Another known embodiment relates to dies mounted by screwing either directly or via threaded counter-flanges, in the corresponding passages that encloses the front mechanical block of the press body.

 This other solution has the merit of allowing direct access to extrusion dies from the front of the press body, and their individual assembly / disassembly. However, it leads to complex-shaped threaded parts with high machining costs.

 The object of the present invention is to solve these and other difficulties by proposing a die-holder assembly of the rotating lock type, of simple and easy-to-machine design, allowing the rapid assembly / disassembly of a die holder part. an extrusion group from the front of his press corps.

 For this purpose, and according to the main feature of the present invention, the output assembly of a press body is constituted by a frontal closure mechanical block structure having one or more outputs each represented by a through passage for the receiving a die-holder part each time, each die-holder part comprising two diametrically opposed immobilization wings protruding transversely at any point in their cylindrical body, wings through which these die-holder parts each cooperate by axial pivoting with a holding structure shaped at the front in the mechanical block of frontal closure of the press body. The pivoting of each die-holder part takes place between a first position in which it can be engaged or output by axial sliding of the corresponding receiving passage of the front closure mechanical block, and a second position in which each die-holder part cooperates by pressing-locking its immobilizing wings with the holding structure of the front mechanical block, for its immobilization in the working position in the receiving passage.

 According to its essential advantage, the present invention makes it possible to considerably simplify the assembly / disassembly operations of a die of an extrusion group with a view to, in particular, its cleaning or its replacement, and thus to make significant gains in labor and downtime of the extrusion group.

 According to the invention, access to each die holder part is from the front of the press body. The complete disassembly of its front mechanical block is thus avoided. In addition, only the die holder part or parts on which it is necessary to intervene are disassembled, the other parts filfilière remaining in position in their respective locations. This makes it possible to avoid the problems of misalignment of the dies which may occur during the reassembly of the mechanical block of frontal closure which carries the dies.

 The output assembly with removable die holders according to the present invention is also advantageously distinguished from previous embodiments by its simple geometric shapes, and therefore inexpensive to achieve in terms of machining.

 In particular, the support-locking of each die holder part with the transverse slide of the front mechanical block does not involve any threaded part.

Other features and advantages of the present invention are set forth in the following description in a preferred and non-limiting embodiment, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which FIG. 1 is a general perspective view of the present invention.
die holder part according to the invention FIG. 2 is a front view of the die holder of
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the block
front of a modified extrusion group according to
the invention intended to receive a plurality of
die holder parts of Figure 1; FIG. 5 is a front view of the press body of
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the
press body of FIG. 4 FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the circled detail
of Figure 6.

 The present invention is generally inventive an output assembly for extrusion group in which each die holder part is removable from the front mechanical block closing the press body. For this purpose, each die-holder part comprises rapid mounting / disassembly means cooperating with complementary means provided on the front mechanical block for its extraction or quick introduction by a simple movement.

 More particularly, each filament holder part is of the rotary latch type cooperating by axial pivoting with a receiving space that presents the front mechanical block of the press body, between a first position in which the die holder part can be engaged or removed from the receiving space, and a second position in which it cooperates by pressing-locking its immobilizing members with complementary structures shaped forward in the mechanical block closure.

 For this purpose, and according to a first essential characteristic of the invention, the output assembly designated by the reference 1 serves to support die-holder parts such as 2 with generally cylindrical body and having a transverse positioning flange 3 formed of two immobilization wings such as 4 diametrically opposed protruding at a location of their cylindrical body.

 The die holder part 2 delimits an internal passage 5 for receiving by axial sliding of an extrusion die 6.

 The latter conventionally comprises a cylindrical inlet 7 extended by a compression zone 8 of the material to be extruded comprising a frustoconical portion 9 converging towards an outlet 10, for example annular from which the product leaves shaped according to the profile corresponding to the particularity of the section. internal passage of said outlet 10 (Figure 6).

 For its forward axial immobilization, the die 6 has on its outer casing a circular perimeter rim 11 by which it abuts against a shoulder 12 of the passage 5.

 The press body 13 forms a compression unit of an extrusion group of which only a part of the frame 14 is shown schematically in FIG. 7. It is conventionally constituted of a stationary mechanical block 15 enclosing the compression chamber 16 of the extruder (not shown) of the extrusion group, and a mechanical frontal closure block 17 mounted by its rear face on the front face of the stationary mechanical block 15.

 In order to allow the removable assembly of the die-holder part 2 and its associated die 6 on the front face 18 of the front mechanical block 17, and in accordance with an essential additional characteristic of the invention, the front mechanical block 17 comprises a holding structure 19 extending over its entire length and opening on its front face 18 which constitutes the front end of the extrusion group.

 This holding structure 19 is in the general non-limiting form of a window 20 extending generally horizontally and bordered along its transverse edges such as 21 by two opposite rectilinear grooves such as 22.

 It continues with a receiving space 23 enclosing a plurality of passages such as 24 each serving as a seat for a die holder part 2.

 These passages or seats 24 extend at intervals, for example regular intervals from each other in a plane parallel to the plane of the sliding window 20, and each have a communication opening 25 with the compression chamber 16 of the extruder . In the embodiment shown in the figures, there are three in number, one for each of the interchangeable extrusion outlets such as 26 of the press body 13. It goes without saying, however, that this number of outlets and thus of seats is quite variable, determined solely by the production capabilities of the extrusion group they equip.

 Each of the extrusion outlets 26 of the press body 13 consists of a die holder part 2 according to the present invention with its associated extrusion die 6.

 Suitably oriented and presented by its rear end 27, the die-holder part 2 penetrates following an axial sliding through the sliding window 20 between its flanges 21 in one of the seats 24 of the receiving space 23.

 As shown in the figures, the positioning flange 3 affects the general nonlimitative shape of a transverse parallelepipedal plate extending perpendicularly to and symmetrically on either side of the longitudinal axis of the die holder part 2, and of which two diametrically opposite edges such as 28 have been beveled, for example at 45 ".

 If it has not been properly oriented, the die holder part 2 can abut by the flanges 4 of its positioning flange 3 against the transverse edges 21 of the inlet 20. To continue the movement of introduction of the die holder 2 in its seat 24, it is sufficient in this case to rotate it to the left (Figure 5) about its longitudinal axis, so as to bring its edges 28 inclined parallel to the transverse edges 21 of the sliding window 20, after which its introduction into the reception seat 24 can continue.

 In order to avoid any edge-to-edge contact which could hinder the assembly of the die-holder part 2 on the front block of the press body 13, or even to cause it to jam, the hexagonal perimetrical edge 29 of the positioning flange 3 has none. sharp corner.

 If necessary, the transverse alignment of the die holder part 2 is corrected for its coincidence and the engagement of its rear end 27 in the seat 24 opposite.

 Depending on the length of its cylindrical rear end 27, the die holder part 2 must first be engaged in the corresponding passage 24.

 Once the die-holder piece 2 arrives at the seat bottom stop 24, it is sufficient to rotate it a quarter of a turn to the right of FIG. 5 this time, towards its closed position.

 The die holder part 2 is guided in this movement by the grooves 22 of the sliding window 20 in which its immobilizing wings 4 penetrate progressively as it is pivoted about its longitudinal axis.

 Finally, in the closed position, the die-holder part 2 comes to bear-locking by its immobilization wings 4 against the inner walls of the rectilinear grooves 22 of the window 20.

 According to an additional characteristic of the invention, the engagement of the flanges 4 in the grooves 22 is facilitated by two chamfers such as 30 made along their lower front 31 and upper 32 edges, and extended at their base by a rounding 33 which widens to the right as defined by the figure.

 For its proper tightening in the closed position, the die holder part 2 has on its front face, for example four inclined slots such as 34 regularly spaced serving as housing the claws of the operating tool.

 A seal 35 disposed on the peripheral envelope of the die-holder part 2, bearing against the rear face of its positioning flange 3, prevents the diffusion of material to be extruded outside, for example in the grooves 22 of the sliding window 20. I1 generates an elastic return force to the front which increases the end-of-travel clamping of each die holder 2 and ensures the damping of the mechanical vibrations generated by the operation of the extrusion group.

 The dismantling of a die holder part 2, for example for the cleaning or replacement of an extrusion die 6, is carried out rapidly in a reverse sequence of the operations described above.

Claims (10)

 An exit assembly equipped with press-piece parts for a press body of a chewing extrusion unit or the like, characterized in that it consists of a mechanical frontal closure block (17) having one or more outlets (26) each represented by a through passage (24) for receiving a die holder part (2), each die holder part (2) having two diametrically opposite immobilising wings (4) protruding transversely into one position of its cylindrical body, wings (4) by which each die holder piece (2) cooperates by axial pivoting with a holding structure (19) shaped forwardly in the mechanical front closure block (17), pivoting the die holder part (2) being effected between a first position in which it can be engaged or extracted from the receiving passage (24), and a second position in which it cooperates by pressing and locking its wings of immobili sation (4) with the holding structure (19) of the front mechanical block (17) for its immobilization in the working position.  2. Die holder assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the holding structure (19) is in the form of a sliding window (20) extending over the entire length of the front face (18) of the block front closure mechanism (17), this window being bordered along its transverse edges (21) by two opposite rectilinear grooves (22).  3. Die holder assembly according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the passages (24) extend in a plane parallel to the plane of the sliding window (20) and each have a communication aperture (25) with the compression chamber (16) of the extruder.  4. Die holder assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the edges (31,32) of the immobilizing wings (4) are chamfered and extended at their base by a rounded (33), and in that two of their diametrically opposite edges (30) are bevelled.  5. Die holder assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the immobilization wings (4) are the ends of a transverse positioning flange (3).  6. Die holder assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that the perimetric edge (29) of the positioning flange (3) has no sharp angle.  7. Die holder assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the die holder part (2) defines an inner passage (5) receiving a die (6).  8. Die holder assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that the inner passage (5) of the die holder part (2) has a shoulder (12) against which the die (6) abuts by a perimetric rim (11) of its outer peripheral envelope.  9. Die holder assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the die holder part (2) has on its front face inclined slots (34) serving as a housing for the claws of a cutting tool. maneuver.  10. Die holder assembly according to any one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that a seal (35) is disposed on the outer peripheral envelope of the filament holder part (2), bearing against the rear face of its positioning flange (3).