GB1206719A - Method and apparatus for forming shaped articles of dough - Google Patents

Abstract

1,206,719. Extruding and severing dough. H. REISMAN. 21 Feb., 1968, No. 8526/68. Heading B5A. Shaped dough articles, e.g. pretzels are produced by extruding a stream of dough through an orifice of a desired shape across which is moved a knife in contact with the surface of the extruder having the orifice therein and at an angle of 10-30 degrees to the surface to sever dough cleanly from the stream without obstructing flow. The angle is preferably 15-25 degrees. As shown in Fig. 2, the apparatus comprises an extruder 20 having an exit plate 26 in which are disposed orifices (28, Fig. 3, not shown) and above which are a plurality of spacer bars 88 to separate material. Plate 26 comprises an outer plate 96 having forming channels 98 (Figs. 14, 15) and an inner plate 94 having feeding channels 100, connected with forming channels 98 by holes to trap lumps of material. Cutter assembly 10 comprises lever 65 carrying a knife 64 having an edge 38 and pivoted at 54 to frame 52, there being a spring 57 co-operating between arm 58 of frame 52 and lever 65 to urge knife edge 38 into contact with the exit surface. Frame 52 is slidably mounted in sleeve 62 on main extruder assembly 24 and reciprocated by arm 46 connected at one end to frame 52 and at the other to arm 50, rigidly fixed to and rotated by a wheel driven by belt 48. Knife 64 is guided by pin 80 and has lugs 78, Fig. 1, acting as cam followers to follow the cam surfaces 70, 116, 72, 118 of block 69 to sweep across exit surface of plate 96 and be retracted downwardly and then rearwardly therefrom by such cam means after severing the dough pieces 16 which fall on to conveyer 34 located sufficiently close to the extruder orifices to avoid distortion. All surfaces of the extruder, knife and pin may be coated with antifriction material, e.g. PTFE.