1347131 Cutting dough INTERNATIONAL MULTIFOODS CORP 4 Feb 1971 3944/71 Heading B5A [Also in Division A2] Gobs of dough are cut either from a sheet or from rolls which are fed by a conveyer 20, Fig. 1A to a cutter mechanism comprising horizontally reciprocating cutter blades 132, 134, Figs. 2B and 6; the gobs fall into pans sequentially fed to a position below the cutter blades by a continuously driven conveyer 280, Fig. 2A, whose speed is synchronized with that of the cutter blades. When a pan is full of rows of gobs its speed is increased by the conveyer to separate it from a preceding pan which is being fed to the conveyer by an intermediate conveyer 224. The reciprocating speed of the cutter blade is adjustable to vary the number of gobs received by each pan. Alternatively only one gob need be supplied to each pan. Pan feed conveying means.-The pans are fed in turn from a hopper 220, Fig. 2A, and are delivered by conveyers 270, 272 extending below the hopper to the intermediate conveyer 224 which feeds them to the main pan conveyer 280 comprising opposed endless chains 282, 284 having opposed pairs of pan pusher members 286 which convey the pans over a support bed 340, Fig. 6, extending the length of the pan conveyer and provided with trap door 342 which is closed when a pan is sensed by sensing means. The trap door is maintained open if no pan is present, whereby cut gobs fall into a waste receptacle. The conveyer chains 282, 284 are driven by sprockets 288, Fig. 3, mounted on a shaft 325 and are provided with two drive sources, one via an overrunning clutch 292 and the other through a sprocket 294. The shaft 325 is driven from a shaft 302, but at a lower speed by a chain and sprocket drive 328, 322, 324, and such drive moves each pan past the cutting zone during the time the pan is being filled. A filled pan is required to be moved a further distance during the same time interval between supplying successive gobs to a pan and this is effected by a drive chain 316 extending between the shafts 302, 325 and having chain attachments 318, Fig. 1B, spaced therealong at the same distance as the pushers 286 are spaced on the chains 282, 284. The chain 316 is driven from the shaft 325 by sprocket 294. A crank arm 306 is driven from the higher speed shaft 302 and reciprocates a slider 308, Fig. 1B, which contacts an attachment 318 during its upward stroke to advance the chain 316 and hence the pan conveyer sprockets 288 the required further distance at the appropriate time. The filled pans are received by a discharge conveyer 354 driven at a higher speed whereby the pans may be supplied to a weight checking device and then to ovens. The dough conveyer includes an endless belt 44 within a frame 22 and an extension 74 pivotable about a shaft 48. The extension may be telescopically extended when a dough sheet is to be fed to the cutting apparatus instead of separate dough rolls which are supplied to the cutters by shaped rollers 80, 82 located at the end of the belt and driven in opposite directions. The roll assembly 80, 82, 84 and 86 and its drive are pivoted about shaft 51 away from the cutting apparatus when dough sheets are conveyed. A pan 35 has a doctor blade 40 which scrapes dough from the belt 44 and feeds it to the pan. The belt, which passes over numerous rollers, is tensioned by a roller 58 vertically guided by a slot 72 in a plate 70. The cutter mechanism includes blades 132, 134 each attached to a cross-bar 148 received by bearings 142 reciprocally slidable along shafts 144. Each blade drive includes a link 154 connected to a crank 156 on a shaft 160 driven by a chain and sprocket via a gear-box 168, Fig. 2B. The gear-box is driven by a shaft 204 driven from a main motor 180 via belt 186, speed reducer 184 and shafts 187, 176. The shaft 176 is driven at constant speed and drives various sized pinions connected by chains with pinions on shaft 204. Clutches are provided to enable any of the pinions to drive the shaft 204 to provide varying cutter speeds.