GB1446224A - Volumetric dividing machines for dough particularly for bread dough - Google Patents

Abstract

1446224 Dividing dough G A MARCHAND 5 Oct 1973 [29 March 1973] 46757/73 Heading B5A A machine for dividing paste, e.g. dough paste into portions includes a supply funnel 10 a dividing head 34 comprising at least one cylinder 36 which is movable vertically relative to a vertically movable piston 66, as horizontally reciprocable apertured shutter-cutter 21 at the outlet of the funnel 10 and a pivotable blade (74, Fig. 3) for sweeping the divided paste portions from a housing 72 beneath the hopper 10 to a take-off conveyer 85. In order to divide off a portion of paste from the supply in the hopper, a lever 46 powered by a double-acting pneumatic jack 50 raises a carriage 38 so that a bar 55 can lift the cylinder through the housing 72 to a filling position beneath the hopper 10 as shown in Fig. 4 and a finger 56 can raise the piston 66 to a predetermined point within the cylinder to form a filling chamber thereabove. A lever 24 powered by a cylinder 29 slides the shutter-cutter 21 so that the aperture thereof is in register with the funnel outlet to allow paste to fall into the filling chamber of the cylinder 36. The delivery is assisted by connecting the cylinder 36 via a pipe 71 to a source of vacuum. A positive pressure may also be applied to the funnel 10. After the chamber is full, the shutter-cutter 21 is returned to cut the paste and seal the funnel outlet, the cylinder 36 and piston are lowered relative to one another to the rest position shown in Fig. 2 so that the portion of paste is left in the housing 72 to be swept out by the blade (74). The movement of the piston 66 relative to the cylinder 36 may be altered by manually rotating a wheel 64 to adjust the position of the finger 56 on a telescopic tube 57 which also carries the bar 55. The piston 66 cylinder 36 and blade (74) may be formed of a stearine filled polyethene to provide non-stick surfaces. Alternatively, the blade (74) may be sprayed with oil-containing compressed air. The top of the funnel 10 may have a cover (16, Fig. 1) which is provided with an inflatable seal (17).