GB2286793A

GB2286793A - Dough portioning and shaping device

Info

Publication number: GB2286793A
Application number: GB9405567A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hans-Georg Muenster; Dieter Vinnemeier
Original assignee: NEUENKIRCHENER EISENGIESSEREI
Current assignee: NEUENKIRCHENER EISENGIESSEREI
Priority date: 1994-02-25
Filing date: 1994-03-21
Publication date: 1995-08-30
Anticipated expiration: 2014-03-21
Also published as: DE4406102A1; GB9405567D0; ITFI950033A1; NL192659C; DE4406102C2; IT1277825B1; GB2286793B; NL192659B; ITFI950033A0; NL9500188A

Description

1 1 2286793 A DEVICE FOR SHAPING DOUGH The invention relates to a device

for shaping dough into rounds or lengths for small bakery products or bread rolls, comprising a shaping drum, around the circumference of which a plurality of mould forms are arranged for producing the rounded shapes, wherein given portions of dough required for the shaping process are dropped into these by a serially connected or integrated device for measuring the portions and are delivered after the shaping process to a retaining conveyor running outwards at a tangent.

A device for dividing a mass of dough fed through a funnel into identically sized portions for the production of cobs or bread rolls with an integrated station for producing rounded shapes is known from DE C2 32 47 621, for example. A device of this type may be used as an input station for a dough processing plant since it produces shaped pieces of dough of the same size. From DE 22 02 633, for example, a plant of this type is known which is used for the production of bread rolls. These types of plant are particularly suitable for mass production bakeries which produce a large number of one particular type of bread shape. iff however, specific types of small bread shapes have to be prepared, requiring a flat press or length rolling process, corresponding shaping devices are needed for these forms and have to be incorporated between the device for measuring the dough portions 2 and the dough processing equipment.

The aim of the invention is to produce a device for measuring portions of dough and working these into rounded shapes, which may be extended by simple means so that it is possible to produce pieces of dough rolled into lengths.

This aim is achieved by the invention in that the device described above is provided with an endless belt under the reverse moving section of the retaining belt running outwards at a tangent from the shaping drum inside the housing, which, together with the belt section running in reverse forms a gap for the purposes of shaping and hence an integrated flat press and length rolling station. The is invention thereby offers the option of incorporating between the device for measuring the portions and the device for producing the rounded shapes a station that may be adjusted for flat pressing and length rolling, making use of components that are already to hand, such as the reverse running belt section of the retaining belt of the drum forming the rounded shapes.

As a further development of the invention, the shaping belt is designed to have an adjustable height so that the size of the shaping gap may be adjusted. This means that the shaping process may be essentially adjusted to suit the required shapes 3 of dough, for example for the flat pressing station.

In another embodiment of the invention the height of the shaping belt may be adjusted in such a way that the size of the shaping gap may be adjusted constantly by different degrees over its length to provide a wedge shaped gap with a gap height decreasing with the direction of movement.

In accordance with the invention, the shaping belt has its own drive so that the belt speed may be adjusted. This allows the conveyor speed of the shaping belt in relation to the speed of the retaining belt to be set at various levels so that the resulting shaping speed, too, may be adjusted essentially to suit the dough shaping process. Iff for example, the height of the gap is set so that it decreases and the moving speeds of the lower belt section of the retaining belt and the upper belt section of the lower shaping conveyor are set to the same level, a flat pressing station with a decreasing gap is formed. This makes it possible to produce pieces of dough that have been pressed flat.

A change-over inclined belt conveyor links up with the retaining belt in its transport direction, after which there is a station for further processing of the dough pieces, such as a proving cabinet. The device in accordance with the invention therefore has the advantage that it may be 4 incorporated as a serially connected device f or a dough processing plant.

In another embodiment of the invention, a belt conveyor with a connectable work table is inserted 5 on the shaping belt in its direction of transport.

Dough pieces that do not need to be lef t to rise in the proving cabinet may be processed here. The work table may be arranged at a comfortable working height. 10 The invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. These show: FIGURE 1 A schematic diagram of the device from the side; is FIGURE 2 the diagram of figure 1 seen from above; FIGURE 3 a schematic diagram of the device of f igure 1 from the side but with a work table on the exit side of the shaping belt; and 20 FIGURE 4 the diagram of figure 3 seen from above. Figures 1 and 2 show a device 1 for shaping dough into rounds or lengths for small bakery products or rolls. A delivery shaft 3 is arranged over the top of a feed funnel 2 to deliver the dough to be worked. A portion measuring device not shown in detail is connected to the feed funnel 2, in which given portions of dough are formed and fed to the shaping drum 4 for the first processing run. A plurality of moulding forms are arranged around the circumference of the shaping drum 4 and the pieces of dough are conveyed from these after the processing run to a retaining belt 5 running outwards at a tangent.

After the shaping process, it is necessary to convey the pieces of dough to a proving cabinet, not shown in detail, in order to produce bread 6. To this end, the pieces of dough 6 are conveyed f rom the retaining belt 5 running out at a tangent to a pivotal belt conveyor 7, which transports the pieces of dough to a proving cabinet.

is If rolls that do not require proving are being produced, the belt conveyer 7 is diverted from the conveyor section so that the pieces of dough are transported to the belt conveyor 8, which delivers the pieces of dough into and through the device 1 again. As they pass through the device 1, the pieces of dough on the belt conveyor 8 are caught up by the lower belt section of the retaining belt 5 and, depending on the speed settings of 5 and 8 and the setting of the gap height between the belts, shaped accordingly. The following shaping options are thus possible.

1. If the distance between the belts 5 and 8 6 is at such a height that the pieces of dough are not caught up by the lower belt section of the conveyor 5, then the belt is operating as a means of transport only.

2. If the belts 5 and 8 are set to be equidistant over the length of the gap and at such a height that the pieces of dough are caught up by the lower belt section of the upper conveyor and the speed of the lower conveyor 8 a. is the same as the speed of the lower belt section of the upper conveyor, then the pieces of dough on the lower conveyor will be pressed. By adjusting the gap height, the pressure on the piece of dough may be altered to determine its shape. if is the gap height is set to a constant incline, wherein for example the front bed 8a of the belt 8 is set lower than the bed 8b, then the pressure on the pieces of dough increases constantly along the conveyance length and the dough shape becomes increasingly flat. This may be used to produce flat dough.

b. is greater than the lower belt section of the upper conveyor, then the pieces of dough undergo a length shaping process and lengths of bread 9 are produced, which may be transported in several adjacent rows.

Setting the heights of the beds 8a and 8b at the 7 same or different levels together with the preset or optional belt speeds produces a plurality of processing options from flat rolling and length shaping to simple transport of the pieces of dough.

The device shown in figures 3 and 4 is constructed in a manner similar to that of the embodiment of the device shown in f igures 1 and 2.

However, an inclined transmission conveyor belt 10 is directly connected to the exit side of the transport or shaping belt 8 which conveys the pieces of dough to a work table 11. This offers the option of switching the belt 8 to a purely straight run, i.e. with a gap size which allows the pieces of dough to be transported only. Finger rolls may therefore be produced on the work table 11, i.e. pieces of dough that are worked to a long and completely rounded shape.

As well as the many options described for processing and shaping, there are the further advantages of rationalised processing. The relatively long periods needed by the piecesof bread dough in the proving cabinet may therefore be utilised to work on dough for bread rolls in the meantime.

The device in accordance with the invention is relatively small in size so that it is especially suitable for small and medium-sized bakery businesses.

8

Claims

1. A device f or shaping dough into rounds or lengths f or small bakery products or bread rolls, comprising a shaping drum, around the circumference of which a plurality of mould forms are arranged for producing the rounded shapes, wherein given portions of dough required for the shaping process are dropped into these by a serially connected or integrated device for measuring the portions and are delivered after the shaping process to a retaining conveyor running outwards at a tangent, wherein an endless shaping belt is provided under the belt section of the retaining belt running in reverse in a housing, which, together with the reverse section is of the belt, forms a shaping gap and hence an integrated flat pressing and length rolling station.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the height of the shaping belt may be adjusted so that the size of the shaping gap may be adjusted to the same level over its length.

3. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the height of the shaping belt may be adjusted in such a way that the size of the shaping gap may be set so as to be constantly uneven over its length to form a wedge-shaped gap whose height decreases in the transport direction of the conveyor.

1 9 is

4. A device in accordance with claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the shaping belt has its own drive and the belt speed may be adjusted.

5. A device in accordance with claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein a change-over inclined belt conveyor joins the shaping belt in its transport direction.

6. A device in accordance with claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein a belt conveyor with a connectable work table is integrated after the shaping belt in 10 its transport direction.

7. A device in accordance with claim 1 or one of the previous claims, wherein the device may be configured as a serially connected device for dough processing equipment.

8. A device for shaping dough substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.