GB785436A - Improvements in or relating to the manufacture of biscuits - Google Patents

Abstract

785,436. Wafer sandwich making. BAKER PERKINS, Ltd. March 28, 1956 [March 29, 1955], No. 9177/55. Class 28 (1). [Also in Group VIII] Wafer sandwich blocks are fed in succession in a single column to a cutting unit where they are severed transversely and longitudinally and are delivered alternately to two delivery conveyers from which they are fed on to a single conveyer parallel to the delivery conveyers, means being provided for separating the individual sandwiches and converging the two columns of sandwiches during their passage to the single conveyer. Wafer sandwich blocks, e.g. produced as described in Specification 785,435, are fed on conveyer 12, comprising two chains 13 connected by spaced flights 14, to a dead plate 15 from which they are pushed alternately to right and left through cutters 17 by a pusher 16. Two pushers 18 then push the transversely severed blocks through further cutters 19 to cut them longitudinally and deposit them on parallel delivery conveyers 20. Pusher 16 moves between guides 23, 24 and is coupled by link 25 to a pivoted lever 26 fixed to an arm 28 coupled by a link 29 to a follower 30. Follower 30 is mounted on a pivoted arm 31 and is coupled by link 33 to a follower 30a mounted on a pivoted arm 31a, followers 30, 30a engaging a cam 21 on a driven shaft 22. Pushers 18 move between guides 34 and cutters 17 and are connected by links 35 to the ends of a lever 36. An arm 38, fixed to lever 36, carries a follower 39 coupled to a companion follower 39a mounted on a pivoted arm 40, followers 39, 39a also engaging cam 21. The severed wafer blocks are carried on two conveyers 20 each comprising a series of belts 43, 44 arranged alternately and each belt supporting a single row of sandwiches, belts 43 and 44 delivering their sandwiches to upper and lower conveyers 45 and 46 respectively. Conveyers 45, 46 carry the sandwiches, guided by fixed guides 47, 48, to a common conveyer 49 leading to a packing station or an enrober. If the sandwiches are to be enrobed and then cooled in a cooling tunnel, the gaps between the groups of sandwiches are closed up after which the sandwiches are transferred to a faster conveyer which separates the individual sandwiches. If, however, the enrobed sandwiches are delivered from the enrober on to plaques for use in a circuitous cooler and the sandwiches are not suitably spaced they are batched before being passed to the enrober. A conveyer 49 driven more quickly than a succeeding conveyer 56 feeds the sandwiches to a gate 65, Fig. 3, which arrests them until a suitable group is formed when they are released and pass on to conveyer 56 and the gate 65 is lowered again. Conveyer 56 passes the sandwiches on to a wire band conveyer 67 leading to the enrober. Conveyer 49 may be replaced by two conveyers 149, 249, Fig. 4, conveyer 249 running faster than conveyer 149 so as to separate the sandwiches longitudinally, if they contain caramel and tend to adhere to one another. To ensure the separation of the sandwiches, a driven roll 68 may be provided above the junction of the conveyers or two separate rolls above the ends of conveyers 149 and 249 may be provided. This batcher may be replaced by a marshalling unit as described in Specification 785,434. A matcher immediately following conveyers 45 46 may be provided if the number of sandwiches per plaque is not an integral number of pairs of groups. A conveyer 149 receiving the sandwiches from conveyers 45, 46 feeds them to a dead plate 80, Fig. 5, mounted on a rod 81 which lifts the plate 80 when the last sandwich of a batch is clear of it. At the same time a stop 82 attached to a rod 83 is rocked by a link 88 into positoin to hold the leading sandwich of the next batch on conveyer 149 while the previous batch is carried away on a faster conveyer 84. Specification 785,433 also is referred to.