JP2983455B2 - Method for producing chewing gum chips and apparatus used for the same - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for stably producing a large amount of chewing gum chips from a chewing gum sheet, and more particularly, to a method for continuously producing a large amount of chewing gum chips having a particle size of 0.1 g or less. The present invention relates to a method for producing chewing gum chips that can be produced and an apparatus used for the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a method for continuously producing chewing gum chips, as shown in FIG. 6, a chewing gum sheet 30 formed to a predetermined thickness by a forming roller 35 is conveyed and a temperature control chamber 36 is formed. After passing through, the both sides of the chewing gum sheet 30 are cut by the width aligning cutters 22 on both sides of the conveyor to align the width, and a pair of upper and lower vertical rotary cutters 23 cut in parallel to the transport direction (not shown). And then cut in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction with the horizontal rotary cutter 24.
By inserting 5, a cut is made in the vertical and horizontal directions to form a cut-in chewing gum sheet 31, and thereafter, by a cutting blade 24a provided in the horizontal rotary cutter 24,
The cut-in chewing gum sheet 31 is cut off at predetermined intervals to form a gum block 32. Then, the gum block 32 is transferred to a rotating body such as the rotary hook 25 shown in FIG. 7 or the loosening device 27 shown in FIG. 8, and the gum block 32 is moved by the impact force when the scraping plate 26 or the baffle plate 29 rotates. Break apart along the incision, chewing gum chips 3
7 is assumed. However, in the above method, the weight is 0.1%.
When obtaining ultra-small chewing gum chips of less than g / grain, all the cuts cannot be reliably separated in the loosening step, and as shown in FIGS. 5 (B) and 5 (C), two or more grains are not removed. A series of fragments 33 and 34 is formed. Therefore, they must be separated manually or by using a separation device, and any pieces that cannot be separated must be disposed of as defective.
Productivity decreases. As an improvement method, if a large number of cutting blades are arranged on a horizontal rotary cutter, the cutting blades can be finely separated, but the chewing gum material is clogged between the cutting blade pitches due to the viscoelasticity of the chewing gum.

Therefore, as a method for solving the above problem,
A method is also conceivable in which a large number of chewing gums formed in a rope shape are arranged in parallel and cut at once using a push-off cutter called a guillotine cutter. However, in this method, it is necessary to align the rope-shaped chewing gums at intervals so that the rope-shaped chewing gums do not adhere to each other at the time of cutting. There is a need. In addition, in order to obtain extremely small chewing gum chips using a guillotine cutter, the speed of raising and lowering the cutter blade must be increased.However, for speeding up, both the gum feed mechanism and the cutter raising and lowering mechanism must be properly adjusted. It needs to be controlled and has mechanical limitations. Therefore, the cutting width must be set large or a large number of guillotine cutters must be arranged, which requires special equipment and a large amount of space.

As still another method, an apparatus for extruding a chewing gum material into a rope shape using an extruder and cutting it into a predetermined length has been devised. In this method, however, the transfer in the extruder is performed. Therefore, since the chewing gum material softened is cut while being soft immediately after extrusion, there is a problem that deformation occurs and the shape of the chewing gum chip is not constant, or the gum material adheres to the cutter blade.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a simple facility for stably producing even very small chewing gum chips. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a chewing gum chip and a device used therefor.

[0006]

The object of the present invention is to provide a notched chewing gum sheet by making a cut in the chewing gum sheet in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and then pulling the cut notched chewing gum sheet in parallel to the conveying direction. Cutting method in the vertical and horizontal by cutting in the direction, a method of manufacturing a chewing gum chip, characterized in that it is made into chips, and a device for manufacturing a chewing gum chip by cutting vertically and horizontally continuously while conveying a chewing gum sheet, Cutting means for forming a cut in the chewing gum sheet in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and cutting means for cutting the chewing gum sheet in a direction parallel to the conveying direction while pulling the chewing gum sheet forward of the cutting direction. Cutting the chewing gum sheet vertically and horizontally by the cutting means It is achieved by a chewing gum chip manufacturing apparatus, characterized by chips.

[0007]

According to the present invention, a notch is provided in a chewing gum sheet in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction by using a notching means,
Then, using a cutting means, while cutting the chewing gum sheet with cuts in a direction parallel to the transport direction to a chewing gum rope, by pulling the chewing gum rope by the same means, by continuous cutting along the cut. , Which are cut vertically and horizontally into chips. Therefore, a plurality of chewing gum chips are not continuously formed, and it is possible to stably continuously produce extremely small-sized chewing gum chips.

(Embodiment) Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an example of the chewing gum chip manufacturing apparatus of the present invention. In the figure,
1 is a 1st rotary cutter, 2 is a 2nd rotary cutter, 12 is a chewing gum sheet. The first rotary cutter 1 includes a pair of cylindrical bodies 1a and 1b,
A plurality of cutting blades 1c and 1d are provided on the periphery of each cylindrical body in a direction perpendicular to the rotation direction (arrow).

As shown in FIG. 2, the rotation of the drive motor 3 whose speed is variable by inverter control or the like is controlled by a bearing of the first rotary cutter 1 via a drive transmission means 4 such as a chain, a belt or a gear. By being transmitted to 10, it rotates in accordance with the supply speed of the chewing gum sheet.

The first rotary cutter 1 serves to feed the chewing gum sheet 12 supplied to the gap between the two cylindrical bodies 1a and 1b while forming a cut by the above-described rotation operation. The cylindrical bodies 1a,
The intervals of 1b are the cutter blades 1c and 1d (not shown in FIG. 2).
It is preferable that the cut by the cut is adjusted so as to enter just before the cutting of the chewing gum sheet, in order to facilitate the separation described later. For example, when it is desired to change the cutting depth in accordance with the composition of the chewing gum, aging conditions, temperature conditions, etc., the cylindrical body 1 of the rotary cutter 1 is used.
It is preferable to provide a gap adjusting handle 8 as shown in FIG. 2 so that the distance between a and 1b can be freely adjusted. That is, by moving the bearings 10 of the two cylindrical bodies by the clearance adjusting handle 8, the clearance at the tip of the cutter blades 1c and 1d can be adjusted to, for example, 0.1 mm to 2.0 mm. By changing the position of 1b, the cutting depth can be freely changed. Cutter blade 1c,
The gap at the tip of 1d is particularly preferably about 0.1 to 0.7 mm. The gap adjusting handle 8 may be operated manually or automatically. In this embodiment, when the clearance adjusting handle 8 is loosened, the bearings 1 of the cylindrical bodies 1a and 1b are
The spring 9 is provided between the bearings so as to widen the gap of 0, but if the gap is adjustable, for example, a gear, a screw, or the like may be used instead of the spring.

In this embodiment, a rotary cutter is used as the cutting means. Alternatively, a guillotine cutter or the like in which the interval between cutter blades is appropriately adjusted may be used.

Returning to FIG. 1, next, a second rotary cutter 2 is disposed in front of the first rotary cutter in the transport direction. The second rotary cutter includes a pair of cylindrical bodies 2.
a and 2b, and cutter blades 2c and 2d (not shown) are provided on the periphery of each cylindrical body in a direction parallel to the rotation direction (arrow).
Are provided, and these cutter blades 2c and 2d are completely engaged with each other. The cylindrical bodies 2a and 2b rotate in the same direction (arrow) as the first rotary cutter, and the rotation mechanism is the same as that of the first rotary cutter. Transmitted by the drive transmission means,
Rotate according to the supply of the cut chewing gum sheet.

The peripheral speed of the second rotary cutter 2 (the speed at which a fixed point on the cylindrical body of the rotary cutter moves by a predetermined distance by rotation) is set to be higher than the peripheral speed of the first rotary cutter 1. As a setting method, the speed may be adjusted by changing the number of revolutions of the drive motor, and the preferable speed is set to 1.05 when the speed of the first rotary cutter is set to 1. About 1.5, more preferably 1.3 to
It may be about 1.7. As a result, the second rotary cutter 2 cuts the chewing gum sheet 12a with a cut by the first rotary cutter.
Is cut in a direction parallel to the transport direction to form a chewing gum rope, and the above-mentioned chewing gum rope is pulled in the transport direction by a pulling force generated by a peripheral speed difference with the first rotary cutter, whereby the chewing gum rope is sequentially cut along the cut. The chewing gum chip 13 is used.

When it is desired to obtain a very small chewing gum chip having a short side of 2 mm or less, the cutter blades 2c and 2d of the second rotary cutter 2 may be formed into the shape shown in FIG. It can be preferred. The figure is an enlarged view of the cutter blades 2c, 2d when the cylindrical bodies 2a, 2b of the second rotary cutter are viewed from above.
As shown in the figure, the shape of the cutter blades 2c and 2d is preferably such that the cutting blade thickness L is 0.7 mm or less, preferably 0.5 m
m or less, and the cutting edge angle α of the cutting blade is preferably 20 °
Hereafter, the angle is more preferably set to 15 ° or less.

The apparatus for manufacturing a chewing gum chip according to the present invention is configured as described above. Next, the operation of the apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. First, the chewing gum dough 12 ′ is formed into a predetermined thickness by the plurality of forming rollers 20, then the width is adjusted by a cutter (not shown), and the temperature is adjusted to a temperature suitable for cutting by the temperature control chamber 21 to obtain the chewing gum sheet 12. . Next, the chewing gum sheet 12 passes through the product supply chute 7a to the first
It is supplied to the rotary cutter 1. While rotating the cylindrical bodies 1a and 1b of the first rotary cutter, the cuts 14 are made in the chewing gum sheet 12a in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction by the cutter blades 1c and 1d whose intervals have been adjusted in advance.

That is, at this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the chewing gum sheet 12 ((A) in the figure) passes through the first rotary cutter and becomes a cut chewing gum sheet 12a ((B) in the figure).

Returning to FIG. 1, the cut-in chewing gum sheet 12a is then supplied to the second chute through the supply chute 7b.
It is supplied to the rotary cutter 2. While rotating at a higher speed than the first rotary cutter, the cylindrical bodies 2a and 2b of the second rotary cutter 2 move the notched chewing gum sheet 12a in the transport direction by the completely engaged cutter blades 2c and 2d (not shown). The cutting is performed in a parallel direction to form a notched chewing gum rope 12b (not shown), which is pulled and cut along the notch to form a chewing gum chip 13.

That is, at this time, as shown in FIG. 3, a chewing gum sheet 12a with cuts ((B) in the figure)
Is cut in a direction parallel to the transport direction while passing through the second rotary cutter to form a notched chewing gum rope 12b ((C) in the figure), and is pulled along the notch 14 to be cut off, and the chewing gum chip 1 is cut.
3 ((D) in the figure).

Returning to FIG. 1, the chewing gum chips 13 obtained as described above are collected by the collecting means 11 and transported to the next step such as finishing. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, if the collecting means 11 such as a conveyor is installed below the second rotary cutter and the chewing gum chips 13 are allowed to fall naturally, the cutting operation can be surely performed and the collecting operation is facilitated, which is preferable. is there.

As shown in FIG. 1, a means 6 for supplying powder 5 such as powdered sugar or corn starch is provided on one or both sides of the cylindrical body of the first rotary cutter 1. It is preferable to sprinkle the powder 5 because the cut chewing gum sheet 12a can be prevented from adhering to the cutter blades 1c and 1d and can be smoothly fed. Furthermore, since the cut provided by the first rotary cutter becomes shallow due to the pulling of the second rotary cutter, the chewing gum chips that have been cut off may be easily re-attached. In order to prevent this, as shown in FIG. 1, the aforementioned powder supply means 6 is provided immediately before the second rotary cutter, and the cut chewing gum sheet 12 is provided.
When powder 5 is sprinkled on a, chewing gum chips 13
It is preferable because re-bonding between them can be prevented.

The chewing gum composition particularly suitable for the production method and apparatus of the present invention includes a starch syrup (water content of about 15% by weight), preferably 1 to 7% by weight, more preferably 3 to 5% by weight, and , The gum base ratio is preferably 18 to 25% by weight, more preferably 20 to 23% by weight.
It is preferable that the setting is made in such a manner that notch formation and separation are smoothly performed while maintaining the moldability of the chewing gum sheet.

[0022]

As described above, the method and apparatus for manufacturing a chewing gum chip of the present invention are provided with a cutting means and a cutting means. First, the cutting means forms a cut in the chewing gum sheet in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and then, The cutting means cuts the cut-in chewing gum sheet in a direction parallel to the transport direction while pulling it, thereby cutting the sheet vertically and horizontally into chips, so that the entire manufacturing process can be continuously performed by a series of devices. Also, for example, 0.1 g /
Even for ultra-small chewing gum chips having a size equal to or less than a single grain, a plurality of chewing gum chips can be stably produced without a plurality of chewing gum chips. Moreover, even if the physical properties of the chewing gum dough are variously changed, it can be coped with by adjusting the manufacturing apparatus in accordance with the various properties, and the deformation of the chewing gum chips can be prevented. Accordingly, the production yield is improved, the management in the weighing and packaging steps is easy, and stable continuous production becomes possible. In addition, since it can be manufactured with simple and small-scale equipment, labor and space can be saved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an example of a chewing gum chip manufacturing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a part of the chewing gum chip manufacturing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a manufacturing process of a chewing gum chip of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing an example of a cutting means of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a state in a manufacturing process of a conventional chewing gum chip.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a conventional chewing gum chip manufacturing apparatus.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing an example of an apparatus used for manufacturing a conventional chewing gum chip.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing an example of an apparatus used for manufacturing a conventional chewing gum chip.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st rotary cutter 1a cylinder 1b cylinder 1c cutter blade 1d cutter blade 2 2nd rotary cutter 2a cylinder 2b cylinder 2c cutter blade 2d cutter blade 3 drive motor 4 drive transmission means 5 powder 6 powder supply means 7a Supply chute 7b Supply chute 8 Clearance adjusting handle 9 Spring 10 Bearing 11 Recovery means 12 'Chewing gum dough 12 Chewing gum sheet 12a Cut-in chewing gum sheet 12b Cut-in chewing gum rope 13 Chewing gum tip 14 Cut 20 Forming roller 21 Temperature control chamber 22 Width cutter 23 Vertical rotary cutter 24 Horizontal rotary cutter 24a Cutting blade 25 Rotary hook 26 Raising plate 27 Loosening device 28 Input port 29 Baffle plate 3 0 Chewing gum sheet 31 Cut-in chewing gum sheet 32 Gum block 33 Fragment 34 Fragment 35 Forming roller 36 Temperature control chamber 37 Chewing gum chip

Continuation of front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) A23G 3/00-3/32

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] An incision is made in the chewing gum sheet in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction to form a notched chewing gum sheet, and the cut in chewing gum sheet is cut in a direction parallel to the conveying direction while being pulled while being pulled. And a method for producing chewing gum chips. 2. A device for manufacturing a chewing gum chip by continuously cutting a chewing gum sheet vertically and horizontally while conveying the chewing gum sheet, wherein a notch means for forming a cut in the chewing gum sheet in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction; Cutting means for cutting the chewing gum sheet in a direction parallel to the conveying direction while pulling the chewing gum sheet in front of the conveying direction of the means, wherein the cutting means cuts the chewing gum sheet vertically and horizontally to be chipped. Chewing gum chip production equipment.