WO2002071848A1

WO2002071848A1 - Wafer crimping machine

Info

Publication number: WO2002071848A1
Application number: PCT/EP2002/001529
Authority: WO
Inventors: Brian Stokes
Original assignee: Societe Des Produits Nestle S.A.
Priority date: 2001-02-16
Filing date: 2002-02-11
Publication date: 2002-09-19
Also published as: EP1361795A1; RU2003127831A; WO2002071848A9; RU2289248C2

Abstract

A crimping machine for forming crimped food products (88) from an elongate tube (64) of edible material, comprising: a first pair of belts with a first belt (42a) having first crimping teeth (72) and a second belt (42a) having second crimping teeth (72), a second pair of belts with a third belt (52a) having third crimping teeth (72) and a fourth belt (52b) having fourth crimping teeth (72), portions of the four belts being arranged parallel to the channel (60) and such that the two set of crimping teeth face each other on opposite sides of the channel, on set at an angle to the other wherein the first and second crimping teeth (72) and the third and fourth crimping teeth (72) are arranged alternately along the axis of the channel (60) and the portions of the belts are driven in a direction parallel to the axis of the tube.

Description

WAFER CRIMPING MACHINE

This invention relates to crimping machines, particularly for forming food products, for example wafer biscuits from long wafer tubes.

Wafer biscuits are known having crimped ends and which are formed from long wafer tubes. The crimped ends are conventionally parallel to each other, and in one known machine, the crimping is achieved by pinching the tube of wafer material between two rollers. The rollers lie parallel to each other and parallel to the axis of the starting tube. The starting tube is first cut into lengths corresponding to the length of the two rollers, so that a length of starting tube may be fed sideways into the spacing between the two rollers. As the two rollers rotate, crimping teeth pinch the starting tube simultaneously at various points along its length, dividing the starting tube into shorter lengths.

The term "crimping" includes completely cutting the tube, bringing the sides of the tube together, or thinning the walls of the tube without completely cutting through it.

A problem with the known machine is that it lacks versatility. For example, it is only capable of producing parallel crimps at each end of the individual wafer biscuits. Furthermore, the crimping operation is very rapid, so that if the wafer material is still soft, the crimped ends may open. This has been found by the applicant to arise if the wafer is lined with chocolate before the crimping takes place, because the chocolate tends to slow the cooling of the wafer material. This problem is not limited to chocolate lined products.

According to the invention, there is provided a crimping machine for forming crimped food products from an elongate tube of edible material, the machine having an elongate input channel for receiving the tube, and further comprising: a first pair of belts comprising a first belt having first crimping teeth and a second belt having second crimping teeth, portions of the first and second belts being arranged parallel to the channel and such that the crimping teeth on those portions face each other on opposite sides of the channel; a second pair of belts comprising a third belt having third crimping teeth and a fourth belt having fourth crimping teeth, portions of the third and fourth belts being arranged parallel to the channel and such that the crimping teeth on those portions face each other on opposite sides of the channel, at an angle to the crimping teeth on the portions of the first pair of belts; wherein the first and second crimping teeth and the third and fourth crimping teeth are arranged alternately along the axis of the channel and the portions of the belts are driven in a direction parallel to the axis of the tube.

The machine of the invention enables non-parallel crimps to be obtained at each end of the food product. This is simply not possible with prior crimping apparatus known to the inventor.

The angle between the first and second pairs of belts, and accordingly between the first and second pairs of crimping teeth and the third and fourth pairs of crimping teeth, may be more than 10 degrees, preferably more than 45 degrees, so that the belts do not interfere with one another, and to provide non-parallel crimps. The crimping teeth are driven in the direction of the axis of the tube so that the crimp may be held as the tube advances, thereby giving sufficient time for the tube to cool, and thereby avoid the crimps opening at the end of the process.

In one embodiment of the invention the crimping teeth of the first and second belts are perpendicular to the crimping teeth of the third and fourth belts, to produce substantially perpendicular crimps.

Each belt is preferably driven around a pair of pulleys, with one pulley at each end of the channel. The length of the channel is therefore a function of the length of the belt between the pulleys. This enables the channel to be designed to ensure that the crimps have set before the product leaves the channel. Preferably, the length of the channel is substantially greater than the spacing between crimping teeth, so that the food products remain in the channel for some time. Each belt preferably comprises a timing belt with regularly spaced outer recesses for receiving the crimping teeth. The crimping teeth are then received in the outer recesses for example using a dovetail joint or any other mechanical fixing method.

Each crimping tooth may have a pointed head, wherein the angle subtended at the point is more than 90 degrees. This means the tip of each tooth is relatively flat, so that the crimp is gradual rather than sharp. This reduces the tendency for the crimp to open before the food product has fully cooled. The crimping tooth may also apply a decorative marking to the product.

The invention also provides a food product comprising a deformed tube of edible material which is crimped at each end. Each crimp is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tube, but the crimps at each end are offset at an angle to each other. The food product may be a biscuit, sugar wafer, extrusion cooked cereal based product, cereal or starch based doughs or pastries which may be cooked or uncooked. The inner surfaces of the tube may be lined, fully or partially filled or coated with an edible filler material. Preferably, the edible filler material is pumpable, at least in its unprocessed state, to enable the tube to be readily filled or lined.

The outer surfaces of the tube may be coated with an edible external coating material which may be decorative. The edible materials may be sweet or savoury and may contain particulates. The ability of the crimping machine to ensure adequate cooling enables the food product to be formed, despite the effect of the lining on the cooling process.

The invention also provides a method of manufacturing a crimped food product, comprising: manufacturing an elongate tube of edible material; alternately crimping the tube, incrementally along its length, in different first and second directions each lying perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tube. The first and second directions may lie perpendicular to each other or may lie at an angle to each other. The method may further comprise filling or lining the inside of the tube with edible material before the crimping step.

Examples of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a conventional apparatus for forming wafer sheets; Figure 2 shows a conventional apparatus for forming elongate tubes from wafer sheets;

Figure 3 shows a wafer crimping arrangement of the invention; Figure 4 shows in greater detail one of the pairs of belts of the crimping arrangement of Figure 3;

Figure 5 shows the crimping teeth of the crimping arrangement of Figure 3 in greater detail; and

Figure 6 shows a wafer biscuit according to the invention.

The invention relates to the crimping of tubes of edible material, such as wafer tubes for wafer biscuits. These tubes can be manufactured by conventional techniques, which will be well known to those skilled in the art. For clarity, a brief discussion is given of one conventional method of forming wafer tubes, with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 1 shows a wafer forming drum 10, which is heated inside as represented by arrows 12. The drum 10 is mounted with a horizontal axis, and wafer batter is applied at a lower portion as indicated by arrow 14. The wafer batter is cooked as a result of the raised temperature of the surface of the drum, and initially adheres to the drum. The drum is rotated in the direction of arrow 16. A scraper 17 is provided at location 18, and by the time the wafer batter has reached this position through rotation of the drum, the wafer is cooked, and the wafer is easily separated from the drum.

By way of example, the drum may have a diameter of lm and a widtli (along the axis of the drum) of 50cm. The "output" at the scraper 18 is a 10cm wide continuous strip of cooked wafer. At this stage the wafer is still hot and is pliable. The wafer becomes brittle after cooling. Alternative embodiments of the invention may provide a plurality of strips on the drum. To make thin wafer tubes (for example of diameter 13mm) from the 10cm wide strip, the arrangement of Figure 2 is used. The wafer strip from the drum 10 is fed to a mandrel 20, which lies at an angle θ to the axis of rotation 22 of the drum 10. The wafer 24 is wrapped around the mandrel 20, which rotates as represented by arrow 26.

As the wafer strip 24 advances it is formed by the mandrel 20 into a hollow tube 38 which advances from the end 28 of the mandrel 20 in the direction of arrow 36 .

The other end of the mandrel is connected to a reservoir 30 of liquid filling through tube 32 and rotary connector 34. Liquid is fed through the mandrel 20 to a nozzle 37 at the end 28 of the mandrel 20 from which the tube 38 advances. In the embodiment shown, the nozzle 37 is cylindrical, coaxial with the rest of the mandrel 20 but with a slightly smaller diameter. Holes 39 pass radially through a cylindrical end region to permit filling to emerge from the holes 39 to coat the inside walls of the tube 38.

In alternative embodiments, the mandrel 20 may be simply open at the end 28 to form the nozzle; this latter arrangement is particularly suitable for completely filling the tube with filling instead of coating the inner walls.

In one example of the invention, the inner surface of the hollow tube is coated with chocolate, and liquid chocolate at around 40 degrees may be applied to the inner side of the wafer strip 24 using the nozzle 37.

For some products, it is not required to fill the hollow tube, and accordingly the reservoir and nozzle may be omitted. Nor is it necessary to form the tube by wrapping a strip around the mandrel; the skilled person will be well aware of alternative methods of producing tubes and any of these may be used.

The wafer tube, coated on the inside, is then supplied, before it cools, to the crimping arrangement of the invention, shown in Figure 3. The wafer tube is presented to crimp belts 42, 52 by means of a conveyor belt (not shown) or a pusher, which pushes the tube along a support conveyor 65. The wafer tube may be presented in cut lengths, for example of around lm length. This is done since the tube 38 is rotating as it leaves the mandrel 20, but is preferably fed to the rest of the machine in a non-rotating state. By using cut lengths the twist of the rotating mandrel is not transmitted to the wafer tube between the crimp belts.

A sensor 61 recognises the leading edge of the wafer tube. This information is passed to a controller 62 which synchronizes the feed of the wafer tube with the operation of the crimping machine so that the leading edge of the tube coincides with a pair of closing crimping teeth. This minimizes waste product.

As shown in Figure 3, the machine has two pairs of belt arrangements 40, 50. Each belt arrangement comprises two belts 42a, 42b and 52a, 52b. Portions of the two belts face each other to define a channel 60 between them. This channel defines a guide passage for the wafer tube 64 which is inserted into one end of the channel 60 along a support conveyor 65. The wafer tube is advanced along the support conveyor by any suitable drive arrangement such as an electronic servo driven conveyor or a rotary pusher. The belts are driven around pulleys 44 and 54, and the direction of drive of the belts is such that the wafer tube 64 is driven along the channel.

Each belt is provided with crimping teeth. The crimping teeth on opposite sides of the channel 60 are aligned with each other, so that as the belts are driven, the crimping teeth of one pair of belts come into engagement to crimp the wafer tube. One pair of belts 40 lies in one plane 66, and the other pair of belts 50 lies in a perpendicular plane 68, so that one pair of belts provides a crimp in one direction, and the other pair of belts provides a crimp in a perpendicular direction. The crimping teeth of one pair of belts are arranged alternately along the channel with the crimping teeth of the other pair of belts.

Figure 4 shows in greater detail one of the belt arrangements 50. Arrows 70 show the direction of drive of the belts 52a and 52b around the respective pulleys 54. As shown, the crimping teeth 72 of the two belts 52a and 52b are aligned with each other within the channel 60. The crimping teeth of the other pair of belts are also aligned Figure 6 shows the wafer biscuit 88, which has a crimp 90 at each end, with the crimps substantially perpendicular to each other.

After forming the crimped wafer biscuits, they may be further coated on the outside, for example with chocolate. For the specific crimping machine described above, the wafer biscuits have a length of 35mm. This length may be adjusted by changing the belt.

The four belts are all driven at the same speed. This may be achieved using a single drive shaft, which is coupled to one of the pulleys of each belt through bevel gear arrangements. Alternatively two gearboxes may be provided, each for driving an adjacent pair of belts.

Generally, the crimping machine of the invention implements a method of manufacturing a wafer biscuit, by which a wafer tube which is coated on the inside, is subjected to a crimping operation. The crimping involves crimping the tube, incrementally along its length, in first and second directions each lying perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tube, wherein the first and second directions may lie perpendicular to each other or be at an angle to each other. The crimping alternates between the two directions so that the wafer biscuit of Figure 6 is formed.

The length of the channel 60 ensures that each crimp is held closed for a period of time substantially greater than the time interval between crimps. Thus, a crimp is not immediately released, but is held closed for a period of time which may be selected by suitable design of the length of the channel 60 and the speed of the feed through the channel. This length of time may be between 2 and 60 seconds. In an alternative embodiment a plurality of belt arrangements may be used in parallel to enable the simultaneous crimping of a number of tubes at once. These belts may be driven from a common drive or independent drives.

Although the invention is particularly useful for sugar wafer tubes, it may also be applied to other edible material which is formed as a tube. The material should be sufficiently pliable to be formed by the machine into the desired crimped shape and then harden sufficiently whilst in the machine that it retains its shape upon exiting the machine. Alternatively, the material may have a consistency such that it retains its shape without the need to harden. The material may be cooked or uncooked sugar wafer, extrusion cooked cereal based products, cereal or starch based dough or pastry, e.g.. biscuit dough, pretzel dough, puff pastry, choux pastry, and may be for human or animal consumption.

The edible material used to coat, line or fill the biscuit can be any one of a number of materials or combination thereof, including: chocolate, compound coating, nut pastes, praline, ganache, gianduja, jam, fondant, fat-based creams, creams, truffle, cheese, meat paste, jelly or similar. The filling may be aerated or may be a product such as ice-cream which is frozen after forming. It can be sweet or savoury and may include particulates, for example, nuts, seeds, sugar crystals or wafer pieces. Preferably, it is pumpable to enable it to be applied to the centre of the edible tube. The external coating may also be applied to provide a decorative effect, for example by the piping of strands of an edible material, or a stippling effect.

Alternative methods of forming the tube other than wrapping food product around a mandril are known, and may be used to form the tube of the present invention.

In the described embodiment, cut lengths of tube are fed to the belts, but in alternative embodiments a continuous tube may be used.

Other modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A crimping machine for forming crimped food products from an elongate tube of edible material, the machine having an input channel for receiving the tube, and further comprising: a first pair of belts comprising a first belt having crimping teeth and a second belt having crimping teeth, portions of the first and second belts being arranged parallel to the channel and such that the crimping teeth on those portions face each other on opposite sides of the channel; a second pair of belts comprising a third belt having third crimping teeth and a fourth belt having fourth crimping teeth, portions of the third and fourth belts being arranged parallel to the channel and such that the crimping teeth on those portions face each other on opposite sides of the channel, at an angle to the crimping teeth on the portions of the first pair of belts; wherein the first and second crimping teeth and the third and fourth crimping teeth are arranged alternately along the axis of the channel and the portions of the belts are driven in a direction parallel to the axis of the tube.

2. A crimping machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first to fourth belts are driven at synchronous speed.

3. A crimping machine as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein each belt is driven around a pair of pulleys, with one pulley at each end of the channel.

4. A crimping machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein the length of the channel is substantially greater that the spacing between the crimping teeth.

5. A crimping machine as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each belt comprises a timing belt with regularly spaced outer recesses for receiving the crimping teeth.

6. A crimping machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein the crimping teeth are received in the outer recesses using a dovetail joint.

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7. A crimping machine as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each crimping tooth has a pointed head, wherein the angle subtended at the point is more than 90 degrees.

8. A crimping machine as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the crimping teeth of the first and second belts are perpendicular to the crimping teeth of the third and fourth belts.

9. A crimping machine as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the opposed crimping teeth of the first and second belts or the third and fourth belts are arranged spaced apart from one another for crimping the tube without cutting.

10. A crimping machine according to any of claims 1 to 8 wherein the opposed crimping teeth of the first and second or third and fourth belts are arranged to cut the tube as it is being crimped.

11. A crimping machine according to any preceding claim, further comprising a sensor for detecting the end of the tube on entry to the machine and a controller for aligning the end of the tube with a pair of crimping teeth on introduction of the tube between the belts.

12. A food product comprising a deformed tube which is crimped at each end, wherein the crimps are not parallel.

13. A food product as claimed in claim 12 wherein the crimps are substantially perpendicular to each other.

14. A food product as claimed in claim 12 or 13, wherein the outer surface of the tube is coated with an edible material.

15. A food product as claimed in claim 12, 13 or 14, wherein the food product is sugar wafer.

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16. A food product as claimed in any of claims 12 to 15, wherein the inner surface of the tube is filled or lined with an edible material.

17. A method of manufacturing a crimped food product, comprising: manufacturing an elongate tube of edible material; alternately crimping the tube, incrementally along its length, in first and second directions each lying perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tube wherein the first and second directions are angularly offset from one another.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the first and second directions are substantially perpendicular to each other.

19. A method as claimed in claim 17 or 18, further comprising filling or lining the inside of the tube with an edible material before the crimping step.

20. A method as claimed in any of claims 17 to 19, wherein each crimp is held closed for a period of time substantially greater than the time interval between crimps.

21. A method as claimed in any of claims 17 to 20, wherein the leading end of the tube of edible material is fed into a crimping machine with the leading end of the tube aligned with crimping teeth within the crimping machine for crimping the tube substantially at its leading end.

22. A food product formed by a method according to any of claims 15 to 21.

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