Back to results
US 10,206,408 B2Granted
Food forming apparatus with a food feed member
AssigneeGea Food Solutions Baker B.V.
InventorsHendrik Jan Righolt, Hendrikus Petrus Gerardus Van Gerwen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates to a food-forming-apparatus with: a rotating drum (5) which comprises product cavities in which a food product is formed from a food mass and a food mass feed member (23), which comprises a housing with an infeed channel (24) and at least one upstream sealing area (25) and/or a downstream sealing area (26) and a flexible pressure plate (7) which is pressed against the outer surface of the drum and thereby provides a seal between the food mass member and the drum. The drum has at its outer surface a multitude of rows of cavities.
Claims21
A food forming apparatus comprising:
- a rotating drum comprising product cavities in which a food product is formed from a food mass;
- a food mass feed member comprising:
- a) an infeed channel,
- b) at least one upstream sealing area and/or a downstream sealing area, and
- c) a flexible pressure plate that is pressed against an outer surface of the drum and thereby provides a seal between the food mass feed member and the drum,
- wherein the food forming apparatus comprises a stabilization block and a pressure means, the pressure means is a piston/cylinder arrangement that is adapted to press the stabilization block and the pressure plate against the outer surface of the drum, and
- wherein the food forming apparatus comprises a plurality of piston/cylinder arrangements that are arranged in rows that extend parallel to a longitudinal extension of the drum.
4 more elements
A food forming apparatus comprising:
- a rotating drum comprising product cavities in which a food product is formed from a food mass;
- a food mass feed member comprising:
- a) an infeed channel,
- b) a flexible pressure plate that is pressed against an outer surface of the drum to so that a seal is formed between the food mass feed member and the drum,
- wherein the food forming apparatus comprises a plurality of stabilization blocks and a plurality of piston/cylinder arrangements that are adapted to press the stabilization blocks and the pressure plate against the outer surface of the drum,
- wherein the piston/cylinder arrangements are arranged side by side in rows along a longitudinal extension of the drum, the piston/cylinder arrangements are individually controllable or controllable in groups to adjust a local pressure of the stabilization blocks and the pressure plate against the outer surface of the drum.
3 more elements
A food forming apparatus comprising:
- a rotating drum comprising product cavities in which a food product is formed from a food mass;
- a food mass feed member comprising:
- a) an infeed channel,
- b) a flexible pressure plate that is pressed against an outer surface of the drum to so that a seal is formed between the food mass feed member and the drum,
- wherein the food forming apparatus comprises a plurality of stabilization blocks and a plurality of piston/cylinder arrangements that are adapted to press the stabilization blocks and the pressure plate against the outer surface of the drum,
- wherein the stabilization blocks comprise notches to increase flexibility of the stabilization blocks so that the stabilization blocks are adaptable to a shape of the drum and/or to changes of the shape of the drum during operation of the food forming apparatus,
- wherein the piston/cylinder arrangements are arranged side by side in rows along a longitudinal extension of the drum, the piston/cylinder arrangements are individually controllable or controllable in groups to adjust a local pressure of the stabilization blocks and the pressure plate against the outer surface of the drum, and
- wherein as soon as the infeed channel is no longer in communication with a respective product cavity, at least a leading edge of the respective product cavity is no longer in communication with the pressure plate so that the respective product cavity is exposed to ambient pressure.
5 more elements
A food forming apparatus comprising:
- a rotating drum comprising product cavities in which a food product is formed from a food mass;
- a food mass feed member comprising:
- a) an infeed channel,
- b) at least one upstream sealing area and/or a downstream sealing area, and
- c) a flexible pressure plate that is pressed against an outer surface of the drum and thereby provides a seal between the food mass feed member and the drum,
- wherein the food forming apparatus comprises a stabilization block and a pressure means, the pressure means is a piston/cylinder arrangement that is adapted to press the stabilization block and the pressure plate against the outer surface of the drum, and
- wherein as soon as the infeed channel is no longer in communication with a respective product cavity, at least a leading edge of the respective product cavity is no longer in communication with the pressure plate so that the respective product cavity is exposed to ambient pressure.
4 more elements
A food forming apparatus comprising:
- a rotating drum comprising product cavities in which a food product is formed from a food mass;
- a food mass feed member comprising:
- a) an infeed channel,
- b) at least one upstream sealing area and/or a downstream sealing area, and
- c) a flexible pressure plate that is pressed against an outer surface of the drum and thereby provides a seal between the food mass feed member and the drum,
- wherein the food forming apparatus comprises a stabilization block and a pressure means, the pressure means is a piston/cylinder arrangement that is adapted to press the stabilization block and the pressure plate against the outer surface of the drum, and
- wherein immediately after filling and/or during filling of the product cavities with the food mass, the product cavities are exposed to ambient pressure.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.