Variable contoured rounding bar, device and method of using same
AssigneeFood Machinery Engineering, LMTD
InventorsNorman Schmidt, Adam Baran
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rounding device and method of rounding that provides improved rounding of semi solid material portions by introducing changes or variations in the contours or profiles of rounding bars to produce one or more changes in the axis of rotation of the semi solid material portion along the working length of the one or more contoured rounding bars and round the surfaces of the semi solid material portion with greater uniformity and consistency. By changing the axis of rotation of the semi solid material portion in the working length of the variable contour rounding bar one can improve the rounding and avoid blemishes and deformities that occur to the surface of the semi solid material portion in existing devices.
Claims23
A semi-solid media rounding device transporting and rounding an at least one semi-solid material portion, comprising:
- an at least one conveyor belt mounted to and moving above a conveyor bed in a direction of travel;
- an at least one collision rod, and
- an at least one variable contour rounding bar coupled to a frame and aligned above the conveyor belt, the at least one variable contour rounding bar with an entry area and an exit area and having a variable contour on the at least one variable contour rounding bar, the variable contour being non-uniform along an at least one working area on a working length of the at least one variable contour rounding bar, wherein when the semi-solid portion of material is moved in the direction of travel on the conveyor belt the semi-solid portion of material impacts the at least one variable contour rounding bar starting at the entry area, the at least one semi-solid portion of material is moved along the length of the variable contour into the at least one working area of the at least one variable contour rounding bar the movement imparting an axis of rotation and the variable contour together with the at least one collision rod which is placed so as to impact the at least one semi-solid material portion as it moves along the length of the at least one variable contour rounding bar, imparting an at least one substantial change in the axis of rotation at different positions along the working length of the at least one variable contour rounding bar, the semi-solid portion being rounded by the movement until the semi-solid portion of material progresses out of the exit area of the at least one variable contour rounding bar as a rounded semi-solid media portion.
A method of rounding semi-solid material portions on a variable contour rounding bar having a variable contour, comprising the method steps of:
- propelling a metered semi-solid material portion on a moving surface;
- engaging the semi-solid material portion to impact into the variable contour rounding bar such that an axis of rotation is imparted on the semi-solid material portion relative to the rounding bar and further impacting the semi-solid material portion with an at least one collision rod, such that the engagement with the variable contour of the rounding bar and impact with the at least one collision rod substantially changes the axis of rotation at least once in a working length of the rounding bar;
- and
- rounding the semi-solid portion into a rounded semi-solid portion.
A variable contour rounding bar having a variable contour that receives portioned pieces of a semi-solid material for rounding, said variable contour rounding bar comprising:
- a rounding area that receives said semi-solid material propelled against the variable contour rounding bar, the propulsion of the piece of semi-solid material imparting an axis of rotation and the variable contour of the variable contour rounding bar imparting an at least one substantial change in the axis of rotation of the semi-solid material at different positions along a working length of the at least one variable contour rounding bar and the rounding area further comprises a first rounding section and a second rounding section and further comprising a collision rod fixedly positioned between said first and second rounding sections.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.