Method of portioning pasty masses by means of filling machine and filling flow divider

A method of portioning pasty masses for food production by means of a filling machine and a filling flow divider, the method comprising:

• feeding a pasty mass into the filling flow divider by the filling machine;
• separating the pasty mass into a plurality of mass flows by the mass flow divider;
• and
• discharging portions from the filling flow divider in a discharge direction, wherein an end of each portion is a tear-off point between the portion and a subsequent portion, wherein
• at the end of each portion, when the portion is being discharged but is not yet separated from the subsequent portion via separation at the tear-off point between the portion being discharged from the filling flow divider in the discharge direction and the subsequent portion upstream in the filling flow divider, the portion being discharged is sucked back in a direction opposite to the discharge direction, thereby causing separation of the portion being discharged from the subsequent portion upstream in the filling flow divider and resulting in a discharged portion that is separated from the subsequent portion upstream in the filling divider, wherein
• in the filling flow divider, the separated plurality of mass flows pass through respective dosing elements for adjusting a volume flow, the respective dosing elements running backwards at the end of the portion as each of the plurality of mass flows is sucked back in the direction opposite to the discharge direction, wherein
• either the dosing elements are driven via a joint motor and are coupled such that there will be an equal volume flow in each line downstream of the respective dosing element, or the dosing elements are configured as vane wheels which rotate freely about an axle and the dosing elements are coupled to one another, and wherein
• the portions being discharged are separated from subsequent portions as follows:
• singulating, which is separating portions via only tearing off achieved by a relative movement of the portion being discharged relative to the subsequent portion by:
• carrying along the portion being discharged with a conveying unit, and/or
• a lifting movement of the filling flow divider or of discharge ends of the filling flow divider, and/or
• a gravitational forcing due to a weight force of the portion being discharged.