Automatic displacer clearance adjustment

A method for producing a plait-like portion on a tubular packaging casing which accommodates a filling material, in particular sausage meat, wherein the plait-like portion is at least approximately free of filling material and comprises a longitudinal plait-axis, including the steps:

• conveying of a filling material into a tubular packaging casing,
• constricting the filled tubular packaging casing by moving a first pair of displacer elements of a first displacer unit and a second pair of displacer elements of a second displacer unit from an opened into a closed position by means of a first drive unit,
• creating a displacer clearance between the first and second pair of displacer elements surrounding the longitudinal plait-axis, in which the tubular packaging casing is being gathered when the first and second pair of displacer elements are in the closed position,
• producing a plait-like portion by moving the second displacer unit parallel to the longitudinal plait-axis away from a narrow position in which the second displacer unit is adjacent to the first displacer unit, into a spread position in which the second displacer unit is away from the first displacer unit,
• changing the size of the displacer clearance created by the first and second pair of displacer elements by adjusting a pivot axis of a two-armed lever of an adjustment device relative to pivot axis of a drive element of the adjustment device, and
• transmitting torque from drive element to two-armed lever by a torque transmission element which is attached to the two-armed lever and which extends into a radial aligned guide of the drive element.