Method for shirring casings

Abstract

A method and apparatus for shirring sausage casings in which in the method the casing is moved in a direction of its longitudinal axis and while so moving has a force applied to shirr the casing which moves about the longitudinal axis of the casing. At the same time that the force is applied to shirr a force also is applied to oppose the movement of the casing. Also, the casing may be restrained against twisting about its axis upstream of the application of the shirring force. The apparatus includes rollers for forwarding a collapsed casing, an annular element adapted to rotate about the longitudinal axis of the casing to shirr the casing and a backing element adapted to hold the forward end of the casing in a fluid, tight manner and having a passage through which an inflating gas may pass to inflate the casing. The apparatus also may include grooved rollers adapted to hold the inflated casing against rotation prior to shirring and a lubrication device to apply a lubricant or a moistening agent to the casing prior to shirring. The annular element may be a sleeve having a helical projection on the cylindrical inner wall of the sleeve or a unit consisting of a plurality of holders for rotatably mounted wheels which are successively offset from one another so that in the rotation of the annular element they describe the same helical path.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.