Waffle transfer machine

Abstract

A method and machine adapted to removed baked waffles from a succession of waffle irons on a feed conveyor, trim the waffles so removed into a regular peripheral configuration, and transfer those waffles in succession onto a transfer conveyor. The feed conveyor is adapted to convey a series of successive waffle irons, with baked waffles thereon, from an oven to a transfer location. A vacuum head of novel structure is provided at the transfer location to move cyclically in a machine direction of the feed conveyor between an upstream and a downstream location, the vacuum head being raised and lowered during that limited motion path to pick up waffles by vacuum from successive waffle irons without stopping the conveyor. The vacuum head is also movable in the cross machine direction of the feed conveyor between the feed conveyor and a transfer conveyor. A novel cut off die is located above the transfer conveyor, the vacuum head forcing the baked waffles through the cut off die onto the transfer conveyor as the waffles are discharged from the vacuum head so as to trim the waffles' peripheries into a regular geometrical shape. A centering device on the die cooperates with the vacuum head to insure centering of the waffles over the die itself during waffle discharge onto the transfer conveyor. Further, a locator device is structurally connected with the cut off die to insure that the leading edge of each waffle (relative to the machine direction of the transfer conveyor) does, in fact, make first contact with the transfer conveyor after the waffle passes through the cut off die.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.