Mold cover for food patty molding machine

A food patty molding system including a molding machine and auxiliary apparatus for converting the molding machine to produce patties of varying sizes, including a food patty molding machine comprising:

• a food pump for pumping food product under substantial pressure;
• a mold cover including a cover plate affixed to the food pump and having a pump outlet aperture therethrough, a first fill plate having a fill aperture of given size leading to a flat mold closure surface, mounting and aligning means for removably mounting the fill plate on the cover plate with the pump outlet and fill apertures aligned as a continuous food product fill passage, and a relief channel in one of the mating surfaces of the cover and fill plates in close proximity to but out of direct communication with the fill passage, for receiving excess food product forced between the cover plate and the fill plate to preclude excessive deflection of the fill plate away from the cover plate;
• a mold base having a flat mold closure surface, mounted in spaced aligned relation to the mold cover fill plate to afford a mold plate space between the two mold closure surfaces;
• a first mold plate, having a plurality of mold cavity apertures of a given total cavity volume, removably disposed within the mold plate space;
• and a cyclic mold plate drive for moving the mold plate between a fill position in which the mold cavities are aligned with the fill aperture to receive food product under pressure from the food pump, and a discharge position in which the mold cavities are exposed for discharge of food patties therefrom;
• the system further comprising:
• at least one additional mold plate constituting a replacement for the first mold plate and having a plurality of mold cavity apertures having a total cavity volume smaller than the cavity volume for the first mold plate;
• and at least one additional fill plate, constituting a replacement for the first fill plate, for use with the additional mold plate, the additional fill plate having a smaller fill aperture than the fill aperture of the first fill plate.