Method and apparatus for extruding a plurality of ribbons

An extruder head adapted for attachment to the exit end of a dough extruder for forming extruded material into a plurality of ribbons comprising:

• a housing having,
• an inlet passage adapted for fluid communication with said extruder for directing the extrudant in a downward vertical direction;
• and, a flared extrudant flow section in fluid communication with said inlet passage flared outwardly in the direction of the extrudant flow;
• die plate means spaced from said inlet passage and across said flared section of said housing;
• a plurality of orifices positioned in said die plate means for forming said extrudant into a plurality of ribbons;
• a generally cone-shaped mandrel supported in said housing with its base confronting and spaced-apart from said die plate means and having a base radius extending at least to the approximate outer edges of essentially all of said orifices, the confronting surfaces of said mandrel and said flared section of said housing being spaced-apart and defining an outwardly flared, annular flow channel therebetween for providing an extrudant flow path between said inlet passage and said orifices, said generally cone-shaped mandrel includes an upper section having a first base angle and a base section having a second base angle greater than said first base angle so that the confronting surfaces of said mandrel and said flared section of said housing form a converging-diverging passage for said extrudant.

An extruder head for substantially simultaneously forming extruded material into a plurality of ribbons comprising:

• a housing having:
• an inlet passage for directing the extrudant flow along an axis in a downward direction;
• and,
• a flared extrudant flow section flared outwardly in the direction of extrudant flow and in fluid communication with and downstream of said inlet passage;
• a plurality of constricted orifices positioned in a plane aligned generally perpendicular to said axis and in fluid communication with and downstream of said flared section for shaping said extrudant flow into a plurality of ribbons;
• generally cone-shaped mandrel supported in said flow in said flared section of said housing having an upper portion directed into said extrudant flow and having a base of a sufficient diameter to overlie essentially all of said orifices thereby shaping the extrudant flow into a generally cone shaped shell configuration from the base of which said ribbons emanate through said orifices.

A method of substantially simultaneously forming a flow of dough extrudant into a plurality of vertically-extending extrudant ribbons having a substantially uniform flow rate of extrudant for each ribbon comprising the steps of:

• directing a flow of extrudant under pressure in a downward direction along an axis;
• forming said extrudant flow into an annular shell flaring outwardly from said axis in the direction of said flow;
• turning said flow radially inward toward said axis thereby forming a generally cone-shaped extrudant flow envelope;
• and,
• discharging said flow to a reduced pressure area essentially only through a plurality of orifices within the vertical projection of the base of said cone-shaped flow envelope.