Apparatus for axial shirring of plastic tubular material, especially artificial casing for sausage manufacture

Abstract

An apparatus for axial shirring of tubular material. A turret has a plurality of shirring tubes thereon and is indexible to move the shirring tubes transversely and is also capable of limited axial movement. A stationary shirring tool cooperates with a shirring tube brought by the turret to a shirring position. During shirring, the shirring tube is stationary as the tubular material being shirred engages a stop member movable axially along the shirring tube. First the stop member is brought towards the shirring tool and then controllably moved away therefrom during shirring. The apparatus also includes a bracing means for centering the folds of the shirred tubular material during the shirring step. At a further position finished shirred tubular material may be compressed and removed from the shirring tube by a pressing means which can operate independently of and concurrently with a shirring procedure.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.