Device for simultaneously deshirring, smoothing and braking a shirred tubular casing

An apparatus for stuffing a shirred tubular casing with a fluid material which flows under pressure out of the stuffing horn of a stuffing device, said apparatus comprising

• a stuffing horn,
• a shirred tubular casing disposed on the outer surface of said stuffing horn, said casing having an unshirred portion having a prescribed inner diameter, a hollow body for deshirring and smoothing said tubular casing disposed within the unshirred portion of said tubular casing and secured to the outer surface of said stuffing horn, the outer circumferential surface of said hollow body having a substantially circular cross section, said hollow body having a central opening for receiving the stuffing horn, means in said opening for releasably securing said hollow body to said stuffing horn, said hollow body comprising a rigid material and having a substantially annular, cylindrical form with an outer periphery having a plurality of surfaces, the maximum exterior diameter of said hollow body being smaller than said prescribed inner diameter of the unshirred tubular casing, the outer circumferential surface of said hollow body being provided with an annular recess having a substantially V-shaped or U-shaped cross section, the minimum diameter of said hollow body in the region of said recess being from 25 to 65 percent smaller than the maximum diameter of said hollow body,
• a braking unit for restraining the movement of the tubular casing having an opening through which the deshirred portion of the tubular casing extends, said braking unit surrounding the deshirred portion of said tubular casing in the region of said recess in the hollow body and urging said tubular casing with an adjustable pressure into said recess,
• a tying device disposed following said stuffing horn for applying a closure to said tubular casing after a predetermined length of the tubular casing has been stuffed with fluid material, and
• cutting station for separating the stuffed and closed portion of the tubular casing,
• whereby the inner wall of said tubular casing slides over the outer circumferential surface of said hollow body and is thereby deshirred and smoothed and the motion of the tubular casing is restrained by the extension of the braking unit into the region of the recess in the hollow body.

A prepackaged article of manufacture for use with a stuffing device comprising a shirred tubular casing for containing a food substance, said casing having an unshirred end which is closed off, a device for deshirring and smoothing said casing during the stuffing process disposed within the unshirred end of said casing, said deshirring and smoothing device having the form of an annular, cylindrical hollow body of a rigid material with a peripheral surface presenting a plurality of smooth surfaces having a substantially circular cross section and with a central opening having fastening elements for receiving and releasably securing said hollow body on the outer surface of a stuffing horn of a stuffing device, the maximum external diameter of said hollow body being smaller than the predetermined internal diameter in the unshirred condition of the tubular casing, the outer circumferential surface of said hollow body having an annular recess with a substantially V-shaped or U-shaped cross section, and the minimum diameter of said hollow body in the region of said recess being from 25 to 65 percent smaller than the maximum diameter of said hollow body;

• and a protective cover surrounding the exterior of the tubular casing;
• whereby said article of manufacture can be received on and secured to the stuffing horn of a stuffing device and as the deshirred portion of the tubular casing is stuffed with a fluid material from the stuffing horn, the shirred portion of said tubular casing is drawn over said hollow body and thereby deshirred and smoothed prior to filling.