Device for pressing and molding curd

A device for molding and pressing curd (0) provided with molds (2) constituted by perforated tubes of selected cross sectional shape and dimension, the curd to be molded and pressed into cheeses, characterized in that a plurality of molds (2) are fixedly attached to a plurality of horizontal, perforated, elongated mold bottom plates (17) each having a row of a selected number of molds, the mold bottom plates being mutually pivotably interconnected to form an endless conveyor track (16) at right angles thereto and continuously movable and revolving in vertical planes and defining a horizontal upper run wherein the rows of molds are closely adjacent each other and are standing upright with free ends thereof defining upwardly open apertures, and a horizontal lower run wherein the rows of molds are closely adjacent each other and hang with their apertures open downwardly, the molds being provided with perforated lids (20) adapted, when the molds are in the upper run of the track, to be in positions whereat the apertures of the molds are exposed, and, when the molds are in at least an upstream portion of the lower run of the track, to be in positions whereat the apertures of the molds are closed, the lids being openable in at least a downstream portion of the lower run of the track, so that the molds may be caused, by the track, to selectively carry out revolutions of a selected duration of time and to be reversed, when being transferred from one run to another run, at selected time intervals and in so doing and when they are in the upper run to expose interiors thereof to a device (3) for filling the molds with curd (0) and whey located at an upstream end of the upper run and above the upper run, and to a press (5) for forced pressing of the curd in addition to self-pressing thereof located downstream of the filling device and above the upper run, and, when the molds are in the lower run, to allow the curd to fall down into a water basin (4) provided below the lower run and along a downstream portion thereof.