Discharge manifold for cheese casting machine

A manifold for dispensing a sheet of hot processed cheese product upon a cooling belt, said manifold comprising:

• an elongated hollow upper chamber having a top and a bottom opened along at least a part of its length for seating on the top surface of an elongated hollow lower chamber,
• a plurality of input ports spacedly positioned along the length of the top of said upper chamber to extend into its interior,
• said elongated hollow lower chamber having a top surface for receiving in a sealing arrangement thereon the periphery of the opening of said bottom of said upper chamber,
• means for securing said upper chamber on said lower chamber in said sealing arrangement,
• a plurality of spacedly positioned ports in communication with the opening of the bottom of said upper chamber and extending through the top surface of said lower chamber and into its interior,
• a plurality of adjustable valves, one for each of said ports mounted on and extending through the top of and into the interior of said upper chamber for selectively controlling product flow from said upper chamber through said ports and into said lower chamber, and
• a controllable gate mounted along one side of said lower chamber,
• said gate causing a ribbon-like flow of the product out of said lower chamber and being adjustable for controlling its thickness,
• whereby the product is introduced into said upper chamber of the manifold under pressure, flows from said upper chamber through said ports and into said lower chamber in a controlled manner, and out of said lower chamber through said controllable gate in ribbon form of a selected thickness.