Method for forming three dimensional food products
AssigneeFood Forming Corporation
InventorJames L. Lortz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for forming food materials into three dimensional shapes that may be made to duplicate the appearance of a variety of natural food products. The machine comprises a dual rotary, matching forming cavity apparatus for producing, at continuous high speeds, food products in a variety of shapes. One embodiment of the invention employs a plurality of forming bars mounted in the dual rotary drums of the machine, the forming bars are easily removable and replacable with similar bars having different product forming cavities. Cam operated means are associated with the drums or the forming bars for ejecting formed products from the cavities.
Claims3
A method for producing three dimensional molded food products from formable input food materials supplied under pressure to a sanitizable product forming machine employing a pair of parallel, rotatable, cylinder-like forming barrels, one of said barrels being positioned above the other to establish an upper and lower barrel with the outer surface of said barrels in tangential contact at a food forming position and said formable input food materials being supplied under pressure to said barrels adjacent to said tangential contact at said food forming position, said barrels being respectively rotatable about parallel axes substantially fixed with respect to each other in a manner to establish tangential mating alignment between the external cylinder-like surfaces of said barrels, the outer surface of at least one of said forming barrels having an inwardly cut-out portion to create at least one cavity, a movable means within said cavity, said movable means being movable radially with respect to the axis of rotation of said barrel, and a means for moving said movable means in said radial movement, said means for moving being positioned within said barrel in radial alignment with said cavity, a food material input chamber aligned with said outer surface of said forming barrels adjacent to said position of tangential contact of said barrels, said input chamber being positioned with respect to said position of tangential contact for input of food materials into said cavity in said forming barrel under pressure as said barrels are rotated about their axes, the steps comprising:
- (a) rotating said forming barrels,
- (b) feeding said food material under pressure into said food input chamber and into said cavity within said one of said barrels as said barrels are rotated,
- (c) continuously rotating said forming barrels to produce said three dimensional molded food products from said input food material forced into said cavity as said barrels are rotated,
- (d) moving said movable means in said cavity to force said molded food material from said cavity in said one of said barrels as a complete unit after said position of tangential contact has been passed,
- (e) and controlling said radial movement of said movable means in accord with the rotational position of said forming barrels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.