Production of granular crackers

A high capacity apparatus for simultaneously producing granular crackers from cereal raw materials by pressure-baking and expanding a given quantity of cereal material within a heated mould, the apparatus comprising:

• a) moulding means including at least two separate three-part moulds situated in tandem, each of said three-part moulds including a heatable, fixed upper mould plate, a movable peripheral mould element and a heatable punch element to be received within said peripheral mould element in a fluidtight manner;
• b) said mould plate, said peripheral mould element and said punch element cooperate vertically with each other to form a hermetically closed separate mould cavity for compressing and heating therein a granular material into a pressed product of predetermined shape that is readily removable from said mould cavity;
• c) frame means for supporting said mould plates on said apparatus, said frame means configured to slidably receive therethrough a cooperating pair of guide bars extending perpendicular to each of said mould plates, each of said pair of guide bars supporting a separate one of said peripheral mould elements for selective engagement with a respective one of said mould plates;
• d) means for interconnecting each of said punch elements for simultaneous operation;
• e) means for selectively driving said interconnected punch elements into and out of the corresponding one of said mould cavities causing the respective one of said three-part moulds to simultaneously assume one of said open, closed or expanded positions;
• f) means for feeding granular material cooperating with said moulding means;
• g) said driving means comprising an integral drive unit having cooperating first and second jack means;
• h) said first jack means for selectively driving each of said interconnected punch elements into and out of the respective one of said mould cavities thereby allowing each of said three-part moulds to assume either said open position or said closed position;
• i) said second jack means for partially driving each of said interconnected punch elements out of the respective one of said mould cavities to allow each of said three-part moulds to assume said expanded position;
• j) first timing means operatively associated with said first jack means for variably adjusting the extent of forward movement of each of said interconnected punch means into the respective one of said mould cavities to optimize cavity baking pressure;
• and
• k) second timing means operatively associated with said second jack means for variably adjusting the extent of post pressure-baking rearward movement of each of said interconnected punch elements out of the respective one of said mould cavities to limit cereal expansion within said mould cavities and hence product thickness.