US 5,620,713 AGranted

Extrusion die for dough

AssigneeThe Pillsbury Company

InventorGlenn O. Rasmussen

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Abstract

A dough extrusion die has a die set with an inner die and an outer die. The inner die is formed in a desired shape that represents an item of interest, such as an animal, toy, or other identifiable object, and the outer die has an opening surrounding the inner die. Dough is extruded through each of the dies simultaneously. The dough for the inner die has a different indicia, such as color or other visually identifiable characteristic from the dough extruded through the outer die. A sizing housing is positioned downstream from the dies and smoothly changes in cross sectional size in direction away from the dies to permit the dough to flow such that streamlines remain parallel as the sizing housing changes in size, to accurately retain the center cross sectional shape of the extruded dough as formed by the inner die. Preferably, as disclosed, the sizing housing is cone shaped to reduce the extruded dough cross sectional area.

Claims17

Dependent claims

In an extruder die assembly for forming an elongated log of extrudable material having a cross sectional configuration including a center portion of a material having a first visually identifiable characteristic, and an outer portion of a material having a second visually identifiable characteristic, the center portion having an identifiable cross sectional configuration of an irregular outer periphery, the improvement comprising a die set for the extruder die assembly having an inner die for forming the center portion and an outer die, a feeder for feeding the material of the first characteristic to the inner die and the material of the second characteristic to the outer die, the inner die having a surface formed into the identifiable cross sectional shape and being positioned within the outer die, and a sizing housing having a sizing chamber including a throat portion surrounding the outer die and the inner die to receive the materials from the die set, the sizing chamber throat portion being defined by a surface larger than and downstream of the inner and outer dies, the throat portion surface being defined parallel to a central axis of the die set so the material passing through the outer die expands into a constant cross sectional area throat portion after exiting the dies and is moved along the constant cross sectional area downstream of the die set, and the sizing chamber surface having a second portion that gradually changes in cross sectional size from the throat portion to an outlet end of the sizing housing downstream of the die set.

A die set for an extruder assembly for extruding dough, said die set including an inner die and an outer die, said extruder providing a first dough to the inner die and a second dough to the outer die for coextrusion, the outer die surrounding at least a housing portion of the inner die, the inner die having an extrusion plate through which the first dough is extruded, and the inner die housing portion having a desired configuration, said outer die including an outer die plate that has an opening surrounding and generally conforming to the outer periphery of the inner die housing and surfaces defining the opening of the outer die being spaced from an outer periphery of the inner die housing to permit material to be extruded between the inner die housing and the surfaces of the opening of the outer die plate, and a sizing housing for receiving material that has been extruded through the inner and outer dies, said sizing housing having a first surface portion of substantially uniform cross sectional size extending downstream from both the inner die and the outer die, dough exiting the outer die plate filling in around and surrounding the dough exiting the inner die, and a second surface portion that changes in cross sectional area at a substantially uniform rate from adjacent the first portion and downstream of the die set toward an outlet, to change the cross sectional size of the two doughs extruded from the die set and through the first surface portion.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.