Apparatus for obtaining cheese material from milk

Abstract

An apparatus for obtaining cheese material from milk has an elongate trough (11) which is provided at its one end with a filling zone (16) and, at its other end, a discharge zone (19). The trough has an inner wall (12) which is transportable at least substantially continuously between the filling zone (16) and the discharge zone (19). The volume of the trough can be subdivided by a number of partition walls (31, 31') which are matched to the trough cross-section, which can be coupled to the inner wall (12), and which are movable jointly with the Latter into cells (32, 32') which follow one another in the longitudinal direction. A clamping device (41) is associated with each partition wall (31, 31') and permits the inner wall (12) of the trough, which consists of a flexible material, to be clamped with slight deformation about the region (34) of the periphery of the partition wall confronting it. A mechanically stable connection, which seals adjacent cells (32, 32') relative to one another, is thereby produced between the confronting regions of the inner wall (12) of the trough and the partition wall (31, 31'). The associated clamping device (41) permits coupling of one partition wall (31, 31') to the inner wall (12) of the trough at an angle of inclination (48) with respect to the vertical.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.