Kneading apparatus for kneading and mixing dough

A continuous kneading apparatus (2) for kneading and mixing dough, the kneading apparatus comprising:

• a kneading chamber (6) that is circumferentially at least section-wise delimited by a wall (4) that has an open discharge opening (8) for continuously discharging the kneaded dough from the kneading chamber (6) and a feed area (10) for filling the kneading chamber (6) with dough to be kneaded, the feed area (10) provided on a side of the kneading chamber (6) that is facing away from the discharge opening (8);
• at least two motor-driven shafts (12, 14) on which tools (18, 22) are secured, wherein the tools are arranged in the kneading chamber (6), wherein the kneading chamber, the at least two motor driven shafts, and the tools are configured to convey dough in a continuous flow through the continuous kneading apparatus;
• wherein at least one of the tools (18, 22) is configured to continuously convey dough from the feed area (10) in a conveying direction (20) toward the discharge opening (8);
• a control unit (16) acting separately on the at least two shafts (12, 14) to adjust and change rotary speeds of the at least two shafts (12, 14) independently from each other to control kneading and conveying of dough in the kneading chamber;
• wherein the at least two shafts (12, 14) include a first shaft and a second shaft, each furnished differently with the tools (18, 22) such that the conveying action of the totality of the tools (22) of the first shaft (12) in the form of a volume stream of the dough located in the kneading chamber (6) in the conveying direction (20) and/or the kneading action of the totality of the tools (22) of the first shaft (12) in the form of a volume stream of the dough located in the kneading chamber (6) in the direction toward the tools (18) of the second shaft (14) deviates from the conveying action and/or the kneading action of the totality of the tools (18) of the second shaft (14) when the first and second shafts (12, 14) rotate at the same rotary speed;
• wherein the first shaft (12) and the tools (22) secured on the first shaft are arranged within an imaginary cylinder envelope (24), wherein inner edges (26) of the tools (18) of the second shaft (14) pointing toward the first shaft (12) are circulating on the imaginary cylinder envelope during a rotation about an axis of rotation (28) of the second shaft (14);
• wherein the tools (22) of the first shaft (12) are formed by a plurality of paddles each provided with a paddle surface (32) that is moving the dough located in the kneading chamber (6) during a rotation about an axis of rotation of the first shaft (12);
• wherein the paddles each have a length measured in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the first shaft and a height that is perpendicular to the length and is projecting away from the first shaft, wherein the paddles are connected lengthwise to the first shaft parallel to an axial direction of the first shaft;
• wherein the paddles are arranged in a helical arrangement along the first shaft (12) so as to be displaced relative to each other in a circumferential direction of the first shaft and in the axial direction of the first shaft, wherein, viewed in the circumferential direction of the first shaft, the lengths of two neighboring paddles overlap partially, respectively, and movement paths of the paddle surfaces (32) of two neighboring paddles during a rotation about an axis of rotation (30) of the first shaft (12) overlap partially in the axial direction of the first shaft (12);
• wherein the tools (18) of the second shaft (14) are formed by a plurality of conveying kneading segments that each have a working surface (44) moving the dough located in the kneading chamber (6) during a rotation of the second shaft (14) and that are arranged displaced relative to each other along the second shaft (14);
• wherein the movement paths of the working surfaces (44) of two neighboring conveying kneading segments at least partially overlap during a rotation about the axis of rotation (28) of the second shaft (14);
• wherein a spacing (A) between an outer terminal edge of the paddles and an inner terminal edge of the conveying kneading segments facing the outer terminal edge is 1.5 mm to 15.0 mm.