US 9,433,238 B2Granted

Mass-distributing device and moulding device comprising a mass distributing device of this type

AssigneeMarel Townsend Further Processing B.V.

InventorsHendricus Franciscus Jacobus Maria Van Der Eerden, Dirk Meskendahl, Thomas Willem Dekker

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Abstract

A mass-distributing device for supplying a mass of foodstuff starting materials suitable for consumption, in particular a meat mass, to one or more mold cavities of a molding member for molding three-dimensional products from the mass is provided. The device comprises a housing, which has an open side which can be turned towards the molding member, in which a flexible abutment element for the housing to abut the molding member is arranged. In the housing, a through-passage for the mass extends from an introduction opening in the housing to a discharge, which discharge opens at the open side of the housing. Pressure means are provided in order to position the flexible abutment element under pressure against the plane of the molding member comprising one or more mold cavities, the pressure means being designed to set contact pressures in separate zones of the flexible abutment element.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for operating a moulding device for moulding three-dimensional products from a mass of foodstuff starting materials suitable for consumption, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a cylindrical moulding member rotatable in a rotation direction by an associated drive device, the cylindrical moulding member including at least one mould cavity provided on an outer circumference thereof;
providing a supply member configured to supply said mass of foodstuff starting materials to a mass-distributing device;
providing the mass-distributing device for supplying said mass of foodstuff starting materials to said at least one mould cavity of the cylindrical moulding member, said mass-distributing device comprising:
a housing including a side turned towards the cylindrical moulding member, said side being provided with a curved flexible abutment element abutting an arc section of the cylindrical moulding member, in which a through-passage for said mass extends in the housing from an introduction opening, into which said supply member supplies said mass, to a discharge, wherein said discharge opens at the side of the housing which is turned towards the cylindrical moulding member, the curved flexible abutment element comprising a plurality of separate zones arranged in succession in a circumferential direction of the curved flexible abutment element;
and
a pressure device configured to position the curved flexible abutment element under contact pressure against the outer circumference of the cylindrical moulding member, wherein the pressure device comprises a plurality of individual pressure elements configured to separately set a contact pressure in each of the plurality of separate zones of the curved flexible abutment element,
wherein the pressure device further comprises a plurality of individual edge zone pressure elements provided along one or both semi-circular outer edges of the curved flexible abutment element, the plurality of individual edge zone pressure elements being configured to set a further contact pressure in a plurality of individual edge zones situated along the one or both semi-circular outer edges of the curved flexible abutment element, independently of setting of said respective contact pressure in at least one of said separate zones of the curved flexible abutment element by the plurality of individual pressure elements;
and
separately setting said contact pressures in each of said plurality of separate zones of the curved flexible abutment element and in said plurality of individual edge zones.

6 more elements

A method for operating a moulding device for moulding three-dimensional products from a mass of foodstuff starting materials suitable for consumption, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a cylindrical moulding member rotatable in a rotation direction by an associated drive device, the cylindrical moulding member including at least one mould cavity provided on an outer circumference thereof,
providing a supply member configured to supply said mass of foodstuff starting materials to a mass-distributing device;
providing the mass-distributing device for supplying said mass of foodstuff starting materials to said at least one mould cavity of the cylindrical moulding member, said mass-distributing device comprising:
a housing including a side turned towards the cylindrical moulding member, said side being provided with a curved flexible abutment element abutting an arc section of the cylindrical moulding member, in which a through-passage for said mass extends in the housing from an introduction opening, into which said supply member supplies said mass, to a discharge, wherein said discharge opens at the side of the housing which is turned towards the cylindrical moulding member, the curved flexible abutment element comprising a plurality of separate zones arranged in succession in a circumferential direction of the curved flexible abutment element;
and
a pressure device configured to position the curved flexible abutment element under contact pressure against the outer circumference of the cylindrical moulding member, wherein the pressure device comprises a plurality of individual pressure elements configured to separately set a contact pressure in each of the plurality of separate zones of the curved flexible abutment element,
wherein the plurality of separate zones of the curved flexible abutment element comprises a levelling zone defined by a section of the curved flexible abutment element which, viewed in the rotation direction of the cylindrical moulding member, is situated downstream of and adjoining the discharge, a post-filling zone defined by a section of the curved flexible abutment element which, viewed in the rotation direction of the cylindrical moulding member, is situated downstream of and adjoining the levelling zone, and a relaxation zone defined by a section of the curved flexible abutment element which, viewed in the rotation direction of the cylindrical moulding member, is situated downstream of and adjoining the post-filling zone;
setting the contact pressure P in the levelling zone in accordance with the following equation, in which Pfill is a filling pressure at which the mass is passed from the discharge into the at least one mould cavity of the cylindrical moulding member:
P>>Pfill;
preventing leakage of mass to the relaxation zone and ensuring that the curved flexible abutment elements presses onto the cylindrical moulding member by setting the contact pressure P in the post-filling zone in accordance with the following equation, in which Pfill is the filling pressure at which the mass is passed from the discharge into the mould cavities of the cylindrical moulding member:
P>Pfill;
and
allowing gas bubbles trapped in the mass to expand by setting the contact pressure P in the relaxation zone in accordance with the following equation, in which Pfill is the filling pressure at which the mass is passed from the discharge into the mould cavities of the cylindrical moulding member:
P<Pfill.

11 more elements

A method for operating a moulding device for moulding three-dimensional products from a mass of foodstuff starting materials suitable for consumption, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a cylindrical moulding member rotatable in a rotation direction by an associated drive device, the cylindrical moulding member including at least one mould cavity provided on an outer circumference thereof,
providing a supply member configured to supply said mass of foodstuff starting materials to a mass-distributing device;
providing the mass-distributing device for supplying said mass of foodstuff starting materials to said at least one mould cavity of the cylindrical moulding member, said mass-distributing device comprising:
a housing including a side turned towards the cylindrical moulding member, said side being provided with a curved flexible abutment element abutting an arc section of the cylindrical moulding member, in which a through-passage for said mass extends in the housing from an introduction opening, into which said supply member supplies said mass, to a discharge, wherein said discharge opens at the side of the housing which is operable to be turned towards the cylindrical moulding member, the curved flexible abutment element comprising a plurality of separate zones arranged in succession in a circumferential direction of the curved flexible abutment element;
and
a pressure device configured to position the curved flexible abutment element under pressure against the outer circumference of the cylindrical moulding member, wherein the pressure device comprises a plurality of individual pressure elements configured to separately set a contact pressure in each of the plurality of separate zones of the curved flexible abutment element,
wherein the plurality of separate zones of the curved flexible abutment element comprises a pre-filling zone which is defined by a section of the curved flexible abutment element which, viewed in the rotation direction of the cylindrical moulding member, is situated upstream of the discharge, a levelling zone defined by a section of the curved flexible abutment element which, viewed in the rotation direction of the cylindrical moulding member, is situated downstream of and adjoining the discharge, a post-filling zone defined by a section of the curved flexible abutment element which, viewed in the rotation direction of the cylindrical moulding member, is situated downstream of and adjoining the levelling zone, and a relaxation zone defined by a section of the curved flexible abutment element which, viewed in the rotation direction of the cylindrical moulding member, is situated downstream of and adjoining the post-filling zone;
and
separately setting the contact pressures in each of said pre-filling zone, levelling zone, post-filling zone and relaxation zone of the curved flexible abutment element, in accordance with the following equations, in which P is the contact pressure in a respective zone and Pill is a filling pressure at which the mass is passed from the discharge into the at least one mould cavity of the cylindrical moulding member:
the pre-filling zone:
Pfill−1 bar<P<Pfill+1 bar,
the levelling zone:
P>>Pfill,
the post-filling zone:
P>Pfill,
the relaxation zone:
P<Pfill.

14 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/723,069Filed 27 May 2015 · division
Priority: NL 200267226 Mar 2009
Published: US 2015/0250226 A110 Sep 2015
Granted: 6 Sep 2016
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

A23P 30/10
Shaping or working of foodstuffs characterised by the process or apparatus: moulding
A22C 7/003
Pressing means: meat-moulds
A22C 7/0069
Meat-moulds: pressing and moulding by means of a drum
A22C 7/0092
Apparatus for pounding, forming, or pressing meat, sausage-meat, or meat products: with worms or other rotary mounted members

Family

PCT/NL2010/000058Parent of this division · filed 26 Mar 2010
US 2015/0250226 A1Pre-grant publication · published 10 Sep 2015
Application13/259,923Parent of this division
US 9,044,029 B2Parent of this division
US 2012/0015065 A1Published application
US 9,433,238 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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