MOULDING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MOULDING A FOOD PRODUCT

• US 20140141135A1
• Filed: 05/23/2012
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marel Townsend Further Processing B.V.
• Original Assignee: Marel Townsend Further Processing B.V.
• Inventors: Willemsen, Jeroen Robert, Dekker, Thomas Willem, Dunnewind, Albertus, van Doom, Hendrikus Cornelis Koos, Spierts, Leon, van Zoelen, Martinus Johannes Willebrordus
• Granted Patent: US 9,526,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/231
• CPC Class Codes: A22C 7/00 Apparatus for pounding, forming, or pressing meat, sausage-meat, or meat products meat patty moulding devices for domestic use A47J43/20; ham boilers A47J27/20
• CPC Class Codes: A22C 7/0069 Pressing and moulding by means of a drum
• CPC Class Codes: A22C 7/0076 Devices for making meat patties
• CPC Class Codes: A22C 7/0084 comprising a reciprocating plate
• CPC Class Codes: A22C 7/0092 with worms or other rotary mounted members A22C7/0007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A23P 30/10 Moulding

Abstract

A moulding device (10) for moulding three-dimensional products (76) from a mass of foodstuff comprises a moulding roller (16) and a filling device (18). The moulding roller (16) has a moulding surface with at least one mould cavity (44) which is delimited by a mould cavity (44) opening. The filling device (18) has a dispensing mouth (36) and a pump. The dispensing mouth (36) and the mould cavity (44) opening each have, viewed in the direction of the movement path, a front edge and a rear edge which is situated at a fixed distance thereof. A position-determining device determines the position of the front edge of the mould cavity (44) opening with respect to the front edge of the dispensing mouth during the movement of the mould cavity (44) opening and the dispensing mouth (36) with respect to each other. A control unit controls the pump on the basis of the position-determining device during the movement of the mould cavity (44) opening and the dispensing mouth (36) with respect to each other.

Claims

1. A moulding device for moulding three-dimensional products from a pumpable mass of foodstuff, comprising:

a mould member having a moulding surface in which at least one mould cavity for moulding the products from the mass of foodstuff is arranged, which mould cavity is provided with a mould cavity opening at the moulding surface and which mould cavity has a volume,

a filling device for filling the mould cavity of the mould member with the mass of foodstuff, which filling device is provided with a dispensing mouth, and with a pump for displacing a volume of the mass of foodstuff from the dispensing mouth wherein the mould cavity opening of the mould cavity of the mould member and the dispensing mouth of the filling device are movable with respect to one another along a movement path,

a drive device to move the mould cavity opening of the mould cavity of the mould member and the dispensing mouth of the filling device with respect to one another along said movement path,

wherein the dispensing mouth and the mould cavity opening each, viewed in the direction of said movement path, comprise a front edge and a rear edge which is situated at a fixed distance thereof, and wherein the distance between the front edge and the rear edge of the dispensing mouth in said direction of said movement path is smaller than the distance between the front edge and the rear edge of the mould cavity opening in said direction of said movement path,

wherein the moulding device is further provided with;

a position-determining device for determining the position of the front edge of the mould cavity opening of the mould cavity with respect to the front edge of the dispensing mouth of the filling device during movement of the mould cavity opening of the mould cavity and the dispensing mouth of the filling device with respect to one another caused by said drive device, and

a control unit which is connected to the position-determining device and to the pump, which control unit is configured to control the pump on the basis of the position-determining device and during the movement of the mould cavity opening of the mould cavity and the dispensing mouth of the filling device with respect to one another caused by said drive device, in such a manner that the pump displaces a volume of the mass of foodstuff which substantially corresponds to the volume of the mould cavity from the dispensing mouth into the mould cavity while the front edge of the mould cavity opening and the front edge of the dispensing mouth, viewed in the direction of said movement path, move with respect to each other over a predetermined filling length which has been input into the control unit, which filling length is smaller than the distance between the front edge and the rear edge of the mould cavity opening, viewed in the direction of said movement path.

2. A moulding device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control the pump on the basis of the position-determining device during the movement of the mould cavity opening of the mould cavity and the dispensing mouth of the filling device 1 with respect to each other in such a manner that the pump substantially does not displace any mass of the foodstuff from the dispensing mouth into the mould cavity from a mutual position of the mould cavity opening and the dispensing mouth in which the front edge of the mould cavity opening and the front edge of the dispensing mouth are aligned with respect to one another and the mould cavity opening and the dispensing mouth meet each other and/or start to partly overlap each other up to a mutual initial filling position of the mould cavity opening and the dispensing mouth in which the front edge of the mould cavity opening and the front edge of the dispensing mouth have been moved past each other over a predetermined distance which has been input into the control unit and the mould cavity opening and the dispensing mouth partly overlap each other, and the pump displaces the volume of the foodstuff which substantially corresponds to the volume of the mould cavity from the dispensing mouth into the mould cavity after the mutual initial filling position has been reached.

3. Moulding device according to claim 1, wherein the moulding device is provided with a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure of the mass of the foodstuff in the mould cavity and/or in the dispensing mouth, and wherein the control unit is configured to control the pump on the basis of the position-determining device and the pressure sensor during the movement of the mould cavity opening of the mould cavity and the dispensing mouth of the filling device with respect to each other in such a manner that, after the front edge of the mould cavity opening and the front edge of the dispensing mouth have been moved with respect to each other over the filling length and the pump has displaced the volume of the foodstuff which substantially corresponds to the volume of the mould cavity from the dispensing mouth into the mould cavity, the pump brings the foodstuff which is situated in the mould cavity to a predetermined pressure which has been input into the control unit.

4. Moulding device according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the filling length is smaller than 50% or 40% or 30% of the distance between the front edge and the rear edge of the mould cavity opening, viewed in the direction of the movement path.

5. Moulding device according to claim 1, wherein the filling length is smaller than 20 mm.

6. Moulding device according to claim 1, wherein the dispensing mouth of the filling device is fitted in a substantially fixed position, and wherein the mould cavity opening is movable by the drive device along the movement path with respect to the dispensing mouth.

7. Moulding device according to claim 1, wherein the mould member comprises a moulding roller which is rotatable about an axis of rotation by said drive device, and wherein the moulding roller has a moulding roller peripheral wall which defines the moulding surface, and wherein the movement path is determined by the direction of rotation of the moulding roller about the axis of rotation.

8. Moulding device according to claim 1, wherein the mould cavity comprises a bottom and a peripheral wall, and wherein the peripheral wall extends from the bottom and defines the mould cavity opening.

9. Moulding device according to claim 1, wherein the mould cavity opening of the mould cavity has a substantially round shape.

10. Moulding device according to claim 1, wherein the mould cavity opening of the mould cavity has a substantially oval shape, wherein the mould cavity opening has a length which extends in the direction of the movement path between the front edge and the rear edge of the mould cavity opening, and wherein the mould cavity opening has a width which extends in a direction transverse to the movement path, and wherein the length of the mould cavity opening is unequal to the width of the mould cavity opening.

11. Moulding device according to claim 1, wherein the filling device comprises an abutment surface in which the dispensing mouth is provided, and wherein the abutment surface sealingly abuts the moulding surface of the mould member during the movement of the mould cavity opening of the mould cavity and the dispensing mouth of the filling device with respect to each other.

12. A method for moulding three-dimensional products from a pumpable mass of foodstuff, comprising:

moving, by means of a drive device, a mould cavity opening of at least one mould cavity of a mould member and a dispensing mouth of a filling device (with respect to each other along a movement path, wherein the mould member has a moulding surface in which the mould cavity for moulding the products from the foodstuff is arranged, which mould cavity is provided with the mould cavity opening at the moulding surface and which mould cavity has a volume, and wherein the filling device is configured to fill the mould cavity of the mould member with the foodstuff, which filling device is provided with the dispensing mouth, and a pump for displacing a volume of the foodstuff from the dispensing mouth), and wherein the dispensing mouth and the mould cavity opening each, viewed in the direction of the movement path, comprise a front edge and a rear edge which is situated at a fixed distance thereof, and in which the distance between the front edge and the rear edge of the dispensing mouth in said direction is smaller than the distance between the front edge and the rear edge of the mould cavity opening in said direction,

determining by means of a position-determining device the position of the front edge of the mould cavity opening of the mould cavity with respect to the front edge of the dispensing mouth of the filling device during the movement of the mould cavity opening of the mould cavity and the dispensing mouth of the filling device with respect to each other, and

inputting a predetermined filling length into a control unit,

controlling, on the basis of the position-determining device and during the movement of the mould cavity opening of the mould cavity and the dispensing mouth of the filling device with respect to each other caused by said drive device, the pump by means of the control unit in such a manner that the pump displaces a volume of the foodstuff which substantially corresponds to the volume of the mould cavity from the dispensing mouth into the mould cavity, while the front edge of the mould cavity opening and the front edge of the dispensing mouth, viewed in the direction of the movement path, are moved with respect to each other over the predetermined filling length which has been input into the control unit, which filling length is smaller than the distance, viewed in the direction of the movement path, between the front edge and the rear edge of the mould cavity opening.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein a predetermined distance is input into the control unit, and wherein the pump is controlled, by means of the control unit on the basis of the position-determining device and during the movement of the mould cavity opening of the mould cavity and the dispensing mouth of the filling device with respect to each other caused by the drive device, in such a manner that the pump substantially does not displace any foodstuff from the dispensing mouth into the mould cavity from a mutual position of the mould cavity opening and the dispensing mouth in which the front edge of the mould cavity opening and the front edge of the dispensing mouth are aligned with respect to each other and the mould cavity opening and the dispensing mouth meet each other and/or start to partly overlap each other up to a mutual initial filling position of the mould cavity opening and the dispensing mouth in which the front edge of the mould cavity opening and the front edge of the dispensing mouth have been moved past each other over the predetermined distance which has been input into the control unit and the mould cavity opening and the dispensing mouth partly overlap each other, and the pump displaces the volume of the foodstuff which substantially corresponds to the volume of the mould cavity from the dispensing mouth into the mould cavity after the mutual initial filling position has been reached.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein a predetermined pressure is input into the control unit, and wherein the moulding device is provided with a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure of the foodstuff in the mould cavity and/or the dispensing mouth, and wherein the pump is controlled on the basis of the position-determining device and the pressure sensor during the movement of the mould cavity opening of the mould cavity and the dispensing mouth of the filling device with respect to each other in such a manner that, after the front edge of the mould cavity opening and the front edge of the dispensing mouth have been moved with respect to each other over the filling length and the pump has displaced the volume of the foodstuff which substantially corresponds to the volume of the mould cavity from the dispensing mouth into the mould cavity, the pump brings the foodstuff which is situated in the mould cavity to the predetermined pressure which has been input into the control unit.