Rotary mold system for molding food products
First Claim
1. A rotary mold system for molding three dimensional food products from a food mass comprising:
- a fill plate having an outer surface in contact with a feed source, and a inner surface;
a wear plate having an outer surface facing the inner surface of the fill plate;
a cylindrical mold shell with mold shapes, the mold shell having an inner and outer surface, said mold shell rotating between the fill plate and the wear plate, the fill plate in contact with the outer surface of the mold shell, the wear plate in contact with the inner surface of the mold shell;
mold cavities formed when mold shapes are between the fill plate and the wear plate, said mold cavities having a depth corresponding to the thickness of the mold shell, and said mold cavities having a bottom surface formed by the outer surface of the wear plate; and
a knock out mechanism comprising at least one knock out cup disposed within the cylindrical mold shell for removing the mold shapes from the mold cavity.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A rotary molding system for molding food products, mold cavities formed when a mold shell rotates mold shapes disposed along the mold shell into a fill position between a fill plate and a wear plate. Molded food products are removed from mold cavities using knock-out cups, the use of air pressure, or the use of a vacuum source disposed below the mold cavity, without the need to slow the rotation of the mold shell. Knock-out cups may be used with a heating system to reduce accumulation of unwanted materials on the knock-out cups. The rotary molding system can also be used to form products with contoured surfaces. A smart tagging system can be used to ensure that compatible sets of mold shells and knock out cups are being used. A vacuum region may be disposed upstream of the fill position to remove air within the mold cavity prior to filling.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A rotary mold system for molding three dimensional food products from a food mass comprising:
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a fill plate having an outer surface in contact with a feed source, and a inner surface; a wear plate having an outer surface facing the inner surface of the fill plate; a cylindrical mold shell with mold shapes, the mold shell having an inner and outer surface, said mold shell rotating between the fill plate and the wear plate, the fill plate in contact with the outer surface of the mold shell, the wear plate in contact with the inner surface of the mold shell; mold cavities formed when mold shapes are between the fill plate and the wear plate, said mold cavities having a depth corresponding to the thickness of the mold shell, and said mold cavities having a bottom surface formed by the outer surface of the wear plate; and a knock out mechanism comprising at least one knock out cup disposed within the cylindrical mold shell for removing the mold shapes from the mold cavity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A knock out mechanism - a rotary molding system, the molding system having a fill plate, a wear plate, and a cylindrical mold shell, the cylindrical mold shell rotating between the wear and fill plate, the knock out mechanism having knock out cups disposed within a rotary mold, comprising:
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a support bar in connection with the knock out cups, said support bar arranged horizontally such that knock out cups extend downward from the support bar; a movement plate connected to the support bar, the movement plate imparting motion to the support bar by being in connection with a pair of eccentrically mounted pins which are each eccentrically mounted on a driven gear; and a driving gear which dives the driven gear. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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9. A mold system for molding three dimensional food products from a food mass comprising:
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a fill plate having an outer surface in contact wth a feed source, and an inner surface; a wear plate having an outer surface facing the inner surface of the interface plate; a cylindrical mold shell with mold shapes, the mold shell having an inner and outer surface, said mold shell rotating between the fill plate and the wear plate, the fill plate in contact with the outer surface of the mold shell, the wear plate in contact with the inner surface of the mold shell; mold cavities formed when mold shapes are between the fill plate and the wear plate, said mold cavities having a depth corresponding to the thickness of the mold shell, and said mold cavities having a bottom surface formed by the outer surface of the wear plate; and a knock out mechanism comprising a knock out bar connected to knock out cups disposed within the mold shell; a first identification system for storing and retrieving information pertaining to the mold shell; a second identification system for storing and retrieving information pertaining to the knock out bar; and a processing unit for comparing information retrieved from the first and second identification system. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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Specification