Knock-out system for patty molding machine

Details Knock-out system for patty molding machine Knock-out system for patty molding machine

1999-06-04

2002-04-09

Nguyen, Nam (Department: 1722)

Plastic article or earthenware shaping or treating: apparatus

With means lubricating cooperating apparatus parts

C425S556000, C425S575000, C426S513000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06368092

ABSTRACT:

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a food patty molding machine and in particular to improvements in the operating structure of a known food patty molding machine such as described in
FIGS. 1 through 8B
.
A FORMAX-12 brand food patty molding or forming machine
30
manufactured by Formax, Inc., of Mokena, Ill., U.S.A. is shown in
FIGS. 1-8B
. The operation of the machine is generally described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,182,003; 4,054,967; and 3,952,478, herein incorporated by reference.
This machine includes a sheet metal housing
34
which encloses the mechanical equipment of the machine. The housing is supported on wheels
35
a
and/or leveling legs
35
b
. A hopper
36
is situated at an elevated position on the machine. The hopper includes an open top
40
for receiving bulk food products, for example, whole muscle chicken or ground beef. A pair of feed screws within the hopper (not shown) drives the food product into a pump box area
44
where a reciprocating pump
45
(
FIG. 2
) presses the food product into mold cavities
46
(shown in
FIG. 9
) of a reciprocating mold plate
47
. The mold plate is reciprocated out of the pump box area to a knock-out area
50
where knock-out cups
52
push the formed meat product or patties out of the cavities and onto a conveyer
56
(FIG.
2
). A paper placing station
58
includes mechanisms to interleave paper between patties during the dropping of the patties onto the conveyor.
FIG. 2
illustrates the machine of
FIG. 1
with an access door
57
open. The knock-out cups
52
are held on a horizontal bar
60
which is supported by two spaced apart knock-out bar arms
64
. The knock-out bar arms
64
are clamped to two vertical, reciprocating knock-out rods
70
. The rods
70
are journaled or supported at positions
71
a
on a mold cover
71
below the knock-out bar arms
64
. Because the rods
70
can have a substantial unsupported or unguided length above the position
71
a
, high bending stress can be realized in the rod
70
.
As shown more clearly in
FIG. 6
, the rods
70
are driven by the rotation of cams
72
which are mounted on a cam shaft
73
rotationally mounted to the machine frame. The cam shaft
73
is driven to rotate by a sprocket
74
. The sprocket is driven by a drive chain
75
, which is driven by the power train of the machine.
The cams
72
have cut-out, flat regions
78
. Knock-out arms
79
are pivotally connected to the machine frame at a bolt or axle or pivoting connection
79
a
and have arcuate ends
80
which slide along the rotating cam surface
84
. When the ends
80
reach the cut out, flat regions
78
of the cams, the knock-out arms
79
rotate downwardly in the direction R, and then rotate upwardly in a reverse direction when the flat regions
78
have passed. Thus, rotation of the cams
84
causes an up and down pivoting of the knock-out arms
79
about the connection
79
a
. An opposite end
90
of each of the knock-out arms is connected to one knock-out rod
70
by a bolted linkage
92
and by a bolt
94
. Extending outwardly from each rod
70
is a flag or lug
96
having a hole for receiving a machine screw
98
which is threaded into one of two opposite ends of a spacer rod or tie rod
100
. The flag
96
is possibly subjected to high bending or twisting forces during operation and can possibly be subject to cracking due to fatigue.
An oil pan
101
is located beneath each cam
72
. One will be described, the respective other is mirror image identical. A front wick
102
made of a woven, sponge or other wick material, is located at the pivoting connection
79
a
, held in place by a washer
102
a
to continuously oil the pivoting connection
79
a
. A rear wick
103
is held against the cam surface
84
to continuously oil the interface between the region
78
and the end
80
of the knock-out arm
79
. The pan has an open top
104
into which the wicks
102
,
103
are dipped. The pan
101
holds a supply of oil
105
. It can possibly be a maintenance problem that sprayed wash water inadvertently enters the open top
104
of the pan
101
and contaminates or otherwise washes out the oil.
Each bolted linkage
92
is also connected by a bolt
95
a
to a vertical leg
95
b
of a movable plate
95
. The plate is held within a guide frame
97
which is mounted by machine screws to a stationary part of the machine frame, at a top of the frame
97
. Two springs
95
d
are mounted between an upper wall of the frame and a bottom leg
95
c
of the plate and resist the upward lifting of the plate within the frame. The springs are therefore the driving downward force generator of the knock-out operation. In
FIG. 4D
the springs are shown compressed with the knock-out rod lifted by the associated cam
72
. In
FIG. 6
, the springs are expanded, and the knock-out rods have been driven to their downward position.
The knock-out bar arms
64
are mounted to top ends of the rods
70
. The bar arms
64
are each fixed vertically to a rod by a top fastener
64
a
and rotationally by a clamp arrangement
64
b
closed by a horizontal fastener
64
c
. The bar arms
64
are fastened by bolts or machine screws to the horizontal bar
60
which holds the knock-out cups
52
. Depending on the product being formed the bar
60
and cups
52
can have a different shape, and/or the bar can carry different number of cups.
Also shown in
FIG. 2
is a vacuum bar assembly
106
which reciprocates during operation of the machine as part of a vacuum transfer shuttle or vacuum bar assembly for interleaving flexible paper sheets with formed patties as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,952,478; 4,182,003; or 4,054,967. Also included is a paper placer assembly
107
which places the flexible paper sheets onto the vacuum bar assembly. Both the vacuum bar assembly and the paper placer assembly are driven by reciprocal motion of rods, i.e., by vacuum bar rods
108
,
108
a
(see
FIG. 8B
) having a square cross section, and by a paper placer drive rod
110
having a round cross section, respectively.
FIG. 3
illustrates the reciprocating mold plate
47
connected via a hinge assembly
120
to a drive plate or slide plate
124
. The drive plate
124
has an elongate rectangular cross section. The drive plate
124
, the vacuum bar drive rod
108
and the paper placer drive rod
110
must all penetrate through, and reciprocate through the penetration of, a front wall or skin
130
which separates the food forming front section of the machine from the mechanical compartment. For sanitary reasons, at each penetration a sealing element is provided. The drive plate
124
requires a rectangular sealing element
140
bolted to the skin
130
. A similar rectangular seal
144
must be provided at the vacuum rod drive bar
108
as it penetrates the skin
130
. A circular seal
145
can be used at the paper placer drive rod
110
where it penetrates the skin
130
.
FIG. 4A
shows the vacuum bar drive rod or shuttle arm
108
penetrating the skin or wall
130
. The rod
108
is connected via an intermediate plate
150
to a rack
152
. The rack
152
is driven to reciprocate by a pinion
154
.
FIGS. 8A and 8B
show the arrangement of the vacuum bar drive rod
108
in more detail. The rack
152
is slidably held in a channel
153
. It is to be noted that there are two drive rods
108
,
108
a
arranged on a right side and a left side of the machine respectively. Each of the rods
108
,
108
a
is connected to a rack and driven by a pinion
154
as shown in FIG.
8
A. Each of the rods
108
,
108
a
is connected to one lateral side of the vacuum bar
106
by two machine screws or bolts
156
. The rods
108
pass through bearing blocks
160
,
160
a
respectively before being connected to the vacuum bar
106
. A paper placer drive sprocket
160
rotates a paper placer drive shaft
162
which rotates a paper placer crank arm
163
(shown in
FIG. 4C
) which drives the paper placer drive rod (via linkages) to reciprocate. The crank arm rotates about a h

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