1986-02-19
1987-09-01
Abercrombie, Willie G.
A22C 700
Patent
active
046898565
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to apparatus for forming paste-like materials into discrete product units and more particularly to apparatus of the type which can form such discrete product units from paste-like materials containing fibrous ingredients.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is well known to form elongate articles of uniform cross-section by continuously extruding a run of the material in a suitable cross-sectional form and periodically severing the extrusion to produce a plurality of the articles of the required length. It has been found that this regular severing does not work satisfactorily when the extrusion is of a material containing fibres as in the case of the fibrous meat products the subject of co-pending Australian patent application (No. PG4670) entitled "Meat Product and Process".
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an alternative apparatus for forming paste-like materials, including the meat product described above, into discrete product units.
The present invention consists of apparatus for forming paste-like materials into discrete product units comprising an elongate, open ended tube of substantially constant internal cross-sectional shape, an inlet port through the wall of the tube intermediate its ends to allow the entry of paste-like material into the interior of the tube, a piston means including first and second piston members spaced apart in axial alignment and adapted to be moved together relative to the tube between a first position in which the space between them is effectively external of the tube and a second position in which that space is completely within the tube and in communication with the inlet port therein.
In another aspect, the present invention consists of a method for the formation of discrete product units of a paste-like material, comprising introducing the paste-like material under pressure through an inlet port into a space defined within a tube of substantially constant internal cross-sectional shape and bounded at either end by a pair of spaced apart piston members, moving the pistons together relative to the tube such that the space between the pistons is effectively external of the tube, and removing the product unit from between the piston members.
The tube is preferably a tube of stainless steel or like material which may be of any desired internal cross-sectional shape. The tube has intermediate its ends an inlet port for the material to be formed into discrete product units and a bleed hole for air. The material is supplied through a suitable line from a pressurized source to the inlet port.
The piston means preferably comprises a pair of elongate pistons which are a close sliding fit within the bore of the tube. These pistons are preferably joined together externally of the tube in a manner such that the distance between the opposed faces of the axially aligned pistons may be varied to enable the length of the discrete product units to be correspondingly varied. It will be appreciated that the cross-sectional shape of the formed unit will be determined by the cross-sectional shape of the internal bore of the tube.
The piston members will be reciprocally mounted in a manner such that they may be moved between a first position in which one of the pistons is completely external of the tube and the active face of the other piston is at or projecting from an effective end of the tube and a second position in which the opposed, active, faces of the pistons are both within the tube and the space therebetween is in communication with the material inlet port and with the air bleed hole. In the second position the material will enter the space between the pistons displacing air through the bleed hole as it does so. As the pistons are together moved towards the first position the material between the pistons will be moved relatively along the tube. As this happens one of the pistons will pass across the entry port which simultaneously effects a closure of the port and a severing of the material which is with
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Abercrombie Willie G.
Tendapak Holdings PTY. Limited
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