Solid material comminution or disintegration – Processes – Miscellaneous
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-26
2001-02-06
Rosenbaum, Mark (Department: 3725)
Solid material comminution or disintegration
Processes
Miscellaneous
C241S037000, C241S101300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06182914
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method and device for pre-milling confectionery material, such as chocolate.
As is known, confectionery material is conventionally pre-milled or pre-refined by a granulometric reduction of the particles forming the mass of said material, this operation being carried out between two rotary cylinders, of which a first cylinder can controllably swing with respect to a second cylinder which is supported at a fixed position.
Prior confectionery material making systems comprise pre-refining machines arranged between the mixers and the end refining machines.
Said pre-refining machines allow the reduction of the particle size of the confectionery material particles to values which would be suitable for the end refining machines. More specifically, said pre-refining machines, due to the reduced granulometry, provide a confectionery material mass having an even doughiness and, accordingly, an even consistency.
Actually, it is known that an undesired variation of the consistency of a pre-refined confectionery mass would alter a proper operation of the end refining machines.
At present, the variation of the consistency of the confectionery material being refined is evaluated by analyzing the quality of the already refined product. These consistency variations are compensated for by changing the milling distance or gap between the pre-refining machine cylinders. Thus, by either increasing or decreasing the granulometry of the confectionery mass, either a reduction or an increase of the area of the surface of the confectionery material particles is obtained, thereby differently distributing the fat present in said mass, and consequently either decreasing or increasing the consistency thereof.
At present, in order to carry out a reliable adjustment of the confectionery material consistency, skilled persons must evaluate the quality of the end product exiting the refining machines or devices, so as to establish a proper adjustment of the pre-refining machines.
Such an operating method, based on a visual control of the end product exiting the refining machine, has the drawback that it operates only after having refined a part of the confectionery material, and, accordingly, with a considerable delay.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Thus, the aim of the present invention is to overcome the above mentioned drawbacks of the prior art and, in particular, provide a confectionery material pre-milling method and device allowing to hold the confectionery material consistency constant.
According to the invention, this is achieved by a method for pre-milling a confectionery material, in which the particle size of the particles of said confectionery material is reduced between two cylinders, characterized in that said method comprises the steps of measuring the load or spreading-apart force between said two cylinders, comparing the measured spreading-apart force with a reference spreading-apart force value, to define a force variation, defining, based on said spreading-apart force variation, a desired distance between said cylinders allowing to adjust a mutual position of said cylinders by feedback controlling said position based on the measured distance between said cylinders.
In said pre-refining machines, the confectionery material is milled between milling cylinders having a preset milling distance or gap and respective mechanically set revolution speeds. Thus, to hold the confectionery material consistency constant, would mean to hold the load between said cylinders constant.
If the mixing device supplies the pre-refining machine with a confectionery material the consistency whereof changes depending, for example, on the fat contents of the product and on natural variations of the mixer metering device or the characteristics of the used starting materials, then a variation of the load or spreading-apart force produced by the confectionery material passing through said cylinders will be provided.
By the disclosed method, as the load between the cylinders changes, a new size or value of the milling gap for holding the confectionery material consistency unaltered will be set, and, based on this new gap or cylinder distance, the mutual positions of the laminating cylinders will be adjusted. Thus, by varying the milling gap, the confectionery mass particles granulometry is changed, thereby changing the solid phase specific surface area, so as to properly distribute the fat contents, to recover the confectionery material mass consistency to the desired values.
In order to define said desired gap or distance between the laminating cylinders, the measured distance of said cylinders is changed in subsequent increments or decrements of a preset value to provide a spreading-apart force of said cylinders equal to the reference spreading-apart force value.
For adjusting the position of the first swinging cylinder with respect to the second fixedly supported cylinder, the distance between the laminating cylinders is measured, said measured distance is compared with the desired distance, and a variation of the distance constituting the reference for adjusting the mutual locating movement of said cylinder is defined.
For continuously monitoring the confectionery material predefining process, the amount of the spreading-apart force measured by the cylinders together with the value of the cylinder measured distance is displayed.
The confectionery material pre-milling device for carrying out the method according to the present invention comprises a first swinging cylinder which can controllably swing with respect to a second cylinder supported at a fixed position and being characterized in that between the first and second cylinders a controllable adjusting device for feedback adjusting the position of the first cylinder with respect to the second cylinder is provided, that between the first cylinder and second cylinder a spreading-apart force transducer is provided, that said spreading-apart force transducer is operatively coupled to a driving and control device and that said driving and control device is operatively coupled to said feedback adjustment device for adjusting the mutual positions of said cylinders.
For automatically driving and controlling said feedback adjusting device for adjusting the mutual positions of said cylinders, said driving and controlling device is provided with an input operatively coupled to a comparing unit for comparing the load between said cylinders, to which a reference spreading-apart force preset signal device is operatively coupled, said comparing unit being operatively coupled to a microprocessor, in turn operatively coupled, at the outlet thereof, to a second cylinder distance comparing unit, said second comparing unit being operatively coupled to an adjusting device.
In order to precisely drive the first cylinder, the controlled feedback adjustment device for controlling the mutual positions of said cylinders is provided with a drive operatively coupled to a motor reducing unit, the casing of said motor reducing unit being articulately coupled to an extension of the support of the second cylinder, said motor reducing unit being operatively coupled to a screw shaft, said screw shaft being engaged with a scroll which is coupled to an articulation provided on an extension of the first cylinder support.
For measuring the load or spreading-apart force between said two cylinders, between the scroll and the first cylinder support extension articulation a load cell is provided.
For measuring the position of the first swinging cylinder, an encoder is keyed at the free end portion of the screw shaft.
For allowing the signals corresponding to the measured parameters or amounts to be displayed, the inlets of the drive and control device are operatively coupled to a display.
For precisely driving the scroll under a loaded condition, while reducing the jumping effect due to a friction with said screw shaft, said motor reducing unit is operatively coupled to a ball circulation screw.
For damping possible impacts due to the confectionery materia
Carle & Montanari S.p.A
Kirschstein et al.
Rosenbaum Mark
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