Patent Application
20200173705
The object of the present specification is an extruder for an ice machine, the main and distinctive characteristic of which is based on the fact of having a configuration suitable for optimizing the outlet of the ice such that in turn it reduces the cross section thereof and makes it compact, reducing the water content thereof to a desired percentage, achieving a greater percentage of moisture than others known in the technical field.
Currently, extrusion is known as the manufacturing process with the aim of creating objects with a certain transverse cross section (usually of a fixed nature), wherein the material used is extracted through a part known as an extruder and which determines the shape of the cited extruded element. Said extrusion methods are used in diverse technical sectors from the industrial sector to the food sector, wherein it has been very well accepted due to the possibility of determining shapes with materials with low consistency, with optimal results.
In the field of the food industry, and more specifically for the case of machines for manufacturing ice, the extruder is usually placed inside the machines secured thereto by means of screws. This implies a difficulty for the installation and/or assembly thereof, and above all, problems with the sealing of the cited machine, which makes it more difficult to obtain ice with a certain degree of quality.
In order to alleviate said problem, the invention proposed herein solves these problems by means of manufacturing an extruder that is designed to be placed externally on the evaporator, such that the assembly thereof is facilitated.
The technical problem solved by the present invention is achieving an extruder for an ice machine, which enables the sealing of the machine to be ensured where it is installed, and facilitate the installation thereof. To do so, the extruder for an ice machine, object of the present specification, which comprises a monoblock body which is configured from a first body that is essentially circular and hollow in the center thereof that is firmly joined to a second cylindrical body, hollow as well in the central portion thereof, and that on the lower portion thereof defines a threaded portion for the joining of the extruder to an ice machine, and wherein the first body incorporates a plurality of holes which enable the fastening thereof to an ice machine; and wherein, in the central portion of said body coinciding with the central portion of the second body, a plurality of hollows are located in each body, coinciding in location with the ones located in the opposite body, facing each other, and which determine the inlet and the outlet of a series of channels through which the ice will pass towards the outlet of the cited extruder.
Due to the design thereof, the extruder contemplated herein will reduce the cross section of the ice by making it compact and reducing the water content to the optimal percentage of moisture necessary, such that the manufacturing costs will be reduced, increasing the profitability thereof.
The extruder, unlike other similar solutions, will enable pieces of ice with different shapes (and different degrees of moisture) to be obtained, thus personalizing the production of a wide range of possible results, and therefore, making the use thereof versatile in the ice industry, since it will be able to be used indistinctly in several production lines without needing a large amount of operating and maintenance work, simply substituting the type of extruder with the one required for said product.
The extruder presented herein will enable a certain shape of ice to be achieved, known as a “nugget”, the certain shape of which is achieved due to the holes arranged in the cited part described herein.
What follows is a very brief description of a series of drawings that aid in better understanding the invention and which are expressly related to an embodiment of said invention that is presented by way of a non-limiting example of the same.
The attached figures show a preferred embodiment of the invention. More specifically, the extruder for an ice machine, object of the present invention, is characterized in that it comprises a monoblock body (10) which is configured from a first body (1) that is essentially circular and hollow in the center (la) thereof that is firmly joined to a second cylindrical body (2), hollow as well in the central portion (2a) thereof, and that on the lower portion thereof defines a threaded portion (2b) for the joining of the extruder to an ice machine, by the upper portion thereof, preferably in the area of the upper portion of the evaporator.
The first body (1) will incorporate a plurality of holes (3) which will enable the fastening thereof to an ice machine, in the upper area of the evaporator.
And wherein, in the central portion of said body (1) coinciding with the central portion of the second body (2), a plurality of hollows (4) are located in each body, coinciding in location with the ones located in the opposite body, facing each other, and which determine the inlet (4a) and the outlet (4b) of a series of channels (5) through which the ice will pass towards the outlet of the cited extruder.
The hollows (4) will have variable shapes and geometries, although preferably with a “kidney” shape with one concave side and another convex one, which on the ends thereof have slightly chamfered shapes and that will determine the shape of the ice once it has passed between the bodies (1,2).
The channels (5) will have a slightly conical shape, which will enable the reduction of the cross section of the ice as it passes from the inlet (4a) to the outlet (4b) thereof, determined by the cited hollows (4).
In a practical embodiment, the monoblock body (10) is made of brass, or other materials with equivalent mechanical characteristics, which is suitable for manufacturing food products, and which have an optimal response to working with water.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18382868.0 | Nov 2018 | EP | regional |
