The present invention relates to a forming machine and a method of forming material and, more particularly, to a forming machine and method.
Typical known forming machines, such as those used for making meat patties, include a pressure chamber or ram cylinder disposed beneath and opening directly into the bottom of a hopper for holding material to be formed. When a ram is pulled back in the cylinder, devices such as augers force material into the cylinder ahead of the ram. The ram advances and closes flow communication between the cylinder and the hopper so that the ram and the cylinder define a chamber that is closed except for an outlet opening and pressurizes the material in the chamber so that it is forced out of the outlet opening. In patty forming applications, the outlet opening ordinarily leads to a volume defined by an opening in a forming plate and upper and lower surfaces between which the forming plate moves. The opening in the forming plate is often substantially circular, but may be any desired shape for forming portions of different shapes. Once full, the forming plate is moved so that the opening is positioned beneath a knockout device that knocks the patty out of the opening, usually onto a waiting conveyor apparatus below. U.S. Pat. No. 4,153,974 is an example of such a molding device.
In these types of apparatus, each time it is desired to form an object such as a patty, the ram must be withdrawn to a position where the cylinder is again open to the hopper so that more material can be forced into the cylinder. Wear and tear on such a device can be substantial. Also, when the cylinder is opened to the hopper each time that it is desired to load the cylinder with material to be formed, there is an increased possibility of air-borne contaminants entering the system, which can be quite problematic in food-based applications. It is desirable to minimize contact of the material to be portioned and formed with air once the material has entered the system.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a forming machine includes a ram cylinder and a ram, with the ram cylinder and a forward end of the ram defining a closed chamber, together with an inlet to and an outlet from the closed chamber.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method of forming material includes advancing a ram from a starting position to an ending position in a ram cylinder so that material to be formed is forced out of an outlet in the cylinder, returning the ram from the ending position to the starting position, and, while returning the ram from the ending position to the starting position, introducing material to be formed into the ram cylinder through an inlet. The ram and the ram cylinder define a closed chamber as the ram travels between the starting position and the ending position, the inlet and the outlet extending to and from the closed chamber, respectively.
The features and advantages of the present invention are well understood by reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings in which like numerals indicate similar elements and in which:
A forming machine 21 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in
In the forming machine shown in
The embodiment of
In a forming machine 21 of the type for forming, e.g., meat patties, a forming plate 45 having an opening 47 therein is moved from a position in which the opening is in flow communication with the outlet 33 and receives a portion of material M to form a portion P to a position in which the opening is beneath a reciprocating punch-type device 49 that punches the portion out of the opening, usually onto a conveyor 51 or a stack of other portions on a conveyor. The opening 47, together with usually fixed upper and lower surfaces 53 and 55 of the forming machine 21, defines the volume 43. At least one of the upper and lower surfaces 53 and 55 preferably has air evacuation holes 57 formed therein to permit air in the volume 43 to exit as the portion P is forced in. As described in provisional application No. 60/563,179, filed Apr. 16, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference, a vacuum-type device 59 is preferably arranged to communicate with a volume 61 communicating with the holes 57 so that air does not contact the material M.
The ram 25 is indexable to a plurality of different positions in the cylinder 23. The ram 25 will intermittently advance to successive indexed positions to make a predetermined plurality of portions P, e.g., meat patties to be stacked, upon being filled with a desired amount of material M to be formed. Preferably, at an ending point of the advance of the ram 25, the forward end 27 of the ram will be at or very near the forward end 41 of the ram cylinder 23, thus tending to minimize wasted material and simplify clean-up. Once the predetermined quantity of portions P are formed, e.g., a stack of a desired number of meat patties has been positioned on the conveyor 51, the conveyor 51 advances and, preferably simultaneously with the advance of the conveyor, the ram 25 is moved from the ending point of the ram's advance to a starting point nearer an open end 63 of the ram cylinder 23, as seen in
The source 39 of pressurized material M to be formed preferably includes a pressure sensor 65 for sensing pressure of the material to be formed in a conduit 34 leading to the inlet 31. The pressure sensor 65 sends a signal that indicates that the pressure of the material M to be formed is at a predetermined pressure. The signal from the pressure sensor 65 is received by a controller 67 that stops the source of pressurized material 39 from delivering additional pressurized material to be formed to the inlet, such as by stopping the pump 44. The controller 67 preferably also controls operation of a drive 69 for the ram 25, a drive 71 for the forming plate 45, a drive 73 for the punch-type device 49, and a drive 75 for the conveyor 51. Any suitable type of drive can be used for the drives 69, 71, 73, and 75, however, the ram drive 69 is preferably a hydraulic or pneumatic drive, and the conveyor drive 75 preferably includes an electric motor. The ram drive 69 is preferably adapted to be controlled to index the ram 25 to different positions.
In a method of forming material according to the present invention, the ram 25 is advanced from a starting position to an ending position in the ram cylinder 23 so that material M to be formed is forced out of the outlet 33 in the cylinder. The ram 25 is then returned from the ending position to the starting position. While returning the ram 25 from the ending position to the starting position, material M to be formed is introduced into the cylinder 23 through the inlet 31. The ram 25 and the ram cylinder 23 define the closed chamber 29 as the ram travels between the starting position and the ending position, with the inlet 31 and the outlet 33 extending to and from the closed chamber, respectively. The inlet 31 preferably closes when the ram 25 travels from the starting position to the ending position. The outlet 33 preferably least intermittently communicates with the volume 61 that is maintained at a lower pressure than the chamber 29.
The ram 25 is preferably intermittently advanced from the starting position to the ending position to form a plurality of successive portions P when material M to be formed is forced out of the outlet 33 in the cylinder 23, and the portions are preferably arranged in one or more stacks of one or more portions on a conveyor 51. The one or more stacks are preferably conveyed on the conveyor 51 when the ram 25 is returned from the ending position to the starting position.
While this invention has been illustrated and described in accordance with a preferred embodiment, it is recognized that variations and changes may be made therein without departing from the invention as set forth in the claims.
This application claims priority from provisional Ser. No. 60/563,178 filed Apr. 16, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60563178 | Apr 2004 | US |