GB714375A - Improvements in dough sheeting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

714,375. Dough-sheeting apparatus. STICKELBER & SONS, Inc. May 20, 1952, No. 12729/52. Class 87 (2) Dough sheeting apparatus includes a pair of superposed conveyers operating in opposite directions for transporting sheeted dough pieces, the discharge end of the upper conveyer being above the receiving end of the lower conveyer. the upper conveyer being operable at a speed to project sheeted dough, pieces endwise therefrom, deflecting means being provided which extend over the dough pieces projected from the upper conveyer and which include arresting means in the path of the projected dough pieces whereby such pieces are deposited directly on the lower conveyer same side up as on the upper conveyer. Means are provided for operating the upper conveyer at two different speeds. Rounded pieces of dough are fed into a hopper and pass between rollers 36, 39. The sheets of dough thus produced fall on the upper conveyer belt 53, being guided by deflectors 49, 50 which have lips directed towards the surface of the rollers without actually touching them. If the belt 53 is moving at high speed the sheeted dough pieces will have enough momentum to leave the belt 53 as it passes round its end roller 73 and they will strike a flange 134 projecting from a deflector plate 133 and as a result, will drop substantially vertically on a lower conveyer belt 125, travelling in the opposite direction to the belt 53, and the ends that were in front on the belt 53 will be behind on the belt 125. After leaving the belt 125 the dough pieces travel between further pairs of sheeting rollers 148, 149 and 150, 151, with deflectors similar to 49, 50, and fall thence on a conveyer belt 170, the ends that were in front on the belt 125 being still in front on the belt 170. The belt 170 moves over a curved guide plate 178 and extends across a table 182, to which the dough pieces are then carried and whence they are removed for further processing. By this reverse sheeting sequence there will be no dry forward edge on the dough piece which becomes the centre of the loaf when the dough is curled up on itself, leading to holes in the baked loaf. On the shaft 72 of the driving roller 71 of the belt 53 are two pulleys, whereby the conveyer 53 is driven fast or slow according to whether the driving belt passes over the larger or smaller pulley. At the lower speed the sheeted pieces of dough, when reaching the position where the belt 53 passes round the roller 73, will follow the belt half round the roller and the sheeting will all be in the same direction. The shaft 74, carrying the idler roller of the belt 53, is mounted in blocks 75 which can be moved, to adjust the tension in the belt, by screws 76. The tension in the belt 125 is similarly adjustable by screws 129. The means for adjusting the tension in the belt 170 comprises a roller 186 and a roller 188 adjustable by screws 191. The means for adjusting the deflector plate 133 comprise a transverse bar 137 through which a rod 139 passes and is clamped by a thumb-screw 140, and an ear 144 projecting from the top of the plate with openings 145 and entering a clevis on the rod 139, in which it is held by a bolt 146 passing through that opening 145 which gives the required adjustment. The driving and other shafts are mounted at their ends in ball bearings in the sides of the housing 21. The entire machine is preferably, made portable by the provision of casters 29.