Patent ID: 6450796
Filing Date: 2002-09-17
Classification: A21C,A23P,B29C

Abstract:
A rotary drive nozzle die machine for an extruder comprising:at least one rotatable nozzle having a plurality of openings; a compression head for directing food material from the extruder to the at least one rotatable nozzle; a drive assembly including at least one drive gear for rotating the at least one nozzle; the at least one nozzle being axially removable from the drive gear to allow replacement of the nozzle with another nozzle having openings of differing shapes and sizes; and a rotary seal between the at least one nozzle and a housing in which the at least one nozzle rotates, the rotary seal comprising an annular protrusion on the at least one nozzle and a complementary annular groove on the housing which define a seal path, the seal path including at least one direction change to prevent ingress of food material, and the rotary seal having a connection which prevents axial movement while still allowing rotary movement of the at least one nozzle with respect to the housing.