Plant for continuously processing cheese mass

A plant for continuously processing cheese mass (7) comprises a first substantially horizontal conveyor (1) conveying the cheese mass (7) in one direction and a second substantially horizontal conveyor (2) conveying the cheese mass (7) in the opposite direction. The second conveyor (2) is accommodated below the first conveyor (1) and is adapted to receive the cheese mass (7) from the exit end of the first conveyor via a guide plate (14) carrying the cheese mass obliquely downwards onto the second conveyor (2). Transferring means (8,10) are accommodated at the exit end of the first conveyor, said transferring means comprising guide surfaces (9,11) supporting the cheese mass (7) in a downwardly inclining path towards the guide plate (14).

TECHNICAL FIELD 
The invention relates to a plant for continuously processing cheese mass 
and comprising a first substantially horizontal conveyor conveying the 
cheese mass in one direction and a second substantially horizontal 
conveyor conveying the cheese mass in the opposite direction, said second 
conveyor being accommodated below the first conveyor and being adapted to 
receive the cheese mass from the exit end of the first conveyor via a 
guide plate arranged at the exit end of the first conveyor and adapted to 
receive the cheese mass therefrom and carry it obliquely downwards onto 
the second conveyor. 
BACKGROUND ART 
It is generally known in connection with continuous processing of cheeses 
that the cheese mass is advanced onto a conveyor belt after having left 
the curdling vessel. A continued draining of the whey from the curd is 
performed on the conveyor belt. The cheese mass drained off is advanced on 
additional conveyor belts, on which said cheese mass is subjected to a 
processing which is of decisive importance for the final texture, taste, 
and mechanical strength of the cheese. This processing includes among 
other things a so-called caking of the cheese mass because the cheese 
grains melt together while forming a coherent cheese cake. This processing 
requires a relatively long stay, such as for instance two hours, on the 
conveyor belt before the cheese cake is ready for the final cutting out. 
In order to reduce the room requirements to the plant, a solution has in 
connection with large plants often been to let the stay on the conveyor 
belt be performed on several conveyor belts arranged above one another, 
whereby the cheese mass is initially placed on the uppermost conveyor belt 
and then carried downwards therefrom onto a conveyor belt there-below. The 
carrying from the uppermost conveyor belt must be performed relatively 
leniently. It has therefore been decided to let the cheese cake pass over 
the exit end of the first conveyor belt and directly by way of gravity 
downwards onto an inclining guide plate. At a relatively acute angle the 
inclining guide plate advances the cheese cake in the same direction as 
the one in which the second conveyor belt therebelow moves, said cheese 
cake leaving the guide plate immediately above said second conveyor belt. 
While passing from the first conveyor belt to the second conveyor belt the 
cheese cake is preferably turned over. While passing from the first 
conveyor belt onto the second conveyor belt the cheese cake is subjected 
to a stretching followed by a compression, said cheese cake initially 
being stretched out and subsequently being stopped and compressed again. 
Such an effect turned out to be advantageous for the final result. It 
turned out, however, that while passing from the exit end of the first 
conveyor belt and downwards onto the guide plate the cheese cake may have 
a tendency to go to pieces, which means that the cheese cake loses its 
continuous connection which in turn has a disadvantageous effect on the 
final cheese. Among other things the desired structure can be effected. 
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
The object of the invention is to provide a plant ensuring that the cheese 
cake can pass leniently from one conveyor to the following conveyor while 
maintaining the favourable stretching and compressing effect. 
The plant according to the invention is characterised in that transferring 
means are accommodated at the exit end of the first conveyor, said 
transferring means comprising guide surfaces supporting the cheese mass in 
a downwardly inclining path towards the guide plate. Such transferring 
means ensure that the cheese cake is not subjected to a free fall, but 
nevertheless moves by way of gravity downwards along the guide surface 
while being subjected to a predetermined stretching. When meeting the 
guide plate turning the moving direction of the cheese cake, said cheese 
cake is subjected to a compressing followed by an additional stretching 
during the continued advancing down said guide plate until the cheese cake 
meets the second conveyor, where it is again subjected to a compressing. 
The necessary relatively long stay on the conveyor belts implies that said 
conveyor belts are moved relatively slowly, and the necessary stretching 
across the guide surfaces of the transferring means is adjusted by means 
of a suitable angle of inclination relative to the advancing direction of 
the first conveyor belt. Such a guiding of the cheese mass turned out to 
be particularly suited for a continuous production of cheese of the 
Cheddar type. The use of the plant for production of cheese of the Cheddar 
type resulted in a first-class cheese presenting the necessary texture, 
taste, and mechanical strength. 
In order to adjust the plant to the thickness or height of the cheese cake 
in question on the conveyor belts, the cheese-mass-supporting guide 
surfaces of the transferring means may according to the invention be 
adjustable with respect to the extent in the advancing direction of the 
cheese mass. 
According to the invention the transferring means may particularly 
advantageously comprise a fixed rod adjacent the first conveyor, said rod 
forming a bridge between said first conveyor and an adjustable rod with 
surface portions of a varying extent and co-operating with the cheese 
mass. In this manner the adjustable rod can be adjusted to the surface 
portion of the desired extent for co-operation with the cheese mass. 
According to the invention the adjustable rod may particularly 
advantageously be an eccentrically mounted body with a surface forming a 
cylindrical surface of a normal section, said cylindrical surface 
extending substantially elliptically at least within the portion 
co-operating with the cheese mass. As a result, a turning of the 
adjustable rod causes a continuous adjustment of the extent of the guide 
surface towards the guide plate. 
Finally according to the invention the guide surface of the transferring 
means may incline downwardly approximately 40.degree. relative to 
horizontal, whereby a suitable extent of the cheese cake is ensured 
without said cheese cake being separated or split up.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
FIG. 1 illustrates a first conveyor 1 and a second conveyor 2 arranged 
above one another and forming part of a plant for continuously processing 
cheeses. The two conveyors 1 and 2 move their respective conveyor belt 3 
and 4 forwards in the direction indicated by means of an arrow 5 and 6, 
respectively, cf. FIG. 1. As indicated by means of broken and winding 
lines, a cheese mass 7 is advanced by means of the two conveyors, said 
cheese mass being made of curd melted into a coherent cheese cake. 
At the exit end of the first conveyor 1, the cheese cake 7 initially passes 
over a fixed rod 8, which is secured to the carrying frame of the plant in 
a manner not shown in greater detail. The rod 8 comprises an upward 
surface 9 forming a downwardly inclining contact surface for the cheese 
cake 7. After the fixed rod 8, the cheese cake 7 passes across an 
eccentrically mounted, adjustable rod 10. The rod 10 is formed by a body 
with an outer surface forming a cylindrical surface of a normal section 
being substantially elliptical at least over the portion 10 engaging the 
cheese cake. The adjustable rod 10 is pivotally mounted in a manner not 
described in greater detail and such that it can be set with various 
positions about its axis of rotation 13 as indicated by the double arrow 
12. This setting is preferably performed manually by the operator in 
response to the thickness or height of the cheese cake 7 on the conveyor 
belt 1. 
After the adjustable rod 10, the cheese cake 7 is advanced towards a guide 
plate 14. In the area opposite the adjustable rod, the guide plate 14 
comprises a substantially vertically extending portion 15, which continues 
downwardly through a curved bend 16 into an inclining, substantially plane 
portion 17. The latter portion carries the cheese cake 7 downwards to the 
second conveyor 2 along an inclining path forming an acute angle with the 
surface of the second conveyor 2. Immediately above the conveyor belt 4 of 
the second conveyor 2, the guide plate 14 may comprise an additional 
curved bend 18 transferring the cheese cake 7 particularly leniently onto 
the conveyor belt 4. 
As illustrated in the drawing, the cheese mass passes in a coherent cake 7 
downwards over the fixed rod 8 and the adjustable rod 10 and subsequently 
towards the guide plate 14. The adjustable rod 10 is as mentioned adjusted 
in response to the thickness of the cheese cake 7 and in such a manner 
that said cheese cake 7 maintains its coherent state while passing from 
the adjustable rod 10 onto the guide plate 14. The adjustable rod is 
turned clockwise downwards when the cheese cake 7 is relatively thick and 
upwards counter-clockwise substantially into the position shown in FIGS. 1 
and 2 when the cheese cake 7 is relatively thin. The fixed rod 8 and the 
adjustable rod 10 form together an inclining guide surface for the cheese 
cake. This guide surface inclines downwards and is adjusted such that it 
allows the cheese mass 7 to be subjected to a predetermined stretching, 
but also to such a friction that it does not moves too fast or goes to 
pieces. Accordingly, the guide surface is suitably provided with a 
downward inclination of approximately 40.degree.. An inclination of 
50.degree. in connection with thin cheese cakes involves a too low 
friction for preventing the ingredients of the cheese cake from splitting 
up. An inclination of less than approximately 35.degree. involves a too 
strong compressing or stopping of the cheese cake when said cheese cake 
meets the guide plate 14. 
Having entered the guide plate 14, the cheese cake 7 is subjected to an 
additional stretching while passing down the inclining, plane portion 17 
of the guide plate 14. Having entered the conveyor belt 4 of the second 
conveyor 2, the cheese cake is again subjected to a compressing. The 
latter compressing must also be performed under such circumstances that 
the ingredients of the cheese cake are not split up at any time, which 
implies that the guide plate 14 must incline approximately 45.degree. 
relative to the upper surface of the second conveyor 2. 
The two conveyors 1 and 2 can have a belt width of from less than 2 m and 
up to more than 4 m, and a mutual distance of approximately 1.5 m. A plant 
for production of 12,000 kg cheese/hour (i.e. a daily consumption of milk 
of 2.5.times.10.sup.6) is of an extent of 13 m in order to allow the 
cheese mass to stay approximately one hour on each conveyor belt. When the 
thickness of the cheese cake on the first conveyor belt 1 in such plants 
is relatively thin, i.e. approximately 100 mm, the cheese cake is not 
sufficiently strong to cohere when passing freely over the exit end of the 
first conveyor 1 and downwards towards the guide plate 14. The height of 
the cheese cake can also be up to 250 to 300 mm, and then the cheese cake 
is too thick for cohering while passing down to the guide plate 14. The 
fixed rod 8 and the adjustable rod 10 ensure that the cheese cake cohere 
everywhere while passing from the first conveyor 1 onto the guide plate 
14. 
In order to ensure production of a first-class cheese, i.e. said cheese is 
of a specific texture, taste, and mechanical strength, the cheese cake is 
suitably stretched from for instance 250 mm to 150 mm when passing from 
the first conveyor 1 and down over the fixed rod 8 and the adjustable rod 
10 when it is a question of a cheese of the Cheddar type. 
The illustrated embodiment of the invention is a preferred embodiment. Many 
modifications can be performed without thereby deviating from the scope of 
the invention. The fixed and the adjustable rod 8 and 1 0, respectively, 
can for instance be replaced by a coherent fixed rod provided the plant is 
adapted to handle cheese masses forming a cake of a relatively regular 
thickness. Furthermore, the adjustable rod 10 can have other shapes beyond 
the one shown, and, if desired, the adjustment thereof can be automatic 
through a hydraulic or pneumatic drive controlled by sensors measuring the 
thickness of the cheese cake 7 on the surface of the conveyor 1.