Cheese shredder

Apparatus for providing cheese shapes utilize one or more chambers for containing cheese, a ram for forcing the cheese through a perforated area of a die plate at the forward end of each chamber to produce a plurality of extrusions, and a cutter to divide each extrusion into a plurality of shapes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for 
providing shreds or shapes of cheese, and more particularly to the use of 
extrusion apparatus for forming a plurality of shreds or shapes of 
predetermined size. 
Shredded cheese, or cheese in the form of elongated shreds or other shapes, 
is used in the preparation of various types of food. It may be preferable 
for certain markets that the shreds be of approximately uniform size and 
weight, and be on the order of one inch in length. 
Cheese is generally manufactured in relatively large blocks and cut for 
sale into smaller blocks or chunks of shapes and sizes selected according 
to consumer preference. For example, cheese may be sold in cylindrical or 
rectangular shapes, or in sliced form. The cutting operation leaves a 
quantity of irregular pieces of cheese not suitable for consumer sale in 
desirably shaped forms. An ongoing goal in the cheese industry is to find 
commercially profitable uses for such pieces. The present invention 
relates to extrusion apparatus which is particularly suitable for forming 
irregular pieces of cheese into elongated shreds of predetermined 
dimensions. 
In the past, attempts to produce shredded cheese by extrusion have not been 
entirely successful. One problem has been that variation in the rate of 
extrusion across the width of an extrusion die has caused lack of 
uniformity among the shreds. Another problem has been that working of the 
cheese during extrusion has caused maceration and oiling off. "Maceration" 
is a softening of the texture of the cheese due to a breakdown of the 
cheese structure. "Oiling off" is a separation of oil from the other 
constituents of the cheese. Both are undesirable and inhibit the formation 
of desired shreds. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the present invention, extrusion apparatus is provided 
for forming a quantity of cheese into a plurality of approximately 
uniformly shaped pieces such as relatively small shreds of predetermined 
configuration without substantial damage to the cheese due to working and 
pressure. The apparatus includes one or more chambers for holding the 
cheese having smooth longitudinal interior surfaces for slidably engaging 
the cheese. At the forward end of each chamber is a perforated area of a 
die plate. A ram is provided to force the cheese forwardly of its chamber 
through the perforations or openings in the die plate to form a plurality 
of extrusions of predetermined cross section. A cutter assembly is 
positioned forwardly of the die plate adjacent thereto to cut through the 
extrusions at a predetermined frequency as they emerge from the openings 
in the die plate and divide each extrusion into a plurality of discrete 
segments, each having a predetermined dimension in the direction of 
extrusion. 
In accordance with one feature of the present invention, the perimeter 
surfaces of the openings about the perimeter of the perforated area of the 
die plate are substantially aligned with the longitudinal surfaces of the 
chamber. 
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, the apparatus 
is operative to produce shreds which are generally rectangular solids, and 
are extruded through generally rectangular openings dimensioned so that 
the widths of the openings define the lengths of the shreds. 
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a method and 
apparatus for forming a quantity of cheese into a plurality of 
approximately uniform, relatively small shreds of predetermined 
configuration without causing maceration and oiling off. 
Further features and objects of the present invention are set forth in the 
following description and the accompanying illustrations.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The present invention is generally embodied in extrusion apparatus, 
indicated generally at 10, for forming a quantity of cheese or the like 
into a plurality of approximately uniform, relatively small pieces or 
shreds of predetermined configuration. The preferred embodiment of the 
invention is particularly suitable for use in producing cheese shreds from 
a block of cheese formed from a number of smaller pieces or fragments, 
such as trim. 
The apparatus includes one or more chambers 12 for holding cheese prior to 
forming shreds. The interior of each chamber is defined by longitudinal 
surfaces 14 for slidably engaging the cheese. At the forward end of each 
chamber is a perforated area 16a, 16b of a die plate 20 defined by a 
plurality of perforations or openings 24 (FIG. 2). A ram assembly 22 is 
provided to force the cheese forwardly of the chambers 12 through the 
perforations or openings 24 in the die plate 20 to form a plurality of 
extrusions of predetermined shape. A cutter assembly 26 is positioned 
forwardly of the die plate 20 and adjacent thereto to cut through the 
extrusions at a predetermined frequency as they emerge from the openings 
24 in the die plate 20 and divide each extrusion into a plurality of 
discrete segments each having a predetermined dimension in the direction 
of extrusion. 
In the illustrated embodiment, the extrusion apparatus 10 includes two 
chambers 12 of generally rectangular cross section disposed adjacent one 
another in an integral structure, indicated generally at 28. It will be 
appreciated that other cross-sectional configurations might be employed 
for the chambers 12 without departing from the scope of the invention. The 
structure 28 includes a bottom wall 30 spanning both chambers 12, a pair 
of side walls 32a, 32b extending upwardly from the bottom wall 30 and 
disposed substantially parallel to one another, a middle wall 34 extending 
generally parallel to the side walls 32a, 32b between the chambers 12, and 
a cover 36 spanning the width and length of the structure 28. To enable 
loading of cheese into the respective chambers 12, the cover 36 is movable 
between an open position and a closed position. Suitable means 38 are 
provided for opening and closing the cover, and locking means 40 are 
provided for securing it in a closed position so that internal pressure 
generated during extrusion will not force it open. 
The cover 36 is preferably mounted on hinges 41 (FIG. 3) on one of the side 
walls 32a, and the preferred locking means 40 comprises a locking pin 42 
slidably supported in openings formed in lugs 44 fixed to the opposite 
side wall 32b of the structure 28 and having locking means 46 fixedly 
mounted on it to engage ears 48 (FIG. 3) on the cover 36. Locking or 
unlocking of the cover 36 may be accomplished relatively easily by sliding 
the pin 42 over a relatively short stroke. 
Reinforcing ribs 50 may be provided to stiffen the cover. As illustrated in 
FlG. 4, ribs 52 may also be provided to reinforce the bottom wall 30 of 
the structure 28 to reduce flexure under pressure. 
It is desirable that the friction exerted on the cheese by the die plate 20 
as the cheese passes therethrough be sufficient to enable pressure to be 
generated within the chambers 12 by the ram assembly 22 so that a 
plurality of small pieces of cheese may be compressed together within the 
chambers 12 so as to form an integral block or stick of cheese. This 
enables integral shreds to be produced from a plurality of small pieces of 
cheese. However, the development of excessive pressure on the cheese 
within the chamber has posed difficulties in the development of extrusion 
apparatus for forming cheese shreds. Thus, one of the objectives in the 
development of this apparatus has been to reduce the pressure on the 
cheese prior to its extrusion through the die plate. Another objective has 
been to reduce working of the cheese within the chamber. 
In accordance with the present invention, a method and apparatus are 
provided for forming a quantity of cheese into a plurality of 
approximately uniform, relatively small shreds of predetermined 
configuration without substantial damage to the cheese. This is achieved 
in the present invention by configuring the die plate 20 and chambers 12 
so as to enable approximately uniform cheese velocity to be maintained 
across the entire area of each of the perforated areas 16a, b of the die 
plate 20 and reduce pressure on and working of the cheese as compared with 
earlier proposed designs. To this end, each of the perimeter surfaces 54 
of the perimeter openings 56 of the perforated areas 16 of the die plate 
20 is substantially aligned with an adjacent longitudinal surface 14 of 
the adjacent chamber. This enables cheese sliding along the longitudinal 
surface 14 to be pushed directly through the perimeter openings 56. 
Past attempts to produce elongated shreds of cheese by extrusion have 
involved extruding the shreds in the direction of their greatest dimension 
and cutting off the shreds at predetermined lengths. In accordance with 
the present invention, the openings 24 in the die plate 20 are configured 
so that the greatest dimension, or length, of each shred is determined by 
the greatest dimension of its associated die plate opening 24 rather than 
by the frequency of cutting of the extrusion. By configuring the openings 
24 in the die plate so that each opening 24 defines the length and height, 
rather than the width and height, of its associated shreds, the surface 
area of cheese which contacts the edges of the die plate openings 24 is 
significantly reduced. This reduces the pressure on the cheese within the 
chambers 12 by reducing the resistance to the passage of the cheese 
through the die plate 20. This also enables shreds of substantially 
uniform length to be produced independently of the ram speed or cutter 
frequency since the width, rather than the length, of each shred is 
variable. 
In the die plate 20 of the present inveniion, the configuration of the 
openings 24 and the spacing therebetween have been selected to provide 
enough resistance to the passage of cheese through the die plate to enable 
pressure to be maintained within the chamber to compact the cheese during 
extrusion without creating excessive pressure on the cheese or causing 
excessive working of the cheese. To this end, the perforated area 16a or 
16b at the forward end of each chamber 12 is generally rectangular and 
coextensive with the generally rectangular cross-sectional area of its 
associated chamber 12, and the openings 24 defining the perforated areas 
16a and 16b are generally rectangular in shape and are disposed in columns 
58 with relatively narrow vertical spaces 60 between the columns 58 and 
with relatively narrow horizontal spaces 62 between adjacent openings in 
each column. 
In the illustrated embodiment, the openings 24 in the respective perforated 
areas 16a and 16b are all of the same size. If desired, the openings 24 in 
one of the perforated areas 16a may be of one size while the openings 24 
in the other perforated area 16b are of another size. Such differences in 
sizing may be desirable to enable the apparatus 10 to produce satisfactory 
shreds of two different types of cheese, where the different cheeses have 
different physical characteristics. Herein, the rectangular openings 24 in 
each perforated area 16a, 16b are disposed in six columns 58, each column 
containing 13 openings. The preferred openings 24 for making cheese shreds 
measure 0.125 in..times.0.770 in. 
The cutter assembly 26 in the illustrated embodiment of the present 
invention includes a plurality of cutting elements 64 (FIG. 5) and means 
66 for driving the cutting elements 64 in vertical reciprocating motion 
relative to the die plate 20. The preferred cutting elements are wires 64 
which are supported by a frame 68 and extend generally horizontally 
thereacross. The frame 68 herein is generally rectangular and extends 
across the forward ends of both chambers 12 so that the extrusions 
emerging from the respective chambers 12 are cut simultaneously. 
Referring particularly to FIGS. 5-8, the frame 68 herein includes a 
horizontal bottom member 72, a horizontal top member 74, a vertical center 
member 76 integrally connecting the top and bottom members 72 and 74, and 
vertical side members 78 and 80 at opposite sides of the frame 68 
extending between the top and bottom members 72 and 74. The die plate 20 
herein has a generally planar forward surface 82. It is desirable that the 
cutting wires 64 travel adjacent the forward surface 82 of the die plate 
20 while separated therefrom by a relatively small distance along their 
cutting lengths so as to cut the shreds cleanly as they emerge from their 
associated openings 24. To this end, the cutting wires 64 are maintained 
under tension so that they will not flex substantially as they cut through 
the cheese shreds. Vertical stiffeners 84 may be disposed at spaced 
intervals along the frame 68 between the columns 58 of die plate openings 
24 to support the wires 64 against deflection. 
Each wire 64 is supported in an aligned series of notches 86 which are 
formed in the side members 78 of the frame 68 and stiffeners 84 adjacent 
the forward surface 82 of the die plate 20. The notches have depths 
slightly greater than the diameters of their associated wires 64. Thus, 
each wire 64 is supported at a plurality of locations along its length in 
a position directly adjacent the forward surface 82 of the die plate 20 
without contacting the die plate 20, which could create undesirable 
friction and wear. 
During normal operation of the extrusion apparatus 10, a conveyor or 
suitable receptacle (not shown) is positioned beneath the cutter frame 68 
to receive shreds of cheese as they are produced. To prevent shreds from 
being retained on the bottom 72 of the cutter frame 68 as they drop 
downward, the bottom member 72 has an inclined upper surface 88 which 
slopes forwardly and downwardly beneath the wires 64 so that any shreds 
which contact it will tend to continue traveling downwardly. 
To enable the tension on the wires 64 to be individually adjusted, each of 
the cutting wires 64 is individually secured at its opposite ends 89. A 
row of wire-receiving bores 90 is formed in each of the side frame members 
78 and 80 for receiving the opposite ends 89 of the respective wires 64. 
As best seen in FIG. 9, each of the wire-receiving bores 90 intersects a 
transverse bore 92 which has a threaded portion 94 on one side of the 
wire-receiving bore 90 and an unthreaded portion 96 of slightly larger 
diameter on the opposite side of the wire-receiving bore 90. To secure an 
individual wire end 89 in place, the wire end 89 is inserted into the 
wire-receiving bore 90 so that it extends past the transverse bore 92, and 
a screw (not shown) is placed in the transverse bore 92 and tightened 
until the leading end of the screw presses against the wire 64 with 
sufficient force to retain it in place. 
As the wires 64 cut through the cheese, they are urged forwardly by the 
forward movement of the cheese. To slidably support the frame 68 adjacent 
the die plate 20, a pair of gibs 98 are fixed to a mounting plate 99 at 
the forward end of the structure 28 at opposite sides of the frame 68, and 
a bracket 101 is fixed to the plate 99 so as to extend vertically across 
the center of the frame 68. The gibs 98 and bracket 99 engage the frame 68 
in sliding contact to enable it to move vertically while restraining it 
against lateral movement. 
The frame 68 herein is driven by a dual cam drive, indicated generally at 
100 (FIG. 11), which includes a pair of cams 102 fixed to a rotating 
camshaft 104, a pair of cam followers 106, one associated with each cam 
102 and driven thereby, and a pair of connector arms 108, one for each cam 
follower 106, which connect the cam followers 106 to the frame 68. As best 
seen in FIGS. 10 and 11, each of the connector arms 108 extends upwardly 
through a suitable guide 109 and is pinned to a lug 110, one of which is 
fixed to each side of the frame 68. The guides 109 are mounted on a 
support plate 111. The dual cam drive mechanism 100 thus applies balanced 
drive forces to the frame 68 through the connector arms 108. 
To enable the cam drive 100 to exert both upward and downward force on the 
frame 68, the preferred cams are box cams 102, each having a channel or 
track 112 formed in one of its sides. The cam followers 106 are mounted 
for rotation about axes substantially parallel to the axis of the camshaft 
104, and roll in the respective tracks 112. The cam followers 106 have 
diameters slightly smaller than the widths of their associated tracks 112 
to enable rotating contact between the follower 106 and the track 112 with 
either the outer surface 114 or the inner surface 116 of the track 112 
while permitting relatively little play. The tracks 112 are configured to 
give the cutter frame 68 relatively short, quick strokes so that the cuts 
made through the extrusions leave approximately vertical cut surfaces on 
the extrusions and form shreds of approximately rectangular cross-section. 
The opposite ends of the camshaft 104 are journaled through suitable 
bearings 118 mounted on brackets 120 extending downwardly and forwardly at 
the forward end of the structure 28. To provide the power to rotate the 
camshaft 104, suitable means such as a variable speed motor and gear box 
assembly 121 (FIG. 3) are connected to the camshaft 104. 
The ram assembly 22 preferably includes a pair of rams 122, one within each 
of the chambers 12, and ram drive means 124 for forcing the rams 122 
longitudinally of the chambers 12 to push the cheese through the die plate 
20. Each ram 122 is dimensioned to fit the interior of its associated 
chamber 12 and is movable longitudinally thereof. Each ram has a forward 
surface 26 for engaging the cheese. 
In the preferred embodiment, the ram drive means 124 comprises a strain rod 
press positioned rearwardly of the chambers 12. The press includes a 
support frame 128 which includes forward and rearward end walls 130 and 
132 respectively supported by vertical legs 134. Strain rods 136 extend 
generally horizontally of the frame 128 between the end walls 130 and 132 
parallel to the chambers 12 and are secured to the end walls 130 and 132 
to maintain predetermined spacing between the end walls 130 and 132 during 
operation of the press. The forward wall 130 has openings in it to 
accommodate the rams 122 and is affixed to the rearward end of the chamber 
structure 28. 
A movable platen 138 is slidably supported for movement along the strain 
rods 136 by bushings 140, one on each of the strain rods 136. A pair of 
ram drive rods 142 are affixed at their rearward ends to the platen 138 by 
suitable mounts 139 and extend forward from the platen 138 to the rams 
122. A hydraulic cylinder 144 fixed to the rear wall 132 and having a 
piston rod 145 extending through an opening in the rear wall 132 is used 
to push the platen 138 forwardly and thereby push the rams 122 forwardly. 
The ram drive rods 142 herein are hollow, each having an interior conduit 
or passage 146 formed in it to enable control of air pressure within its 
associated chamber 12. Each of the passages 146 extends generally axially 
of its associated drive rod 142 and has a valve 148 (FIG. 1) at its 
forward end. The valve 148 herein is flush with the forward surface 126 of 
its associated ram 122 when in closed position. An opening is formed at 
the rearward end 150 of each passage 146. A suitable pump 152 (FIG. 4) may 
be connected to the openings at the rearward ends 150 of the passages 146 
to enable air pressure at the forward surface 126 of the ram 122 to be 
regulated. Air may be pumped forwardly to the forward surface 126 of the 
ram 122 to facilitate release of the ram 122 from the cheese, or the pump 
152 may be used in the reverse direction to decrease air pressure in the 
chambers 12. 
Turning now to a description of the preferred method of the present 
invention, the first step of the method involves loading a number of 
relatively small pieces of cheese into the interior of one or both of the 
chambers 12. To load one of the chambers 12, the cover 36 is placed in its 
open position. After the pieces have been inserted into the chamber 12, 
the cover 36 is shifted to closed position and locked in place by the 
locking means 40. 
Next, the ram assembly 22 is actuated to press the individual pieces of 
cheese together into a block or stick and force the stick forwardly within 
the chamber 12 so that the stick is divided into a plurality of integral 
extrusions of rectangular cross-section each having dimensions of 
approximately 0.125 in..times.0.77 in. The extrusions are severed at 
predetermined dimensions by cutting the extrusions simultaneously at a 
predetermined frequency with the cutter assembly 26. 
In the illustrated embodiment, the frequency of the cutter assembly 26 is 
set so that each shred has a dimension of approximately 0.125 in. in the 
direction of extrusion. It will be appreciated that this dimension is 
dependent upon the rate of extrusion as well as the frequency of 
reciprocation of the cutter 26. The speed of the ram assembly 22 and 
frequency of the cutter 26 preferably are independently variable so that 
adjustments may be made according to variations in the characteristics of 
the different types of cheese which may be extruded with the apparatus. 
The wires of the cutter assembly 26 should move through the extrusions 
sufficiently quickly, relative to the ram speed to provide the shreds with 
a substantially square cross-section. 
As an alternative to the first step of the method described above, the 
cheese might be preformed into blocks or sticks having dimensions 
approximately equal to those of the chambers 12, instead of being 
compressed into blocks or sticks by the ram 122. 
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the present invention 
provides a novel and improved method and apparatus for producing cheese 
shreds, which enables trim and the like to be formed into relatively 
small, relatively uniform shreds which are acceptable for consumer sale. 
The apparatus has various features to minimize damage to the cheese during 
operation. Use of two separate chambers 12 enables the apparatus to be 
used with two different types of cheese simultaneously or sequentially 
without intermixing. In producing shreds of different types of cheese, 
different ram speeds may be desirable, and sequential, rather than 
simultaneous, shred production may accordingly be preferable. 
While a preferred embodiment has been described above and illustrated in 
the accompanying drawings, there is no intent to limit the scope of the 
invention to this or any other particular embodiment. The scope of the 
invention is defined by the language and spirit of the following claims.