Forming, filling and clipping machine for food products.

Abstract: The technical field involved is that of food industries, and the invention relates to a forming, filling and clipping machine for food products which allows to automate the operations to achieve high productivity. The solution consists of a machine comprising a mold (1) supported by a longitudinally movable slide (11) provided with a pusher (4) for the conveyance of the product through a casing-holder tube (6) which is provided with means (9,10) adapted for the braking and locking of the casing (8), a device (20) for locking the product on a plane (21) adapted to receive it at the output from the casing-holder tube (6), a clipping head (14) on a transversely movable slide (15) provided with an abutment element (16) adapted to arrange itself in such a position as to make contact with the end of the product (17) which faces said head in the locking device (20).

Description: The present invention relates to a forming, filling and clipping machine for food products. It is known that currently the obtainment of the food product consisting of a piece of meat, such as for example bacon or salted meat, in a substantially cylindrical shape filled into a synthetic casing clipped at the ends, is achieved by means of a series of non automatic operations, which entail the use of a mold on which the casing is manually inserted, and of a twin-head clipping machine on which the operator first of all provides the clipping of one end, and subsequently the manual traction of the casing, forming the product, finally performing the clipping of the other end, cutting the casing. This procedure has the evident disadvantageous characteristic of requiring a considerable use of manual labor, such as to considerably burden the cost of the product. Also known from GB-A-2,075,059 is an apparatus for stuffing a pliable article into a casing. The ham is placed in a chamber, a lid is closed, and a piston is then operated to compress the ham laterally. A piston is then advanced to force the ham into a tube, and a central part of the piston continues to advance to push the ham right through the tube into the casing. Air escapes through holes and between the shirred casing and its support, and rings hold back the casing from slipping forwardly. The aim of the present invention is to provide a forming, filling and clipping machine which allows a good automation of the individual operations, so as to have great productivity with a low use of labor, and which prepares the casing in an optimum condition for clipping. The proposed aim is achieved by a forming, filling and clipping machine for food products comprising a mold adapted to form the product, provided with a pusher for the conveyance of said product after its forming through a casing-holder tube which extends from a wall of the mold; means adapted to determine the braking or locking of a casing in its sliding movement in contact with the casing-holder tube; characterized in that said mold is supported by a slide having means for its movement in the longitudinal direction of the machine which coincides with the direction of advancement of the processed product; a device for locking the product on a resting plane adapted to receive said product at the output from the casing-holder tube; a clipping head supported by a slide which is arranged in an intermediate position with respect to the slide which is movable in a longitudinal direction and with respect to the locking device and is provided with means for moving in the transverse direction of the machine, said clipping head being provided with an abutment element which is appropriately shaped and provided with means for its movement, and being adapted to arrange itself in such a position as to make contact with the end of the product which faces said head when said product is located at the locking device. Further characteristics and advantages will become apparent from the description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of the invention, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein: figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention in the condition in which it is arranged when ready to receive a product to be processed; figure 2 is a partial perspective view of the invention in the moment immediately preceding the clipping and cutting operation. With reference to the above described figures, the reference numeral 1 indicates the mold supported by the structure 1a adapted for the formation of the product, with the cover 2 moved by the pneumatic cylinder 2a; said mold is provided with the slideable screen 3 for the protection of the operator, and means are provided, not illustrated in the figure, by virtue of which the closure of the cover 2 occurs only when said screen 3 has been closed. The numeral 4 then indicates a pusher actuated by a pneumatic cylinder contained inside the carter 5, adapted to push the product, after its forming, through the casing-holder tube 6 which indeed leads with one of its ends into the mold 1; at said end the tube 6 is connected to the plate 6a adapted to removably associate, with a wall of the mold, by insertion in the sliding guides 7a and 7b and thus it is easy to remove said tube when the supply of casing 8 accumulated proximate to said plate is exhausted, to replace it with a new tube loaded with casing. The machine is provided with means adapted to determine the braking or locking of the casing 8 in its sliding movement in contact with the casing-holder tube 6, comprising the two counterposed skids 9 and 10, respectively actuated by the pneumatic cylinders 9a and 10a supported by the plates 9b and 10b and adapted to operate with differentiated pressure as will become apparent in the description of the operation of the invention. One of the main characteristics of the invention resides in the fact that the structure 1a supporting the mold 1 and the plates 9b and 10b supporting the means for braking and locking the casing on the tube 6 are connected to the slide 11 which is provided with means for moving in the longitudinal direction of the machine, which coincides with the direction of movement of the processed product, comprising the pneumatic cylinder 12 with the end of the stem connected to the crosspiece 13 fixed to flaps such as 13a which extend from the lower face of said slide 11. The clipping head, generally indicated by the reference numeral 14, is mounted on the slide 15 provided with means for moving in a transverse direction with respect to the machine between the two extreme positions respectively illustrated in the figures, and comprises in a known manner the pincers 14a operated by the pneumatic cylinder 14b, of the type capable of applying to the casing two clips with a small string such as 14c at the clip nearest to the tube 6, and to perform the cutting of the casing in the portion comprised between the two clips. Said clipping head is provided with the abutment element 16 pivoted at 16a and moved by the pneumatic cylinder 16b, which is adapted to move from the position illustrated in figure 1 to the position illustrated in figure 2 substantially in contact with the end of the product 17, as will become apparent in the description of the operation, and is furthermore provided with the fork 18 pivoted at 18a and moved by the pneumatic cylinder 18b, which has the function of pushing the casing into the position indicated in figure 2 so as to impart thereto the optimum arrangement in the clipping area. The nozzle 19 is also provided on the slide 15 and is adapted to release a stream of air substantially from below upwards against the casing protruding from the tube 6, according to functional aspects which will be specified hereinafter. Finally, the reference numeral 20 generally indicates a device for locking the product 17 so as to rest on the roller table 21, comprising the substantially vertical fixed wall 22 having a longitudinal direction, and the parallel wall 23 which is transversely movable by virtue of the action of the pneumatic cylinder 24 supported by the fixed wall 25 which is removably locked in an adjustable position. The description of the operation of the invention starts from the condition illustrated in figure 1, with the machine ready to receive the product to be processed: the mold 1 is open, the casing 8 has a portion protruding from the casing-holder tube 6 clipped at the end with a string, the slide 11 is at its most advanced excursion limit in the direction of advancement of the product during the processing step, the slider 15 supporting the clipping head is at its outward excursion limit and the fork 18, the pincers 14a and the abutment element 16 are raised on said head, the wall 23 of the locking device 20 is in open position, i.e. in the position farthest away from the fixed wall 22, and finally there is low pressure in the pneumatic cylinders 9a and 10a for the control of the skids 9 and 10, so that said skids can perform the function of braking the casing 8 in its sliding movement in contact with the tube 6. The operator inserts a piece of meat into the mold 1 and, closing the screen 3, determines the closure of the cover 2; the pie ce is thus formed, and the operator starts the automatic processing sequence which first of all provides the entire movement of the pusher 4 such as to move the formed piece into the tube 6 until it makes contact with the clipped end of the casing 8, and so as to make it subsequently reach the roller table 21, in the position illustrated in figure 2, with unwinding of the casing from the tube 6. In determining the contact grip of the piece with the clipped end of the casing, with expulsion of the air contained therein, a primary role is played by the braking of the casing exerted by the skids 9 and 10 pushed by a reduced pressure in the actuation cylinders against said casing in contact with the tube 6. The product resting on the plane 21 is gripped between the wall 22 and the wall 23 which is advanced so as to lock it, so as to allow the trouble-free retraction of the pusher 4 to the initial position illustrated in figure 1. At this point the slide 15 supporting the clipping head can advance, reaching the excursion limit indicated in figure 2, and the pincers 14a of said clipper descends; the abutment element 16 also descends, so as to substantially make contact with the product 17 and thus, after an increase in the pressure in the cylinders actuating the skids 9 and 10 has moved the same into the condition of locking the casing on the tube 6, and after the locking device 20 has opened, the slide 11 can start moving with a direction of movement which is opposite to that performed by the product to determine the traction of the casing. In this step the presence of the abutment element 16 prevents the end of the product from deformating by elongation, possibly invading the clipping area, maintaining instead a substantially hemispherical rounded form, and prepares the casing in the optimum condition for clipping. This function is also performed by the subsequent descent of the fork 18, and the situation at this point is the one illustrated in figure 2; the clipping head then performs the double clipping with an intermediate cut, so as to complete the processing of the product 17 and prepares the casing with the end thereof clipped with a string for the processing of a subsequent product, and the pincers 14, the fork 18 and the abutment element 16 subsequently rise. The skids 15 and 11 also return to their initial condition illustrated in figure 1, and at the beginning of the movement of the slide 15 the emission of a stream of air from the nozzle 19 against the casing 8 in the portion protruding from the tube 6 is caused, so as to ensure the disengagement of the end clipped with a string from the clipping head. From what has been described it is apparent that the high automation achieved by the machine allows an optimum processing of the product from the quality point of view, with a considerable saving of labor with respect to the systems currently in use. The invention thus described is susceptible to numerous modifications and variations: moreover, all the elements may be replaced with other technically equivalent elements. In the practical embodiment of the invention, the materials employed, as well as the shapes and dimensions, may be any suitable. Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the scope of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims: Forming, filling and clipping machine for food products comprising a mold (1) adapted to form the product, provided with a pusher (4) for the conveyance of said product after its forming through a casing-holder tube (6) which extends from a wall of the mold (1); means (9,9a,9b,10,10a,10b) adapted to determine the braking or locking of a casing (8) in its sliding movement in contact with the casing-holder tube (6); characterized in that said mold is supported by a slide (11) having means (12) for its movement in the longitudinal direction of the machine which coincides with the direction of advancement of the processed product; a device (20) for locking the product (17) on a resting plane (21) adapted to receive said product at the output from the casing-holder tube (6); a clipping head (14) supported by a slide (15) which is arranged in an intermediate position with respect to the slide (11) which is movable in a longitudinal direction and with respect to the locking device (20) and is provided with means for moving in the transverse direction of the machine, said clipping head (14) being provided with an abutment element (16) which is appropriately shaped and provided with means (16b) for its movement, and being adapted to arrange itself in such a position as to make contact with the end of the product (17) which faces said head when said product is located at the locking device (20). Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the clipping head (14) is provided, at the face facing the casing-holder tube (6), with a fork (18) pivoted thereon and provided with movement means (18b), adapted to impart to the casing (8) the optimum arrangement in the clipping area. Machine according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the presence on the slide (15) which supports the clipping head (14) of a nozzle (19) adapted to emit, after the clipping, a stream of air substantially directed from below upwards against the portion of casing protruding from the casing-holder tube (6), so as to ensure the release of the end clipped with a possible string from the clipping head (14). Machine according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mold (1) is provided with a screen (3) to protect the operator, and with means adapted to determine its closure upon the closure of said screen (3). Machine according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the means for the movement of the slides (11,15) which are respectively movable in a longitudinal and transverse direction consist of pneumatic cylinders (12,14b). Machine according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the casing-holder tube (6) is provided at one end with a plate (6a) adapted to removably associate, by insertion in sliding guides (7a,7b), with a wall of the mold (1). Machine according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the means adapted to determine the braking or the locking of the casing (8) in its sliding movement in contact with the casing-holder tube (6) comprise two substantially counterposed skids (9,10) actuated by pneumatic cylinders (9a,10a) adapted to operate with differentiated pressure. Machine according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device (20) for locking the product (17) on a resting plane at the output from the casing-holder tube (6) comprises a substantially vertical fixed wall (22) having a longitudinal direction and a substantially parallel facing wall (23), movable in a transverse direction, so as to compress the product against said fixed wall.

Inventors: BOLZACCHINI, ALDO
Applicants: INOX MECCANICA S.R.L.
Application year: 1987
Main classification: A22C11
IPC codes: A22C11