Patent GB-1207802-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to dough manipulation machines
Inventor: PICKLES KENNETH
IPC: A21C9/08
Filed: 1966-11-05
Abstract: 1,207,802. Folding dough. TWEEDY (CHIPPING) Ltd. 1 Nov., 1967 [5 Nov., 1966], No. 49688/66. Heading B5A. The operative surfaces of a machine, against which breadmaking dough or plastics substances of a similar plastic consistency are engaged in the folding thereof, are gas permeable whereby a gas under pressure e.g. of 5 p.s.i., is supplied to the surface to provide a lubricating layer. In the Fig. 3 embodiment, a dough folding machine is supplied with an elongated dough roll formed from a sheet delivered by hopper rollers on to an endless belt conveyer; the sheet is coiled by a chain mail coiler and is carried under an inclined board, whereby an elongated cellular structure is produced, and then passes under three stationary adjustable blades, whereby it is necked into four smaller pieces. It is then delierved to the folding machine beneath an aligning roller wrapped in chain mail sheet and pivotally suspended thereby above the conveyer. The folding machine comprises a bed (42), Fig. 2, not shown, inclined from the end of the conveyer (12) and supporting side walls 54, which are laterally adjustable and comprise successive inwardly directed and parallel portions, forming part of boxes 50, 52. The sliding fall of the dough piece down the inclined bed (42) is arrested by an adjustably positionable and pneumatically lowered and raised pin 71 engaging at the centre neck of the piece, and the outer ends of the piece also engage the inwardly directed portions of the walls 54 whereby the intermediate dough portions sag into a "W" configuration and then engage and lift a pair of rollers 78 whereby a shaft 74 is rotated to actuate, via a cam 80 actuated valve 82, a double acting pneumatic cylinder which raises pin 71 to permit the dough piece to fall over a roller 88 into a pan for proving. The bed (42) and walls 54 comprise perforated plastics whereby air under pressure which is supplied to the interior of bed 42 and to the boxes 50, 52 acts to prevent sticking of the dough. The pin 71 is similarly perforated and supplied with compressed air. The necking blades and pin 71 may be rendered inoperative, the unnecked dough produced being merely aligned by the rollers 78 and walls 54, or folded by engagement with the walls 54. An alternative form of folding machine, Fig. 6, comprises an open topped box which receives a similarly necked dough piece. Pneumatically actuated opposed sets of manipulator blades 154, 156 and 142, 144, 146 enter the box to engage the dough piece, through slotted opposite side walls 124, 126 of the box, at the ends and intermediate necks thereof, whereby it is folded into a "W" formation; the blades are retracted and the box end walls 128, 130 are pneumatically inwardly displaced to squash the "W" piece, and the box bottom then slides to one side permitting the dough to drop into a pan on a conveyer. The inside walls of the box and the manipulator blades are covered with a finely porous material whereby pressure air is supplied to prevent sticking of the dough. In another embodiment, Fig. 7 (not shown), sheeted dough is necked into three sections by a pair of spaced longitudinal grooves along the upper surface thereof and is delivered on to a flat bed (160) comprising three vertically pivotable portions (164, 162 and 166); the outer portions whereof pivot in turn to fold the edge portions of the dough sheet along the grooves over on to the centre portion. The bed portions are pneumatically actuated and the top surfaces thereof are covered with air permeable plastics connected to a compressed air supply.