Patent GB-1124669-A (GB)
Title: Wafer cutting apparatus and method
Inventor: SCHOTT CHARLES MANDEVILLE
IPC: A21C15/04
Filed: 1966-11-23
Abstract: 1,124,669. Moulding chocolate coated wafers. MARS Inc. 23 Nov., 1966, No. 52442/66. Heading B5A. [Also in Division F2] Chocolate coated confections, comprising two fingers of multiple-layer (8) (Fig. 1, not shown), wafer material sandwiched with filling (10) and coated with chocolate and interconnected by a chocolate web (14), are produced face downwards in moulds 20, each comprising two rows 24, 26 of pairs of interconnected cavities (a, b) (Fig. 4, not shown), which contain chocolate and are intermittently indexed, by the apparatus of Specification 998,898, along a mould track past four wafer cutting and mould wafer filling units 701, 702, 703 and 704 which units each comprise a cutter head 705 on the face of which is mounted a series of parallel thin blades 706 and which head reciprocates horizontally across the machine between the mould track and a position in which wafer slabs 16a, 16b are loaded from each side on to a platen 773, faced with rubber, which platen reciprocates vertically against the head 705 to sever the slabs which are retained as wafer pieces between the blades 706 when the cutter head 705 is displaced over a mould 20 where ejectors force out every fourth wafer piece into the cavities in the manner as described in Specification 998,898; the moulds index one position whilst the cutter heads index perpendicularly to the line of moulds to align the next set of wafers; the units Operate in pairs, units 701 and 703 simultaneously operate to fill the first cavities of each interconnected cavity pair whilst units 702 and 704 simultaneously operate to fill the alternate cavities, with one of the unit pairs being in a loading position whilst the other is in a mould filling position. The main shaft 711 of the machine is driven from the main moulding plant power line shaft 1150 via chain drive connection through a worm-gear system (1154) (Figs. 7 and 20, not shown) to a sprocket (1157) engageable with shaft 711 only-in one synchronized position with respect to the mould positions by a clutch arrangement (1158). A shaft (716) (Fig. 8, not shown) is chain driven from shaft 711 and in turn drives cranks 723, 724, 180 degrees out-of-phase whereby, via link connections 733, 732 respectively to the ends of levers 737, 742, slides 747 and 749 are reciprocated in unison from crank 723 alternately to effect simultaneous feed from wafer stacks 751 to units 701 and 703 or 702 and 704, and slides 746, 748 and 750 are similarly operated from crank 724. The cutting platens 773 of all units 701-704 are simultaneously vertically reciprocated by connecting rods 772 of cranks 771 rotated by chain belt drive 769, 764, 763 from the shaft 760 on which is mounted the crank drive 771 for unit 703; shaft 760 is drivingly connected by chain 755 to the output shaft (1114) (Figs. 11 and 12, not shown) of a gear-box 714 on which output shaft (1114) is provided a single revolution clutch comprising a clutch housing (1107) continuously revolved from shaft 711 and a clutch-plate (1109) disengaged by the engagement therewith of one arm of a 90 degree arm pair on a pivoted pawl (1108), the other arm whereof is actuated by a trip lever (1111) driven from the shaft (711) whereby the pawl (1108) is disengaged to permit engagement of clutch (1107) for one revolution to rotate the output shaft 1114, the gear arrangement producing one revolution of platens 773 for every four of shaft 711. Indexing mechanisms (804, 805) (Figs. 19, 21, 22, not shown) are driven via a reduction worm-gear (801) and are each provided with two output shafts (806, 807 and 806a, 807a) connected to bevel gear drives (812) which rotate a shaft (816) in each unit 701-704 from which an adjustably tensioned chain belt (818) is intermittently driven in one direction to effect simultaneous reciprocation, via a dependant pin (824) connection to a sliding block (826), of a respective pair of cutter heads (705) between the cutting and mould filling position. The wafer discharge system (Figs. 17, 18 and 19, not shown) is powered from the main shaft 711 via a bevel gear-box (712) connection to the input (902) to an index gear system (903) providing alternately 45 degrees of output followed by an equal dwell time of an output shaft (1120) for each continuous revolution of shaft 711, and the shaft (1120) powers an alternating gear-box (904) the output shafts (1130 and 1123) whereof each alternately rotate four times with an equal period of dwell and then dwell whilst the other output shaft rotates intermittently four times. The alternate rotation of the shafts (1130 and 1123) is effected in the box (904) by the alternate engagement with gears (1124, 1124a) respectively thereon of a large gear (1121) on shaft (1120) provided with teeth only over 180 degrees of circumference; the initial shock of engagement is minimized by the engagement of a pin (917) on gear (1121) impinging on respective arms (1133, 1133a) fixed to the gears (1124 and 1124a), and a cam-plate (1128) mounted on gear (1121) engages one end of two pivoted levers (1122 and 1129) provided at their other ends with rollers (913) which located with detents associated with the gears (1124 and 1124a) to ensure correct location thereof. The drive from the output shafts (1123 and 1130) is transmitted to bevel boxes (919, 918) associated with a respective head (701 or 702) from whence it is transmitted to a bevel box (919a, 918a) of an associated respective head (703 or 704). Chain belts (930-933) transmit each bevel box output to a splined shaft (935) (Figs. 14-16, not shown) extending across the machine through each cutter head assembly on which a slidable gear (922) transmits rotation to a parallel shaft (927) whereon cranks (924 and 925) Vertically reciprocate rods (924a and 925a) connected to the wafer pushing out mechanism of Specification 998,898. When the cutting head reaches the mould line every fourth wafer is discharged into a cavity and the head is indexed perpendicularly thereto to permit alignment of the other wafers over the cavities of successive moulds; a drive from the shaft 711 is transmitted to a miter gear-box (1008) on unit (703) and thence to a similar box (1010) on each of the other units from which a constantly rotating splined shaft (1007) extends the width of the machine through each cutter head assembly and through a barrel cam (1011) therein, whereby the cutter head assembly (705) is displaced with respect to head 1500 to present the selective wafer discharge pads to discharge actuators.