Patent GB-779831-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in dough dividing and kneading machines
IPC: A21C5/08
Filed: 1954-03-15
Abstract: 779,831. Machines for dividing and kneading dough. SCHRODER, H. March 15, 1954 [March 17, 1953; April 29, 1953; July 23, 1953; Nov. 28, 1953], No. 7417/54. Class 87(2). [Also in Group XXIV] In a machine of the type having a gyratory dough-supporting plate 12, Fig. 1, a presser head 39, a cutter star 55 and a dough-surrounding ring 42, the control shaft 27 that revolves once during one working cycle to operate the plate, presser head and cutter star is positioned above the head-star-ring assembly. Figs. 1, 2, 3, 10, 11 and 13 show a machine in which the shaft 27 is supported by lower bearing bushes 31 fixed to a casing 28, and upper bearing bushes 32, The shaft 27 acts on the dough-contacting parts by pusher means, and when a protective cover 33 has been lifted off the casing and the upper bushes have been removed the shaft can be lifted out of the lower bushes. The shaft 27 is rotated by a motor 2 that imparts gyratory movement to plate 12, or by a separate motor : as shown it is rotated by motor 2 via belting 5, 18, Fig. 2, displaceable coupling 20, worm shaft 26, worm 24 and worm wheel 25. If the electricity supply fails the shaft 27 may be turned, to divide the dough, by means of a hand lever 38. The casing 28 is pivoted at 29, Fig. 3, on the base 1 of the machine and can be raised about this pivot, for cleaning purposes by means of a hand-operated nut-and-screw mechanism 30 on the side of the machine opposed-to the pivot. The presser head is depressed by a crank. 70, Fig. 10, on shaft 27, the crank operating through a bar 72 that enters a recess 74 in a spring- supported plate 75 on the presser head. After the head has been depressed a spring 73 withdraws bar 72 from recess 74 to the broken-line position shown, whereupon springs 45, Fig. 11, raise the head. The head has guides 40, Fig. 1, which slide in sleeves 41. The dough-surrounding ring 42 has guides 43 which slide in sleeves 44. This ring is depressed by hand but raised by the control shaft 27. The ring is normally held in the raised, Fig. 28, position by a tension spring 301 connected to a dog 300 fixed on a guide bar 43 and is moved to the operative position shown in Fig. 30 by manually pulling a pivoted rod 309 clockwise, this rod acting on the ring through linkages 307, 305, 303, 302, 300. When the rod 309 is thus pulled a tappet 321, Fig. 32, on the shaft 308 thereof, acts on a pawl 317 to allow a spring 314 to move the coupling 20, Fig. 2, to engaged position, whereupon shaft 27 moves through one revolution, and as the shaft completes its revolution a pin 138 on the worm wheel 25 acts on a tappet 323 on shaft 308 to restore the rod and the ring to the Fig. 28 position. The coupling is not engaged if the ring does not seat properly on the dough-supporting plate. The cutter star 55 is moved down and up by cam rollers 49, 50, Fig. 11, mounted on an arm 51 fixed to shaft 27, these rollers acting on a counterweighted shaped lever 47 that is pivoted at 48 on the casing 28 and attached by link 54 to the cutter star. The dough-supporting table 12 is gyrated by the following means : the motor 2, Fig. 1, rotates (through the intermediary of belt 5, shaft 7, and worm gearing) discs 8, Figs. 1 and 13. On each disc is mounted a displaceable eccentric 9 which engages table 12. When the eccentrics are displaced from the central position shown in Fig. 1 the table 12 gyrates. The eccentrics are displaced by adjustable tappets 78, 79, Fig. 13, fixed on shaft 27, these tappets depressing a rod 83 and hence a rod 16 on the end of a lever 13 fulorummed at 14. The resultant ascent of the left-hand end, Fig. 1, of lever 13 raises shafts 10, and these shafts act through links 11, to move eccentrics 9 from their central positions. The duration of the kneading operation may be varied by turning a handwheel 79a, Fig. 1, which adjusts the tappets 78, 79 : alternatively these tappets may be replaced by a device for continuously varying the kneading throw, e.g. decreasing it, as in Specification 774,504. As rod 83 descends, an adjustable stop 88, Fig. 3, thereon moves a lever 89 to raise the presser head to allow for the rising of the dough lumps as they are kneaded. Figs. 16 and 17 show a modified machine in which the control shaft 27 is driven by its own motor 113 through pinion 111, gear 126 loose on worm shaft 26, slidable coupling 129, shaft 26, worm 24 and worm wheel 25. When a pin 139 is pulled manually to the left the shaft 27 turns clockwise through one revolution and then stops (see Group XXIV). The upper part of the casing 28 is divided into three chambers 114, 155, 116, Fig. 16, chamber 114 forming an oil reservoir for shaft 126, chamber 115 accommodating the driving parts for the cutter star and presser head, and chamber 116 housing the tappets 78, 79, which are accessible, for adjustment of the kneading throw, through an opening 121. Fig. 20 shows a modified resilient presser head 39 in which the springs 76 bear on a frame 148 pivoted at 39a and having a pressure-adjusting screw 149. Fig. 24 shows another modified machine in which the presser head 39 is depressed by shaft 27 through arms 70, 72 and link 200 pivoted at 201 to a lever 202 pivoted at 205 to the presser head and at 204 to tension springs 206 which are adjustable by nut, screw and bevel gear means 213 to accommodate different quantities of dough. Specifications 774,505 and 774,506 also are referred to.