Patent ID: 8161871

Claim:
An apparatus for making an expanded food product from a starch-containing raw material, the apparatus comprising: a driving system; a mold which defines a mold cavity and has at least one movable mold element connected to the driving system that moves the mold element into and out of the mold cavity; wherein the driving system comprises: a fluid reservoir, a pump; a feed line connected to the pump and the fluid reservoir; a return line connected to the fluid reservoir; at least one hydraulic cylinder connected to the feed line and to the return line, the hydraulic cylinder is connected to and moves the mold element into and out of the mold cavity; a plurality of valves, at least one feed valve is connected in the feed line and at least one return valve is connected in the return line; and a control unit that controls the operation of the fee and return valves to control the flow of fluid to the hydraulic cylinder and back to the reservoir; a raw material supply system that transports raw material into the mold cavity in the mold a dosimeter plate with cup forming holes; a transport plate; two sliding plates, each of the sliding plates is perforated and disposed along opposite sides of the dosimeter plate and located above a transport plate; and a moving system that shifts the two sliding plates to open or close the cups in the dosimeter plate towards a raw material source or towards the transport plate.