Patent ID: 6964562

Claim:
A die and cutter assembly for an extruder for producing an extruded food piece containing a filling, the extruder including a first pressure vessel for containing a mash of the food under pressure, a second pressure vessel for containing the filling under pressure, a pressure exerting device for maintaining pressure in the pressure vessels, and first and second manifolds in fluid communication with the first and second pressure vessels, respectively, said die and cutter assembly being attachable in fluid communication with the first and second manifolds, and comprising: an elongated extrusion member, said elongated extrusion member including a tubular extrusion wall; an extrusion end cap, said extrusion end cap being removably attached to one end of said tubular extrusion wall; an opened feed end formed on a second, opposite end of said elongated extrusion member, said opened feed end being attachable in fluid communication with the first manifold of the extruder; a filling passageway formed in said tubular extrusion wall, said filling passageway being attachable to the second manifold of the extruder; an extension formed on said elongated extrusion member; a first filling passageway extension, said first filing passageway extension being in communication with and removably mounted to said filling passageway, said first filling passageway extension extending generally transverse to said filling passageway and into said extension of said elongated extrusion member; an extrusion die formed on said extension of said elongated extrusion member; and a cutter member having an opened drivable end, an elongated cutter wall, and an opened cutter end with a cutting surface for cutting extrudate to a desired length as the extrudate exits the die, said cutter member being disposed at least partially over and reciprocally slideable on the extrusion wall and operably connectable at the drivable end to a drive device of the extruder for reciprocatably sliding the cutting surface of the cutter member over and away from the extrusion die.