A system that includes a mould drum having one or more product cavities, a first front end, and a second front end; a forming apparatus, which utilizes the mould drum to form food products from a food mass; a cleaning apparatus, which cleans the mould drum after forming the food products, the cleaning apparatus is remote from the forming apparatus; a movable unit that is configured to transport the mould drum from the forming apparatus to the cleaning apparatus, and vice versa; and a support structure and a spindle, which are reversibly attached to the forming apparatus during production and reversibly attached to the movable unit during the transport of the mould drum.

Various examples are related to making flatbreads such as, e.g., a compact machine for making flatbread in a residential kitchen-type environment or other countertop, tabletop, or space limited applications. In one example, a machine includes a hopper including a mixing chamber configured for bulk addition of raw materials for preparation of flatbread pieces; a mixing assembly configured to blend the raw materials into a flatbread dough mixture; a dough piecing assembly configured to generate a dough piece from an extruded portion of the flatbread dough mixture; a lower platen configured to transfer the pressed flatbread dough piece to a cooking zone on the dough contacting surface for cooking; and a flatbread ejection station configured to remove a cooked flatbread piece from the machine. A second cooking zone can be included to further cook the pressed flatbread dough piece prior to ejection from the machine.

Various examples are related to making flatbreads such as, e.g., a compact machine for making flatbread in a residential kitchen-type environment or other countertop, tabletop, or space limited applications. In one example, a machine includes a hopper including a mixing chamber configured for bulk addition of raw materials for preparation of flatbread pieces; a mixing assembly configured to blend the raw materials into a flatbread dough mixture; a dough piecing assembly configured to generate a dough piece from an extruded portion of the flatbread dough mixture; a lower platen configured to transfer the pressed flatbread dough piece to a cooking zone on the dough contacting surface for cooking; and a flatbread ejection station configured to remove a cooked flatbread piece from the machine. A second cooking zone can be included to further cook the pressed flatbread dough piece prior to ejection from the machine.

The present invention relates to a device for providing a dough piece on a movable substrate, comprising a substrate, movable in a transport direction for dough pieces with a substrate speed, at least one dough supplier, configured for continuously supplying a dough stream in a supply direction with a supply speed to at least one dispensing opening, arranged above a movable substrate; wherein the plane of the dispensing opening has a directional component perpendicular to the transport direction, a knife, arranged movable with respect to the dispensing opening, with a directional component parallel to the plane of the opening for cutting the dough stream into pieces and a directional component in the supply direction of the dough for moving along with the dough, a controller, for controlling the movement of the knife, and configured to repeatedly move a cutting edge of the knife along the dispensing opening for cutting the dough stream into pieces; and move the knife with a directional component in the supply direction of the dough with at least the dough supply speed, during a predetermined interval directly succeeding a cut.

The present invention relates to a device for providing a dough piece on a movable substrate, comprising a substrate, movable in a transport direction for dough pieces with a substrate speed, at least one dough supplier, configured for continuously supplying a dough stream in a supply direction with a supply speed to at least one dispensing opening, arranged above a movable substrate; wherein the plane of the dispensing opening has a directional component perpendicular to the transport direction, a knife, arranged movable with respect to the dispensing opening, with a directional component parallel to the plane of the opening for cutting the dough stream into pieces and a directional component in the supply direction of the dough for moving along with the dough, a controller, for controlling the movement of the knife, and configured to repeatedly move a cutting edge of the knife along the dispensing opening for cutting the dough stream into pieces; and move the knife with a directional component in the supply direction of the dough with at least the dough supply speed, during a predetermined interval directly succeeding a cut.

An apparatus (10) for controlling manufacture of baked products includes a piece forming device (16) configured to form dough pieces b.v reshaping dough lumps, a tunnel oven (22), at least one sensor (28) configured to detect parameters associated with the dough pieces; and a controller (40). The controller (40) correlates parameters associated with the dough pieces (80), target parameters of the baked products, ambient environmental conditions, and settings and conditions of the tunnel oven (22) to generate, based on a multivariate predictive control model, baking parameters of the tunnel oven (22) predicted by the controller to cause the tunnel oven to produce, from the dough pieces inserted into the tunnel oven, the baked products (90) with the target parameters. The controller (40) is also configured to control the tunnel oven (22) to run these baking parameters while the dough pieces are baked in the tunnel oven to produce the baked products having the target parameters.

An apparatus (10) for controlling manufacture of baked products includes a piece forming device (16) configured to form dough pieces b.v reshaping dough lumps, a tunnel oven (22), at least one sensor (28) configured to detect parameters associated with the dough pieces; and a controller (40). The controller (40) correlates parameters associated with the dough pieces (80), target parameters of the baked products, ambient environmental conditions, and settings and conditions of the tunnel oven (22) to generate, based on a multivariate predictive control model, baking parameters of the tunnel oven (22) predicted by the controller to cause the tunnel oven to produce, from the dough pieces inserted into the tunnel oven, the baked products (90) with the target parameters. The controller (40) is also configured to control the tunnel oven (22) to run these baking parameters while the dough pieces are baked in the tunnel oven to produce the baked products having the target parameters.

A method for forming stuffed food includes steps of: step 1: sending and cutting dough wrappers; wherein shaping molds (1001) on a rotation disc (101) are arranged below a sending and cutting station (20); the dough wrappers are cut into pre-set shapes before dropping in the shaping molds (1001); unused dough enters an opening (106) on the rotation disc (101) and is transported downwardly, so as to be collected; and step 2: filling the dough wrappers with stuffing; wherein the shaping molds (1001) transport the dough wrappers to a stuffing injection station (30) where the stuffing is injected onto the dough wrappers. According to the method, the opening on the rotation assembly collects the unused dough and takes full advantage of the space below the rotation assembly. A recycling bin is placed below the opening to collect the unused dough.

A method for forming stuffed food includes steps of: step 1: sending and cutting dough wrappers; wherein shaping molds (1001) on a rotation disc (101) are arranged below a sending and cutting station (20); the dough wrappers are cut into pre-set shapes before dropping in the shaping molds (1001); unused dough enters an opening (106) on the rotation disc (101) and is transported downwardly, so as to be collected; and step 2: filling the dough wrappers with stuffing; wherein the shaping molds (1001) transport the dough wrappers to a stuffing injection station (30) where the stuffing is injected onto the dough wrappers. According to the method, the opening on the rotation assembly collects the unused dough and takes full advantage of the space below the rotation assembly. A recycling bin is placed below the opening to collect the unused dough.

A method for measuring the mass distribution along the width of a strip, in particular a dough strip, moved in the longitudinal direction of the strip and having a specified target width. At least two weighing cells are arranged at a distance to each other with respect to the width of the strip. The weight of at least one dough strand or dough piece having a width defined by the distances of the weighing cells is sensed. The mass of the partial pieces of the strip is determined on the basis of the distance of the weighing cells to each other, the position of the weighing cells along the width of the strip, the strip speed, and the measured values of the weight of the partial pieces sensed by the weighing cells, in particular over a defined time period.