A novel method and apparatus of controlling dough feeding to process and portioning machines in automated processing lines is provided. The completed system can supply dough and dough like materials to a portioner and or allow it to continue its operation during a period of time when the one or more feeding machine needs to go to a mixer to obtain another load of bulk material, a refill cycle, and returns to a home station so as to resume feeding operations of dough. The desired effect is to have a feeding system that can both store dough to continue dough supply to one or more portioning machine(s) while the feeding machine(s) can go to a mixer to obtain a new batch of bulk dough and again return to home position where it can feed dough to one or more conveyor system(s) to maintain feed of dough to portioning machine(s) without an interruption due to stoppages in feed arising from the need for the feeder to go to a mixer and receive additional dough from the mixer and then return to the feeding conveyors. Additionally the controller allows for a variety of settings regarding the dough level and the portioner to prevent air entrapment.

A product multiplying system or a multiplier may divide a product into a plurality of units and may increase a number of units of the product that may be released into a receptacle. The product multiplying system or a multiplier may increase the number of units of the product by a factor of two and may not jam the products. The product multiplying system or a multiplier may match a rate of cuts per minute of a first divider and a second divider. A first set and a second set of a plurality of diagonal channels may guide the product toward a center discharge guide and toward an outside discharge guide, respectively. Additionally, the product may be divided and rounded prior to being transferred to the multiplier where the product may be dusted.

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.

The present invention relates to a food forming drum comprising a multitude of rows product cavities, each row comprising a multitude of product cavities, wherein the product cavities are provided as one or more at least partially porous members made from a porous material with interconnecting pores. The present invention further relates to a food forming apparatus comprising a food forming drum and a porous member. Additionally, the present invention relates to a movable unit to transport a drum and a method to change a drum or clean the food forming apparatus.

The invention relates to a device for guiding and supplying dough to a dough processing or transporting means comprising a receiving chamber with at least one belt conveyor comprising a conveyor belt forming at least part of a side wall of the receiving chamber. The receiving chamber is further provided with at least two sealing strips mounted at opposing side ends of the conveyor, wherein the sealing strips create a seal between the conveyor belt and an adjacent stationary wall forming another part of the side wall of the receiving chamber. The invention further relates to a chunker for subdividing dough into smaller parts comprising said device.

The invention relates to a device for portioning a dough mass, comprising a receiving chamber for holding said dough mass comprising a discharge opening, a pair of opposing rotary cutters provided at the discharge opening and arranged for rotation in mutually opposite directions, wherein each cutter comprises at least one blade rotatable around a rotary axis, which blade cooperates with the blade of the other cutter for cutting the dough mass into separate portions, and a release agent delivery system for applying a release agent onto the blades of the rotary cutters, wherein the release agent delivery system is configured for applying the release agent on opposing sides of each of the blades. The invention further relates to a release agent delivery system for use in such a device and a method for portioning a dough mass using such a device.

Disclosed are embodiments of a dough proofer for a commercial bakery that can receive dough pieces from a dough divider onto trays. Each tray has cups that hold dough pieces. The trays are moved through the proofer by a conveyor system. The proofer has a checkweigher. The checkweigher also uses the same conveyor system and has (1) a tray tipper that tips a tray of dough pieces to make the dough pieces fall out of the tray; (2) a row of gates under the tray to receive and hold the dough pieces and release the dough pieces so that they fall back into their original cups and tray; (3) a row of load cells associated with gates that produces weight data indicative of dough piece weights; and (4) a controller that controls the divider based upon the weight data so that the dough pieces exhibit a substantially uniform target weight.

Disclosed are embodiments of a dough proofer for a commercial bakery that can receive dough pieces from a dough divider onto trays. Each tray has cups that hold dough pieces. The trays are moved through the proofer by a conveyor system. The proofer has a checkweigher. The checkweigher also uses the same conveyor system and has (1) a tray tipper that tips a tray of dough pieces to make the dough pieces fall out of the tray; (2) a row of gates under the tray to receive and hold the dough pieces and release the dough pieces so that they fall back into their original cups and tray; (3) a row of load cells associated with gates that produces weight data indicative of dough piece weights; and (4) a controller that controls the divider based upon the weight data so that the dough pieces exhibit a substantially uniform target weight.

A portioning machine reducing bulk semi-viscous material portions to lesser semi-viscous material portions and methods of operating and using are provided. The apparatus includes one or more horizontal conveyor belts with a stream of bulk semi-viscous material portions thereon processing a bulk semi-viscous portion from the stream. Two or more vertical conveyors are provided communicating with an end of the one or more horizontal conveyors and entraining the bulk semi-viscous material portions there between. A portioner sectioner is provided along with a controller, where the controller is adapted to operate the at least one horizontal conveyor to feed and thereby entrain the bulk semi-viscous material in the two or more vertical conveyors, which in turn entrain and pull a lesser portion of semi-viscous material from the bulk semi-viscous material portion and the controller is further adapted to drive the portioner sectioner into the bulk semi-viscous material portion to sever the lesser portion of semi-viscous material portion from the bulk semi-viscous material portion and thereby convey the lesser semi-viscous material portion up the at least two vertical conveyors.

A portioning machine reducing bulk semi-viscous material portions to lesser semi-viscous material portions and methods of operating and using are provided. The apparatus includes one or more horizontal conveyor belts with a stream of bulk semi-viscous material portions thereon processing a bulk semi-viscous portion from the stream. Two or more vertical conveyors are provided communicating with an end of the one or more horizontal conveyors and entraining the bulk semi-viscous material portions there between. A portioner sectioner is provided along with a controller, where the controller is adapted to operate the at least one horizontal conveyor to feed and thereby entrain the bulk semi-viscous material in the two or more vertical conveyors, which in turn entrain and pull a lesser portion of semi-viscous material from the bulk semi-viscous material portion and the controller is further adapted to drive the portioner sectioner into the bulk semi-viscous material portion to sever the lesser portion of semi-viscous material portion from the bulk semi-viscous material portion and thereby convey the lesser semi-viscous material portion up the at least two vertical conveyors.