A mounting ring installation system including a torque multiplier introduced to a grinder head to aid in the installation and removal of the mounting ring which holds the grinding plate system securely into the grinder head. The torque multiplying device can have multiple sources of input power including human power or a mechanical source and can be installed on a variety of grinder types and sizes.

A conveyor apparatus for conveying and processing foodstuffs such as meat is provided. The conveyor apparatus includes a filling device, a mincer which can be coupled to the filling device and having an inlet and an outlet, a closure element which can be mounted to the outlet, a signaling device associated with the closure element, and at least one signal line device for the transmission of signals of the signaling device from the closure element to the filling device. The provision of the signaling device and the signal line device allows for prevention of operation of the cutting elements of the mincer when the closure element is not detected to be in a closed position, thereby making maintenance and repair safer to conduct. A method of conveying foodstuffs in accordance with the apparatus is also provided.

One variation of a system for forming a meat patty includes: a cylinder operable in a upright position and an inverted position; a piston running within the cylinder and defining a set of gas ports; a grinder configured to grind meat and to dispense a quantity of ground meat into the cylinder, in the upright position, during a grind cycle; an actuator system configured to transition the cylinder from the upright position to the inverted position during a dispense cycle to dispense the quantity of ground meat from the cylinder; and a gas supply configured to supply gas to the cylinder behind the piston at a first pressure during the grind cycle to limit ingress of ground meat into the gas ports and at a second pressure greater than the first pressure during the dispense cycle to dislodge the quantity of ground meat from the piston.

A grinding machine for grinding foodstuffs, such as meat or the like, includes an orifice plate at the outlet of a grinding head. The orifice plate has collection passages that discharge a mixture of soft material and hard material through the orifice plate. A separator assembly is positioned downstream of the orifice plate for separating the soft material from the hard material. The separator assembly includes a separator chamber that receives the mixture of soft material and hard material, in combination with a rotatable separator screw positioned within the separator chamber. Rotation of the separator screw functions to separate the soft material from the hard material. Soft material is discharged through perforations in the separator chamber and hard material is discharged through a discharge of the separator chamber.

A foodstuff grinding attachment for connection to a rotary drive outlet of a host device. The attachment includes a main body part having a generally tubular hollowed portion for attachment to the host device. A rotatable scroll-type extruding tool is capable of rotating within a cavity formed in the tubular portion of the main body part and couples with the rotary drive outlet when the main body part is attached to the host device. The main body part includes first and second separable components configured to be secured together for operation of the attachment. The components are separable from one another to provide access to the cavity for cleaning.

The present invention relates to a method to grind mass in a grinder (1) wherein the mass is provided to the grinder (1) via a hopper (5) and transported by a feeder worm (2) to a rotating processing worm (3) which conveys the mass towards a cutting set (4) which grinds the mass and wherein the feeder worm (2) initially rotates in a first direction. During production the feeder worm (2) is periodically reversed and/or the speed of rotation of the feeder worm (2) is reduced in case the volume between the feeder worm (2) and the processing worm (3) tends to get blocked with the mass.

A method to grind meat in a grinder, comprises: providing the meat to the grinder via a hopper where the hopper includes a feeder worm for feeding the meat to a process unit. The process unit comprises a rotating processing worm and a cutting set. The rotating processing worm is configured to receive the meat from the feeder worm and convey it to the cutting set which grinds the meat. The method further comprises automatically adjusting the revolutions per minute of the rotating processing worm in response to a pressure creation in the process unit.

A grinding machine for grinding foodstuffs, such as meat or the like, includes an orifice plate at the outlet of a grinding head. The orifice plate has collection passages that discharge a mixture of soft material and hard material through the orifice plate. A separator assembly is positioned downstream of the orifice plate for separating the soft material from the hard material. The separator assembly includes a separator chamber that receives the mixture of soft material and hard material, in combination with a rotatable separator screw positioned within the separator chamber. Rotation of the separator screw functions to separate the soft material from the hard material. Soft material is discharged through perforations in the separator chamber and hard material is discharged through a discharge of the separator chamber.

A system includes a food dispenser, a cooking surface, and an arm assembly. The arm assembly is configured to receive a food product from the food dispenser and transport the food product to the cooking surface. The arm assembly includes an arm portion, an actuator, a cylinder, and a piston. The actuator drives rotation of the arm portion about a first rotational axis. The cylinder is attached to the arm portion and is rotatable relative to the arm portion about a second rotational axis. The piston is axially movable within the cylinder. The piston includes multiple stages. At least one of the stages is movable axially relative to another of the stages between a first position and a second position.

Disclosed is a data logging apparatus comprising a mixer grinder which includes a tub configured to hold a product, a rotatable shaft, at least one mixing blade connected to the rotatable shaft, a grinding chamber, and a feed screw leading to a grinding head. The data logging apparatus includes a first temperature sensor attached to the tub, a second temperature sensor attached to the grinding chamber at an outlet downstream from the grinding head, a memory storing a predetermined temperature threshold, and a processor. The processor is configured to receive temperature data transmitted from the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor, determine whether an abnormality has occurred based on received temperature data and the predetermined temperature threshold, and issue an alert indicative of machine malfunction or maintenance issues.