A mixing system includes a mixing machine and a device for collecting material of the mixture that remains adherent to the implement of the machine, at the end of a mixing step. The collecting device has a collecting surface that is associated to movement means designed to guide the surface in a first direction and a second direction, so that this can pass, as a result of the movement in both directions, from a first condition, where the surface extends at least prevalently in the first direction, to a second condition, where the surface extends at least prevalently in the second direction.

A device for orienting wound dough products includes a first conveyor belt circulating with a first conveying speed and transporting a wound dough product having an end protruding from a circumference of the dough product. A second conveyor belt receives the wound dough product from the first conveyor belt and circulates with a second conveying speed which is different from the first conveying speed. The difference between the first conveying speed and the second conveying speed sets the wound dough product received from the first conveyor belt in a desired rolling motion on the second conveyor belt, wherein after the wound dough product has reached a defined end position in which the end of the wound dough product abuts on the second conveyor belt, the rolling motion of the wound dough product stops.

A forced hot air roller conveyor drying assembly is provided. It consists primarily of two parts; a roller conveyor for rolling cylindrical elongated food members while transporting them horizontally from one end of the conveyor to the other, and a hot air drying assembly for blowing hot air around the product as it is being rolled. The combined rolling of the product and the drying of the product helps ensure that the physical roundness of the food product remains nice and uniform while it is being uniformly dried. The forced hot air assembly may include a fan and heating elements, the fan directing warm air to the product rolling horizontally through the assembly and the roller conveyor may be comprised of a multiplicity of paired roller members driven by chain links, which chains are in turn driven by an axle engaging a drive sprocket.

An apparatus for conveying an object in a conveying direction includes a conveyor comprised of a plurality of modular links adapted for interconnecting to form a chain. At least one of the links comprises a rounded upper portion forming an apical region for contacting and supporting the article for conveyance along at least a forward run in the conveying direction. The at least one link further including a forwardly projecting portion associated with a first transverse connector forming a part of the upper portion and a rearwardly projecting portion associated with a second transverse connector forming part of the upper portion. The first and second connectors may be staggered in the conveying direction and a direction transverse to the conveying direction. Further aspects pertain to a link with an apical engaging structure, and a sprocket with a removable tooth.

In one aspect, a spiral cooking device includes a first cooking zone with air configured to move horizontally therethrough in a first direction, a second cooking zone with air configured to move horizontally therethrough in a second direction different than the first direction, and a spiral conveyor belt at least partially positioned in the first and second cooking zones and configured to transport food product thereon through the first and second cooking zones. In one aspect, a spiral cooking device includes a spiral conveyor belt providing a central opening inside the belt and a conveyor belt drive member positioned externally of the central opening. In one aspect, a conveyor belt cleaning device is provided. In one aspect, a cooking device includes a frame including a plurality of coupled pipes for providing structural support to the device and at least one of the pipes is configured to have liquid pass therethrough.

A submersion conveyor system for processing materials that need to be completely submersed in a processing liquid, such as food products, the submersion conveyor system providing a continual looping motion with a conveyor belt and flights providing a semi-enclosed volume for containing the material to be processed, the semi-enclosed volume containing the material to be processed being completely submersed in at least a portion of a processing tank during operation to provide a washing, rinsing, coating, treating, sanitizing and/or chilling or heating of the processing materials.

A method of lining up portions of slices of food, the portions are transported by a belt conveyor on a plurality of tracks along a conveying direction, one of the plurality of tracks is selected as a first reference track, conveying speeds of a remainder of the plurality of tracks excluding the first reference track are adapted in such a way that the portions are arranged in straight rows arranged orthogonally to the conveying direction when the portions reach a lining-up position, and when the lining-up position is reached, the conveying speeds of the plurality of tracks including the first reference track are aligned to one another.

A vertical dough conveyor includes a base frame, and a vertical conveyor assembly pivotably connected to the base frame for pivoting movement between a use position and an access position. The vertical conveyor assembly includes a first conveyor belt unit and a second conveyor belt unit, wherein the second conveyor belt unit is pivotably connected to the first conveyor unit such that, when the vertical conveyor assembly is in the access position, the first conveyor belt unit is pivotably movable between a first position and a second position. In the first position, a belt of the second conveyor belt unit is positioned in opposed relation to a belt of the first conveyor belt unit to define a dough feed gap therebetween. In the second position, the belt of second conveyor belt unit is pivoted away from the belt of the first conveyor belt unit.

A system, and associated method, for launching and delivering separated food product in organized groups to a robotized packaging station for the product. The system initiates the delivery via a metered hopper of food product delivering the product to a launch V-belt that aligns the product end to end. A successive singulator belt, positioned adjacent to and receiving product from the launch belt, further organizes the product into a single file alignment. An optional separator belt may follow the singulator belt to create gaps between successive product units. The product is then delivered to a pick belt for product to be provided to the packaging robot. The system product information is from a single (per product delivery line) sensor, enabling intergrated end-to-end control from hopper to robot, and a nearly continuous motion of said pick belt.

The invention concerns a conveyor system (2) for formatting slice-shaped food products in product stacks. The conveyor system (2) comprises an inlet (4), a lower product conveyor (8), an upper product conveyor (7, 9), a vertically swivelling distributor conveyor (6) for distributing the incoming food products selectively to the lower product conveyor (8) or to the upper product conveyor (7, 9), an output conveyor (10) receiving the food products partially stacked from the lower prod-uct conveyor (8) and the upper product conveyor (7, 9), and an outlet (11) for outputting the stacked food products in product rows. The invention provides that the individual conveying tracks (6G, 6H) of the distributor conveyor (6) can be swivelled vertically independently of one another in order to forward the incoming food products individually for each conveying track selectively to the lower product conveyor (8) or to the upper product conveyor (7, 9). The invention also includes a corresponding operating method.