An apparatus for handling three-dimensionally curved snack food chips. The apparatus includes a first conveyor for conveying a series of the snack food chips on a conveying surface and an inverting station located at an output end of the first conveyor. The inverting station includes an inverter configured for transferring the snack food chips from an output end of the first conveyor into contact with an internal concave surface of the inverter. A drive system for the inverter is configured to move the internal concave surface downwardly to cause movement of the snack food chips downward from an upper portion to a lower portion of the internal concave surface. A depositing station is located and configured for depositing the snack food chips from the lower portion of the internal concave surface onto a second conveyor configured for receiving snack food chips from the depositing station and conveying them away.

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.

A method and a food processing system for distributing within a specific time interval a batch of a specific weight of food products onto the top surface of a dough base, such as a pizza base, cake base or the like by means of the food processing system comprising a dosing mechanism, a weighing system, a conveyor system and a controller. The method comprises the steps of: i. defining a target time interval constituting 40-90 percent of the specific time interval, ii. determining the actual weight of the batch received within a receptacle of the weighing system when the target time interval has passed, iii. dependent on the actual weight, a. determining a first operational mode provided the actual weight being reached in respect of the target weight within the target time interval, then continuing operating the first conveyor controlled by the controller at the identical speed, or b. determining a second operational mode provided the actual weight exceeding the target weight within the target time interval, then operating the first conveyor controlled by the controller at a decreased speed, or c. determining a third operational mode provided the actual weight being below the target weight within the target time interval, then operating the first conveyor controlled by the controller at an increased speed

To provide a food dough spreading method for gradually spreading food dough to make it thinner by supplying the food dough between a plurality of spreading rollers in a spreading unit in which the spreading rollers are arranged in a V-shape. By adjusting a distance between a pair of vibration applying members provided between the spreading rollers arranged in a V-shape, a width dimension of the food dough flowing out from the spreading unit (25) is adjusted, and the vibration applying members are reciprocatively vibrated in a longitudinal direction of the spreading rollers at a position where the width dimension is adjusted. The reciprocative vibration of the pair of vibration applying members is vibration in a direction of approaching and separating from each other.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for a comestible loader with flatteners that pivot and translate. One of the methods includes receiving, by a comestible loader, a comestible through an opening defined in a loader frame of the comestible loader and onto a surface; and pivoting and translating a first flattener and a second flattener to a pre-press position to permit the first flattener and the second flattener to position the comestible approximately at a target position on the surface.

The invention relates to a forming device for forming and partitioning a pasty food strand as well as to a filling machine with a respective forming device and to a method. The forming device comprises more than two flat displacement elements superposed in the direction of transport of the food strand, each having at least one opening through which the food strand can be moved in the direction of transport. The forming device further comprises a movement mechanism for moving the flat displacement elements on respective curved paths, such that the respective openings can move relative to each other, so that the cross-sectional area of the resulting overall opening of the superposed openings changes.

The invention is an improved process and system for producing a shaped snack chip. A shaping oven, which uses a chain edge conveyor having transverse slats with at least one spring affixed to the slats, is used to convert dough pieces into shaped pre-forms, which can optionally be further dehydrated to form shaped snack chips.

An apparatus for handling three-dimensionally curved snack food chips. The apparatus includes a first conveyor for conveying a series of the snack food chips on a conveying surface and an inverting station located at an output end of the first conveyor. The inverting station includes an inverter configured for transferring the snack food chips from an output end of the first conveyor into contact with an internal concave surface of the inverter. A drive system for the inverter is configured to move the internal concave surface downwardly to cause movement of the snack food chips downward from an upper portion to a lower portion of the internal concave surface. A depositing station is located and configured for depositing the snack food chips from the lower portion of the internal concave surface onto a second conveyor configured for receiving snack food chips from the depositing station and conveying them away.

The invention concerns a special processing machine for dough, comprisinga cutting conveyor (3), a cutting blade (5) for cutting in a cutting direction (6), the blade (5) and/or the cutting conveyor being further driven in translation for separation purposes such that the blade (5) moves in translation relative to and along the cutting band while remaining substantially in contact with the latter, characterised bya receiving conveyor (7) comprising a longitudinal receiving band (8), and in which the cutting conveyor (3) driven by the blade (5) is movable between an entry position and a transfer position, the blade and/or the cutting conveyor (3) further being driven in translation for transfer purposes such that the blade (5) then comes into contact with the receiving band (8).