A bending mechanism, a bending method and a food manufacturing method which are capable of bending a sheet-shaped flexible food material, such as a skin, with high accuracy and high speed are provided. A conveyance unit 11 conveys a flexible food material 81. A support unit 12 supports a bending reference portion 85 being a part of the flexible food material 81 in at least a part of a section while the flexible food material 81 is conveyed from a first conveyance area A1 to a second conveyance area A2. The conveyance unit 11 includes a first component part 21 and a second component part 22. An angle formed by a support portion of the second component part 22 which makes contact with a bending portion 87 with respect to a support portion of the first component part 21 which makes contact with a base portion 86 continuously changes from the first conveyance area A1 toward the second conveyance area A2 in such a manner that an angle of the bending portion 87 with respect to the base portion 86 in the second conveyance area A2 is larger than an angle of the bending portion 87 with respect to the base portion 86 in the first conveyance area A1.

Device for processing dough, comprising at least one transporting conveyor having a transport surface for transporting a first dough sheet, at least one feed line, for feeding at least a second dough sheet onto the first dough sheet, thus forming a multi-layered dough sheet, and at least one incision maker with a pattern of protruding blades for cutting a pattern of incisions in at least one of the dough sheets, the protruding blades movable with a directional component towards and from the direction of the transport surface and a cutting station for cutting the multi-layered dough sheet into dough pieces and a rolling station for rolling up the cut out dough pieces.

A taco shell mold for cooking tortillas may include a tortilla cage sized and shaped to accommodate a tortilla. The tortilla cage may include an outer frame with a substantially U-shaped cross section and an inner frame nested within the outer frame, the inner frame having a substantially U-shaped cross section, wherein the inner frame is spaced from the outer frame, defining a tortilla slot between the inner frame and the outer frame. A handle attachment may be attached to the cage. Some versions of the taco shell mold may include a plurality of taco cages nested within one another.

Device for bending dough pieces, in particular croissants, is provided. The device comprises a first conveyor for transporting dough pieces in a direction of conveyance, at least a first gate for defining a passage with a first width, smaller than the width of the conveyor, for the dough pieces, and at least two engaging means for engaging a dough piece entering the passage and exerting a force on the dough piece with a directional component toward the first conveyor, wherein both engaging means are spaced apart from each other, thus leaving a gap in between them.

A stuffed food forming machine disclosed includes a framework (600), a rotation assembly (100). A sending and cutting station (20) and a filling station (30) are settled around the rotation assembly. An opening (106) for collecting wrapper residues is set on the rotation assembly. A distance between an internal side of a shaping mold (1001) and a center of the rotation assembly (100) is bigger than a distance between the edge of the opening (106) and the center of the rotation assembly (100). The opening (106) is able to collect the wrapper residues while takes advantage of the space below the rotation assembly, which requires no extra space and the whole machine remains the compact size.

The present invention relates to a device (01, 18) for forming substantially straight, in particular wound, dough pieces (02) into an annular shape, comprising a bending unit for annularly bending the dough piece (02), the bending unit comprising: at least one retaining jaw (04) and two movably supported shaping jaws (07, 08, 19, 20) and a lifting device and a stamp (17),
wherein, while being in engagement with the dough piece (02), a shaping jaw (08, 19) provided with a projection (12, 27) is displaced along a displacement path section between an initial position and a final position, and wherein the projection (12, 27) is in contact with the lower surface of the dough piece (02) at the initial position, and wherein the projection (12, 27) has been brought out of engagement with the dough piece (02) at the final position.

A folding platform includes a base, first folding flap, lift arm, and lift arm linkage. The first folding flap is rotatably connected with the base and facilitates the folding of a food item placed on the folding platform. The lift arm linkage is rotatably connected with the base and the lift arm to operatively lift the lift arm and allow the lift arm to rotate in a first rotational direction, and includes a spring that engages the lift arm linkage and the lift arm, and biases the lift arm in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction. The lift arm is capable of rotating a first rotational distance, and rotating a second rotational distance greater than the first rotational distance without bending or breaking when the lift arm contacts an obstruction. The lift arm automatically returns to its normal position due to the bias force of the spring.

A movable forming device (10) to fold a dough piece (P) by moving one end (PS) of the dough piece (P) onto the other end (PT) of the dough piece includes at least one suction tool (23) which holds the one end of the dough piece by suctioning and lifting the one end from its upside, and a supporting tool (33) including a support part (33a) which is movable below the suction tool. The one end of the dough piece is grasped between the suction tool and the supporting part by bringing the suction tool and the supporting part closer to each other.

A folding platform includes a base, first folding flap, lift arm, and lift arm linkage. The first folding flap is rotatably connected with the base and facilitates the folding of a food item placed on the folding platform. The lift arm linkage is rotatably connected with the base and the lift arm to operatively lift the lift arm and allow the lift arm to rotate in a first rotational direction, and includes a spring that engages the lift arm linkage and the lift arm, and biases the lift arm in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction. The lift arm is capable of rotating a first rotational distance, and rotating a second rotational distance greater than the first rotational distance without bending or breaking when the lift arm contacts an obstruction. The lift arm automatically returns to its normal position due to the bias force of the spring.

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.