A process and an apparatus for controlling temperature loss and shrinkage of meat after an animal is slaughtered for food. Shrinkage is controlled by compressing the meat during cooling, the compression offsetting a natural tendency of the meat to contract and providing a measure of control over the shaping of the meat. Apparatus for the process includes one or more rigid rings for placement around the meat. Each ring is wrapped with a thread secured rigidly to one side of the ring and secured movably to the other side such as to allow the length of thread on the second side of the rigid ring to form at least one winding around the meat. As the meat cools, the thread shrinks, applying the thermal contraction of the thread along the ring to constrict the winding around and thus longitudinally elongate the meat.

The present disclosure relates to packaging equipment for continuous automatic net sleeving of a casing, a shirring machine and a packaging method. The packaging equipment is provided with a shuttle; a first gripper, capable of being opened or closed to release or clamp and fix the shuttle; a second gripper, capable of driving an open end of the net bag to make reciprocating motion between a first position and a second position on the shuttle when being closed, and capable of allowing the net bag to move freely in a net bag conveying direction when being opened; a third gripper, configured to clamp the open end of the net bag and pull the net bag to sleeve a whole shirred casing in a penetrating mode; and a fourth gripper, configured to pull the net bag, and designed to be capable of moving with the third gripper.

The present disclosure relates to packaging equipment for continuous automatic net sleeving of a casing, a shirring machine and a packaging method. The packaging equipment is provided with a shuttle; a first gripper, capable of being opened or closed to release or clamp and fix the shuttle; a second gripper, capable of driving an open end of the net bag to make reciprocating motion between a first position and a second position on the shuttle when being closed, and capable of allowing the net bag to move freely in a net bag conveying direction when being opened; a third gripper, configured to clamp the open end of the net bag and pull the net bag to sleeve a whole shirred casing in a penetrating mode; and a fourth gripper, configured to pull the net bag, and designed to be capable of moving with the third gripper.

A knot tying device is provided. The knot typing device includes a support with a gripper element with one end of the gripper element rotatably connected to the support, and the other end capable of being pressed on and released from the support; a gripper mechanism to grip a free end of a strand of material and carry the strand of material to wrap around the support capable of rising and falling; and a stripping mechanism to separate the strand of material wrapped around the support from the support to form a knot.

A knot tying device, comprises: a support with a gripper element with one end of the gripper element rotatably connected to the support, and the other end capable of being pressed on and released from the support; a gripper mechanism to grip a free end of a strand of material and carry the strand of material to wrap around the support capable of rising and falling; and a stripping mechanism to separate the strand of material wrapped around the support from the support to form a knot. After the gripper mechanism carries the strand of material to wrap around the support at a position below the gripper element by at least half of a circle, the support falls so that the strand of material passes through the gripper element, and the gripper element is pressed on the support to make the free end of the strand of material fixedly gripped between the gripper element and the support.

Methods, apparatus and associated devices for one or more of rucking, derucking, braking or rerucking sleeves of covering material off of and/or onto a chute body include a gripper with a stacked set of discrete gripper layers with forward facing protrusions. The grippers can have an automated stroke cycle whereby cooperating pairs of gripper assemblies can be configured to travel inwardly a distance sufficient to snugly abut an outer surface of a chute body and remain in contact with the chute body while traveling in a longitudinal and/or axial direction to contact covering and pull the covering along the chute body.

A process and an apparatus for controlling temperature loss and shrinkage of meat after an animal is slaughtered for food. Shrinkage is controlled by compressing the meat during cooling, the compression offsetting a natural tendency of the meat to contract and providing a measure of control over the shaping of the meat. Apparatus for the process includes one or more rigid rings for placement around the meat. Each ring is wrapped with a thread secured rigidly to one side of the ring and secured movably to the other side such as to allow the length of thread on the second side of the rigid ring to form at least one winding around the meat. As the meat cools, the thread shrinks, applying the thermal contraction of the thread along the ring to constrict the winding around and thus longitudinally elongate the meat.

Methods, devices and computer program products automatically package an object, such as, for example, whole muscle meat pieces, in a covering material, such as, for example, netting. The devices include a loading chute having a ceiling or door having at least a portion configured to open and close and a floor underlying and in cooperating alignment with the ceiling. The ceiling and floor are configured to cooperate to encase a product chamber with an axially extending open channel therebetween. At least one of the floor and ceiling reciprocates in a substantially vertical direction between a first loading position corresponding to when the ceiling is open and a second operative position corresponding to when the ceiling is closed.

An automatic stuffing machine for food products, which comprises a base framework that supports at least one forming die of the product to be stuffed and a pusher adapted to cause the translation of the formed product through a stuffing tube; the machine has at least one tube changer body that supports at least two stuffing tubes and is actuated to move in order to bring, in each instance, one of the stuffing tubes to a working position, in which it is located substantially at the area of action of the pusher; furthermore elements are provided for removable joining between the forming die and the stuffing tube in the working position which are adapted to pass from an active condition, in which they provide a connection between the forming die and the stuffing tube in the working position, to an inactive condition.

Methods, systems, apparatus, devices and computer program products automatically package an object, such as, for example, whole muscle meat pieces, in a covering material, such as, for example, sheared casing and/or netting. The devices include an automated compression assembly with an electric drive motor and a pusher assembly with an electric motor, preferably each electric motor is a servo-motor. The systems/apparatus devices can include a programmably adjustable index and/or speed profile for the compression and/or pusher assembly.