Apparatus for cheese production

Abstract

An apparatus for cheese production, in particular a cassette press and an articulated tube arrangement for feeding cheese raw mixture from a cheese maker into molds of the cassette press, wherein the most uniform, constant filling can be achieved. The device has a trough open in plan view, a pressing head having a plurality of press plungers aligned on the cheese molds for pressing the cheese raw mixture and a distributor head for filling in the cheese raw mixture. The distributor head is movable along the longitudinal sides of the trough. The distributor head is rotatably coupled to an articulated tube arrangement for feeding the cheese raw mixture of a cheese maker.

Claims

1. An apparatus for cheese production using cheese molds for the liquid-reducing pressing of cheese raw mixture, the apparatus comprising: a trough open in plan view to form an open top surrounded by sides for containing the cheese molds and cheese raw mixture; a pressing head having a plurality of press plungers aligned with respect to the cheese molds for pressing the cheese raw mixture; an articulated tube arrangement including a double joint of two tubular joint pieces that are pivotally connected to each to be movable while remaining in mutual fluid communication for supplying the cheese raw mixture of a cheese maker; and a distributor head for filling the cheese molds with the cheese raw mixture, the distributor head being movable along a side of the trough, wherein the distributor head is rotatably coupled to the double joint by means of an articulated joint to thereby be movable while receiving the cheese raw mixture.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a down tube is aligned substantially perpendicularly to a plane defining the opening of the trough, the down tube being pivotably connected to the double joint upstream of the double joint.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein a horizontally mounted first cross tube is connected to the down tube upstream of the down tube, the first cross tube in turn being pivotally connected to a second horizontally mounted second cross tube upstream of the first cross tube.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the down tube, first cross tube, and second cross tube are attached to an attachment device mounted at a height above the trough.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the attachment device is affixed at a location adjacent to a side of the trough opposite to the down tube, and the second cross tube extends over and across the trough.

6. An articulated tube arrangement for feeding cheese raw mixture from a cheese maker to a device for the liquid-reducing pressing of the cheese raw mixture, comprising: an articulated tube arrangement connectable to a source of the cheese raw mixture to be in fluid communication with the cheese raw mixture, the articulated tube arrangement including a double joint of two tubular joint pieces that are angularly arranged to each other and pivotally connected to each other to be movable while feeding the cheese raw mixture, which double joint is coupled by an articulated joint to a distributor head positionable above the cheese molds, the distributor head movable to successive cheese molds by movement of the articulated joint while distributing the cheese raw mixture.

7. The articulated tube arrangement of claim 6, wherein a substantially vertical tube pivotably connects to the double joint, the substantially vertical tube connected to a horizontally mounted tube which is in turn is pivotally connected to a second horizontally mounted tube.

8. An apparatus for cheese production, in particular a cassette press, having round or angular cheese molds, for the liquid-reducing pressing of cheese raw mixture, having a trough open in plan view, a pressing head having a plurality of press plungers aligned on the cheese molds for pressing the cheese raw mixture and a distributor head for filling in the cheese raw mixture, the distributor head being movable along the longitudinal sides of the trough, characterized in that the distributor head is rotatably coupled to an articulated tube arrangement for feeding the cheese raw mixture of a cheese maker, wherein the articulated tube arrangement comprises a double joint of two tubular joint pieces that are angularly arranged to each other and pivotally connected to each other, which double joint is coupled by means of an articulated joint to the distributor head.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further including a downtube connected to an upstream side of the double joint, and at least one cross tube connected to an upstream side of the downtube, the at least one cross tube extending across the open top of the trough.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a downtube connected to an upstream side of the double joint, and at least one cross tube connected to an upstream side of the downtube, the at least one cross tube extending across the open top of the trough.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, the at least one cross tube supported by a gantry affixed at location above the open top of the trough.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) The invention is described below in an embodiment with reference to a drawing. In the drawing, the single FIGURE shows a cassette press having an articulated tube arrangement according the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(2) A cassette press 1 comprises in the example presented at least a trough 2, that is rectangular in top view and open above, of the cassette press 1 with cassettes (not shown) that are rectangular in top view and open above, which are arranged in rows next to each other transverse to the longitudinal direction of the trough, wherein the cassettes have a gap-minimizing edge formation at contact in the upper region of their longitudinal sides and possibly are substantially covered in longitudinal gaps extending in the longitudinal direction of the trough 2 between cassettes and longitudinal sides of the trough 2, molds (not shown) arrangeable in the cassettes for accommodating the pressed cheese raw mixture, wherein a part of the cassette can be and in the example, each consists of an inner, perforated casing and an outer shell having at least one outlet for the liquid to be pressed out, and wherein a cassette comprises at least one mold, preferably six to eighteen molds; edge sheets (height of a few centimeters) are arranged on the upper edges, which form the outer sides of the cassette block in the trough 2 in the longitudinal and transverse direction, preferably welded, to enable filling in of the cheese raw mixture to above the upper edge of the cassette a pressing head 4, arranged on the end columns 5, having a plurality of press plungers aligned on the molds for pressing the cheese raw mixture, for example, formed according to the disclosure of EP-B-543899, and optionally downholder for pressing the pressing head 4 of the cassettes; a filling apparatus for filling in the cheese raw mixture, which is arranged on a portal carriage 7, which is movable motor-driven along the longitudinal sides of the trough 2; a handling device for lifting, adding and removing a cassette on a conveyor (not shown) outside the trough 2; a device for rotating/turning (not shown) the cassettes or a row of cassettes about their longitudinal axis; a vertically movable blow-off device (not shown) having exhaust nozzles, wherein each mold of a cassette is associated with at least one exhaust nozzle, so as to empty the cheese loaves on the conveyor.

(3) The filling apparatus comprises a distributor head 6 having a number of dosing heads 12, which is adapted to the number of molds arranged in a row in the trough 2. The distributor head 6 further comprises a distributor tube 8 and a feed tube 9 for feeding and distributing the cheese raw mixture onto the dosing heads 12.

(4) The feed tube 9 is connected to a double joint of tubular joint pieces 10, 11 that are angularly arranged to each other and pivotally connected to each other by means of an articulated joint 21. The joint piece 10 is S-shaped and the joint piece 11 is angled U-shaped, wherein the short connecting legs are not substantially longer than the diameter of the joint pieces 10, 11. The straight portion of the joint pieces 10, 11 has a length which is a multiple of the diameter.

(5) By means of a further articulated joint 21, an articulated connection is made to a tube 13 which is approximately perpendicular to the plane of the trough 2, which tube is attached to a hitch 17.

(6) The approximately vertically arranged tube 13 also serves as a reservoir for cheese raw mixture and the compression of the curd in the whey of cheese raw mixture.

(7) The hitch 17 is fastened to a hall ceiling or a high-level portal and comprises two horizontally arranged trusses 19, 20 pivotably connected to each other in via a connecting joint 15. Part of both trusses 19, 20 is in each case a tube 14, 18, wherein the tube 14 is connected to the tube 13 approximately at right angles (FIG. 1).

(8) The truss 20, including the tube 20, is pivotally connected by means of a rotary joint 16 with the part of the hitch 17 fastened to the hall ceiling or hall wall. The tube 18 has a connection to the cheese maker, not shown.

(9) During filling of the molds, the portal carriage 7 is moved with the distributor head 6 along the longitudinal axis of the trough 2 between the end columns 5. The articulated tube arrangement recreates this movement without dead centers or misalignments.

(10) The tube 13 is always vertical and is constantly filled as a result of the double joint 10, 11 and the articulated connection of the hitch 17. The distribution of cheese raw mixture and in particular the curd on the molds is carried out evenly. There are no angular deviations that inhibit product flow of the articulated tube arrangement.

(11) The arrangement of cassette press 1 and hitch 17 is only to ensure that the rotary joint 16, respectively the hitch 17 and connecting joint 15 respectively the tube 13 are located in the example above of the opposite longitudinal sides of the cassette press 1, to enable sufficient movement of the articulated tube arrangement.

(12) The articulated tube arrangement according to the invention is, in comparison to previously known solutions, which also require a large room height due to the pivoting movement of a counterweight, arranged completely over the cassette press 1 and thus does not pose a threat to the operator.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

(13) 1 cassette press 2 trough 3 pressing head 4 press plunger 5 end column 6 distributor head 7 portal carriage 8 distributor tube 9 feed tube 10 joint piece 11 joint piece 12 dosing head 13 tube 14 tube 15 connecting joint 16 rotary joint 17 hitch 18 tube 19 truss 20 truss 21 articulated joint