MACHINE FOR PRODUCING "CARTELLATE"

Abstract

A machine (100) for cartellate production comprising a support structure (1), a motorized conveyor belt (3) for transport of dough strips, on which dough guide means (8) operate, conveyor means (5), motorized pinching means (6), shaping means (7), cutting means (9) and movable rolling means (10); said pinching means (6) being configured to operate, by rotating around its central axis, the clamping of the dough strips; said pinching means (6) cooperating with said conveyor means (5) and with said shaping means (7) achieving the dough strips forming; said cutting means (9) being steadily fixed to one of said pinching means (6).

Claims

1. A machine (100) for cartellate production comprising: a support structure (1), a motorized conveyor belt (3) for transport of dough strips, on which a dough guide means (8) operate, conveyor means (5), motorized pinching means (6), shaping means (7), cutting means (9), movable rolling means (10), and wherein said pinching means (6) are configured to operate, by rotating around its central axis, clamping the dough strips; and wherein said pinching means (6) cooperate with said conveyor means (5) and with said shaping means (7) to achieve dough strips forming; and wherein said cutting means (9) are steadily attached to one of said pinching means (6).

2. The machine (100) according to claim 1, wherein said pinching means (6) are made of two counter rotating plates, each of them provided with a plurality of protrusions (6) configured to realize small staples, regularly spaced, along the dough strips length.

3. The machine (100) according to claim 1, wherein said shaping means (7) comprise a wheel which carries a plurality of shaped matrices (7), each other angularly equidistant, configured to penetrate the dough strips into raised and folded edges, synchronously with the pinching plates, between two consecutive pairs of corresponding projections.

4. The machine (100) according to claim 2, wherein said plurality of protrusions (6) is one unit lower than to the number of shaped matrices (7).

5. The machine (100) according to claim 1, wherein said conveyor means (5) are two rollers, positioned at the two sides of the conveyor belt (3) and configured to lift the edges of the dough strips.

6. The machine (100) according to claim 1, wherein said cutting means (9) is a blade steadily attached to one pinching means (6).

7. The machine (100) according to claim 1, wherein said pinching means (6) are driven by motors (4) equipped with a stabilized variable speed reducer.

8. A method for cartellate production that uses a machine (100) according to claim 1, the method comprising the following steps: positioning the dough strips on a conveyor belt (3); actuating the conveyor belt (3) along a predetermined direction, where the dough strips are kept in position by dough guide means (8); lifting the lateral edges of the dough strips, by means of conveyor means (5), to facilitate the folding of the strips in their middle part and the subsequent phase of stapling; forming and stapling the dough strips by pinching means (6) and shaping means (7) at several points; cutting the dough strips in a predetermined length by cutting means (9); rolling the dough strips made by movable rolling means (10); the method being carried out by the synchronism between pinching means (6) and shaping means (7), the steps of stapling and shaping are carried out simultaneously, alternate during the dough strips movement.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The different embodiments of the invention will be now described as a way of example with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

[0015] FIG. 1 shows a scheme of the basic structure of the machine for producing cartellate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0016] FIG. 2 shows a detail of the pinching means and shaping means of the machine for the preparation of cartellate of FIG. 1;

[0017] FIG. 3 shows another detail of the pinching means and cutting means of the machine of FIG. 1;

[0018] FIG. 4 is a detail of the conveyor means.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] As it is shown in FIG. 1, the machine 100 for producing cartellate is provided with a support structure 1 and a motorized conveyor belt 3 which advances thanks to the rotation of a couple of pulleys or gears or other similar transmission organs 2. The transmission organs rotate on suitable shafts 2 suitably supported at the ends by support means 2. The machine further comprises other means operating in sequence on the dough strips: conveyor means 5, pinching means 6 suitably moved by respective motors 4, shaping means 7, dough guide means 8, at least a cutting means 9 and a mobile rolling means 10 to roll the dough strips. All these means will be better described in the following, along with the working procedure.

[0020] The raw material used for the production of cartellate is the dough pastry, or better, a dough strip, scalloped, worked by means yet available on the market. The worked dough strip is positioned on the conveyor belt 3 and a guide means 8, for example a disc, guides the same along a predetermined direction and with an advancement speed adjustable according to the production needs. The machine core consists in the elements which form and pinch the scalloped strip at the same time and which, in the following, cut them to length. In fact firstly two conveyor means 5, for example rollers, as shown in FIG. 4, positioned on both sides of the conveyor belt, lift the edges of the scalloped strip thus simplifying the next step of folding and pinching the dough in more points. The conveyor rollers 5, in practice, realize a first step of strip forming. In the following, the machine carries out the pinching of the dough strip in more points. The pinching is carried out by pinching means 6, for example two counter-rotating discs, each one provided with a plurality of projections 6, and consists in folding the dough strip to half and in carrying out little pinchings, at regular interval, along the whole length of the scalloped strip. In the same step, a shaped matrix 7 of a shaping means 7 penetrates the dough strip inside the lifted and folded edges, synchronously with the pinching discs, thus ending the forming. The shaping means 7 can be made up of a wheel bearing a plurality of angularly equidistant shaped matrices 7 . In the following, a cutting means 9, for example a blade integral to the pinching disc, cuts the dough to a predetermined length. Finally, a mobile rolling means 10, for example a mobile disc, rolls the cut and pinched dough strip thus realizing the famous rose shape, typical of the cartellata.

[0021] Specifically, in FIG. 3, going from bottom to the top, it is possible to follow the pinching, forming and cutting steps of the scalloping strip. The pinching means 6, in a preferred configuration, are two pinching discs, moved by motors 4 provided with stabilized variable speed reduction gear, and provided with corresponding shaped projections 6 which realize the narrow section 11 by means of which the strip undergoes the pinching. This is shown in FIG. 3a. The pinching is carried out at regular intervals each time a projection of a disc is at a projection of the other disc. Between two consecutive pinchings, i.e. between two consecutive couples of projections 6 (see FIG. 3b) there forms a section 12, greater than the narrow section 11, inside which a shaped matrix 7 of the shaping means 7 penetrates. As yet said, the shaping means 7 can comprise a wheel bearing a plurality of shaped matrices 7, which penetrate in rotational synchrony the section 12. In this way it is realized the dough strip forming with uniform and constant dimensions.

[0022] Advantageously, the number of projections 6 and the number of shaped matrices 7 are coordinated with respect to each other: n the first one, n+1 the second one. In this way it is sufficient to move the pinching discs 6, while the wheel of the shaped matrices 7 is driven by the pulses that the projections 6 will give to the corresponding shaped matrices 7, in practice as it occurs in the gear between a driving gear and a driven gear. In FIG. 3c it is shown a detail of the cutting means 9. Advantageously, said means comprise a blade positioned on one of the pinching discs and in rotation therewith. The blade, in practice, is arranged on the pinching mean instead of a projection 6. At the end of a complete rotation of the disc, in which the above described pinching and shaping steps are alternated, the blade cuts the segment of the pinched and formed strip which makes up the linear development of the cartellata.

[0023] In the dimensioning of the machine, it is also important to coordinate the advancement speed of the conveyor belt 3 with the rotation speed of the pinching discs 6, so that at each full rotation of the discs, when the strip is cut to length, the same strip is advanced linearly of the useful dimension in order to carry out the rolling and to realized the rose shape of the cartellata. The values of the advancement speed of the belt and rotation of the pinching discs are such that it is possible to realize about 100 pieces (corresponding to a kilogram of dough) in 15-20 minutes.

[0024] According to another aspect, the present invention relates also to a specific working and production method of the cartellate by means of the machine 100. The method comprises the flowing steps: positioning the dough scalloped strip on the conveyor belt 3;

activating the conveyor belt along a predetermined direction, wherein the dough scalloped strip is kept in position by a guide means 8;
lifting the side edges of the dough strip by means of conveyor rollers 5 to favour the half folding of the same strip and the next pinching step; [0025] pinching and forming the strip carried out by pinching means 6 and shaping means 7 in more points;
cutting the strip to a predetermined length carried out by cutting means 9, [0026] rolling the strip carried out by a mobile means 10 thus realizing a rose shape.

[0027] Therefore the method is characterized in that, thanks to the synchronism between the pinching discs and the shaping means, the pinching and shaping steps are carried out simultaneously, alternating with respect to each other during the movement of the dough strip.

[0028] In addition to the embodiments of the invention, as above described, it is to be intended that there exist many other variants. Further, it is to be intended that said embodiments are only example and do not limit the object of the invention and its possible application or configurations. On the contrary, even if the above described description allows the experts in the field to carry out the present invention at least according an embodiment thereof, it is to be intended that many variations of the elements above described are possible without departing from the object of the invention, encompassed by the appended claims, literally interpreted and/or according to legal equivalents thereof.