DEVICE TO THE RACKING OF SAUSAGE-ROASTS

The invention relates to an apparatus for the portioning or continuous filling of pasty products, in particular for the filling of sausage meat into natural or artificial skins, comprising a conveying apparatus which can be charged via a funnel and at least two filling stations connected to the conveying apparatus.

In order to increase the performance of apparatuses of the initially named kind, it is known to use a central filling unit dimensioned in accordance with the performance requirements with a corresponding forwarding apparatus, and with a plurality of tubes leading from the central filling unit to individual filling stations. An arrangement of this kind has, however, the very important disadvantage in practice that, as a result of the required duct length to the individual filling stations, the danger of smearing resulting from the wall friction is particularly large. For stiff meat this can have the consequence of the product being impaired in a very disturbing manner.

The object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the initially named kind which largely avoids the occurrence of smearing effects even with stiff meat and which is characterized by a compact and economical construction.

This object is satisfied in accordance with the invention essentially in that the conveying apparatus comprises at least two individual conveying mechanisms arranged in the same machine housing, which can be operated independently of one another and which are fed via the funnel which is jointly associated with them, and from each of which a filling tube or filling passage leads to a filling station directly adjacent the respective forwarding mechanism.

Through the use of a filling funnel which is common to the two conveying mechanisms, one achieves a very compact and favorable layout of the apparatus in addition to operating advantages, and through the use of one conveying mechanism for each filling passage leading to the respective filling station one can ensure a filling quality corresponding to the known apparatuses with only a single filling station. The disadvantages which are otherwise present with apparatuses with a plurality of filling stations can be avoided, in particular with regard to the danger of smearing and the necessary complicated cleaning procedures.

Although all kinds of customary conveying mechanisms, such as in particular screw pumps, external gearwheel pumps and the like, can be used as conveying mechanisms, two vane cell conveying mechanisms arranged with mirror symmetry are preferably provided as conveying mechanisms, with the filling chambers of the vane cell conveying mechanisms being arranged bordering on one another beneath the funnel outlet. Through corresponding filling of the funnel and by ensuring full volume charging, a uniform transport of the meat to the filling chambers can be ensured and this then has in turn the consequence that the two vane cell conveying mechanisms operate uniformly and correctly, as in the case of an individual operation of a vane cell conveying mechanism.

Further advantageous embodiments of the invention and will be explained in the following description of an embodiment with reference to the drawing.

The vane cell conveying mechanisms 1, 2 are conveying mechanisms which are particularly protective in their handling of meat and which satisfy the highest quality demands with respect to a perfect filled appearance on cutting all sausage types. The fat oxidation can be minimized by evacuation of the filling material, protein breakdown can be avoided and the content of germs can be reduced. This is the reason why such conveying apparatuses are preferably used in the context of the invention. The vane cell conveying mechanisms 1 are driven by customary drives, and in particular directly via servomotors, oil motors and the like, with it being possible to provide a common drive and a corresponding intermediate transmission for the two conveying mechanisms.

The two conveying mechanisms 1, 2 are arranged with mirror symmetry relative to one another, so that their filling chambers 6, 7, which are separated from one another in the embodiment by a wall 8, are disposed directly alongside one another. The filling funnel 3 common to the two conveying mechanisms 1, 2, which is only represented in the drawing by its outlet, is centrally arranged with respect to the conveying mechanisms 1, 2 and charges the two filling chambers 6, 7, simultaneously, as is symbolized by an arrow representation.

Each conveying mechanism 1, 2 includes in known manner a rotor 9, vanes 10 guided in the rotor and also a control cam track 11. The two oppositely rotating conveyor mechanisms 1, 2 accordingly have a vacuum zone 12 before the respective filling chambers 6, 7 and, following the filling chambers 6, 7, a pressure region 13, out of which the meat taken up in the filling chambers 6, 7 is conveyed via short filling passages 4, 5 to the associated filling station. The filling passages 4, 5 correspond in their shape and also in their length and their dimensions to the customary filling passages in machines with only a single filling station, which is equivalent to saying that their high product quality can also be ensured in the apparatus of the invention although this is an apparatus with a plurality of filling stations.

The filling chambers 6, 7 of the two vane cell conveying mechanisms need not necessarily be symmetrically disposed relative to one another, but rather they could also be mutually offset and in particular also adjustably offset relative to one another in order to promote uniform filling in dependence on specific products.

In accordance with further variants of the invention, the partition wall between the filling chambers can also extend in a predeterminable manner into the funnel outlet, i.e. into the lower region of the funnel space. However, this is not a necessity and it is indeed possible, in connection with the filling of correspondingly suitable products, to fully dispense with the partition wall between the two filling chambers.