Dough cutting and moulding machine - has dough thickness detector, and conveyor which stops when set thickness is exceeded

摘要

A dough cutting and moulding machine comprises a roll system and conveyor belts for feeding the dough; upstream of the entry roll there is a conveyor belt connected via a coupling to its drive; in the effective region of the entry roll there is a sensor which detects the thickness of the dough and, if this thickness exceeds a predetermined value, disconnects the coupling and thus stops the conveyor. In a preferred arrangement, there is also a lower limit switch; if the dough is too thin, actuation of this limit switch disconnects the doupling and also switches off the drive motor. The surfaces of the conveyor are pref. inclined towards one another. The roll system may be such that the dough s conveyed generally horizontally right as far as the cutting roll, or alternatively as shown. The sensing device may comprise a smoothing roll extending transversely right across the path of the dough, and pivoted about a support limited in its movement by upper and lower stops associated with the limit switches. In the continuous production of dough, if the mass becomes too thick the top becomes scraped, with consequent disruption to the later cutting process. Present arrangement prevents this happening.