DK177931B1

DK177931B1 - PROCEDURE AND PREPARATION EQUIPMENT FOR THE PREPARATION OF FORMATED EATING BODIES.

Info

Publication number: DK177931B1
Application number: DK200001798A
Authority: DK
Inventors: Carsten Hermansen
Original assignee: Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance
Priority date: 2000-11-29
Filing date: 2000-11-29
Publication date: 2015-01-19
Also published as: DK200001798A

Abstract

Ved en formstøbningsproces af den art, ved hvilken spiseismasse nedfyldes i støbelommer, der ved ydersiden udsættes for først et frysemedium og sidenhen for et varmemedium til sliptøning af de fosne emner, gøres der brug af tvedelte støbelommer i form af sammenstillede konkave ydervægdele på modstående, lukkede kassetteelementer, som kan forbindes til gennemstrømning af nævnte medier. Der sikres herved en total adskillelse mellem islegemerne og fryse- og varmemedierne, således at der f.eks. udmærket kan benyttes henholdsvis kold og varm brine i i øvrigt fuldstændigt tørre omgivelser, og desuden gøres det muligt at frembringe "3D" produkter uden slipform.In a molding process of the kind in which edible pulp is filled into mold pockets, which are exposed first to a freezing medium and then to a heating medium to abrasion the frozen items, two-part mold pockets are used in the form of assembled concave outer wall parts on opposite, closed cassette elements which can be connected to flow through said media. This ensures a total separation between the ice bodies and the freezing and heating media, so that e.g. excellent can be used respectively cold and hot brine in otherwise completely dry surroundings, and in addition it is possible to produce "3D" products without slip form.

Description

Fremgangsmåde og Formudstyr for tildannelse af formstøbte SPISEISLEGEMER.Method and Forming Equipment for Forming Molded EATING BODIES.

Opfindelsens anvendelsesområdeField of application of the invention

Den foreliggende opfindelse angår tildannelse af formstøbte spiseislegemer ved nedfyldning af spiseismasse i formhulrum uden et naturligt slip, dannet imellem tæt sammenlukkede, men åbnelige formhalvparter, hvis vægge først underkastes en køling til mere eller mindre vidtgående frysning af islegememe og derefter en opvarmning til fritøning af legemerne for afformning af disse.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the formation of molded ice bodies by filling ice cream pulp in a mold cavity without a natural slip, formed between tightly closed but open mold halves, the walls of which are first subjected to cooling to more or less freezing of the ice bodies and then heating to freeze the bodies. for shaping these.

Teknikkens standpunktThe prior art

Helt traditionelt foregår dette på den måde, at rækker af formelommer fremføres nedragende i et frysebad, typisk salt-brine, forbi en fyldestation og derefter langs en strækning gennem tilstrækkelig lang tid til, at islegememe i det mindste kan skalfryses, hvorefter lommerækkeme overløftes for videre fremføring langs en kortere strækning i et varmebad for opnåelse af den nævnte fritøning og påfølgende afformning. Denne teknik kræver, at islegememe er frit udtrækkelige, dvs. at forme lommerne indvendigt et udført med formslip.Traditionally, this is done in a way that rows of mold pockets are fed downwardly in a freezer bath, typically salt brine, past a filling station and then along a stretch for a sufficient length of time for the ice body to at least be frozen, after which the pockets are lifted for further advancing along a shorter stretch in a hot bath to obtain said free thaw and subsequent shaping. This technique requires the ice bodies to be freely retractable, ie. to mold the pockets inside one done with mold slip.

Der er et betydeligt marked for "3D-produkter", dvs. is-legemer, som netop ikke optræder med slipform, men med diverse udbulinger og undersænkninger, og der er i tidens løb foreslået flere forskellige metoder til tildannelse af sådanne legemer, f.eks. ved trykformning af fortilvirkede emner, pålægning af ekstra ismasse på emnerne, eller anvendelse af oplukkelige støbeforme. Opfindelsen samler sig om netop den her sidstnævnte teknik, som mekanisk og styringsmæssigt har forudsætning for at være relativt enkel og sikkert virkende.There is a significant market for "3D products", ie. ice bodies, which do not just appear in slip form, but with various bulges and depressions, and several different methods for forming such bodies have been proposed over time. by molding pre-made items, applying extra ice mass to the items, or using openable molds. The invention gathers around precisely this latter technique, which is mechanically and control prerequisite to be relatively simple and safe to operate.

I forbindelse med åbnelige forme, typisk med indbyrdes bundhængslede formhalvparter jfr. f.eks. US-A 4,548,573, er det et principielt problem at benytte brine som et omgivende frysemedium, da smålækager ikke helt kan udelukkes, og jfr. nævnte US-skrift er det så fundet bedre at benytte kold luft som frysemiddel. Det er i forbindelse med isfrysning også kendt at benytte diverse cryogene teknikker, som nok er fødevarevenlige, men dog relativt omstændelige eller dyre.In connection with open molds, typically with mutually bottom-hinged mold halves, cf. eg. US-A 4,548,573, it is a fundamental problem to use brine as a surrounding freezing medium, as small leaks cannot be completely excluded, and cf. said US document it is then found better to use cold air as a freezing agent. In the context of ice freezing, it is also known to use various cryogenic techniques, which are probably food-friendly but relatively complex or expensive.

Fra EP-A2 0 132 412 kendes desuden en fremgangsmåde til fremstilling af spiseis ved nedfyldning af ismasse i en form skabt mellem to formhalvdele. I halvdelene er der mulighed for at føre et frysemedium igennem halvdelene og dermed fryse ismasse til spiseis. Når spiseisen skal frigøres fra formhalvdelene, sker dette ved brug af tyngdekraften, ved at påvirke formen mekanisk eller ved at påvirke spiseisen mekanisk samtidig med at halvdelene føres fra hinanden. Fjernelsen af spiseisen fra formhalvdelene kræver en del kraft, hvilket bl.a. kan gå ud over kvaliteten af spiseisens overflade.EP-A2 0 132 412 also discloses a process for preparing ice cream by filling ice mass in a mold created between two mold halves. In the halves it is possible to pass a freezing medium through the halves and thus freeze ice mass for ice cream. When the ice cream is to be released from the mold halves, this is done by using gravity, by mechanically influencing the mold or by mechanically influencing the ice cream while separating the halves from each other. The removal of the ice from the mold halves requires some force. can go beyond the quality of the ice cream surface.

OpfindelsenThe invention

Opfindelsen angår en fremgangsmåde ved tildannelse af formstøbte spiseislegemer i henhold til krav 1, samt formudstyr for tildannelse af formstøbte spiseislegemer i henhold til krav 2.The invention relates to a method of forming molded ice cream bodies according to claim 1, as well as molding equipment for forming molded ice cream bodies according to claim 2.

Det er ved opfindelsen fundet attraktivt at basere frysningen på brugen af brine eller for så vidt ethvert andet frysemedium, som ikke nødvendigvis skal være fødevarevenligt. Den traditionelle brine optræder med ideelle egenskaber med hensyn til varme/kuldetransmission i det relevante temperaturområde, og det vil så blot være påkrævet, at der sikres en perfekt tæthed mellem formhalvparteme og det omgivende bad af frysemediet.It has been found by the invention attractive to base the freezing on the use of brine or to the extent of any other freezing medium which is not necessarily food-friendly. The traditional brine has ideal properties with regard to heat / cold transmission in the relevant temperature range, and this will simply be required to ensure a perfect density between the mold halves and the surrounding bath of the freezing medium.

Ifølge opfindelsen er dette opnåeligt ved, at man forlader forestillingen om "det omgivende bad" som et frit bad og til gengæld indfører badet som et strømningskammer i tæt forbindelse med ydersiden af hver af de respektive formhalvparter, med tilhørende modstående til- og afgangstilslutninger for en frempumpet strøm af kold brine. Hver af formhalvparteme kan herved fremstå som en slags kassette, som ved en forsidedel kan opvise de påkrævede indsænkninger for dannelse af en ønsket halvpartsform med tilhørende udstående bunddel og åben top, og som ved bagsiden af denne forsidedel kan holdes gennemskyllet af den kolde brine uden den ringeste risiko for, at brinen vil kunne indtrænge i det lukkede formrum. Brinen kan så ganske vist ikke være virksom lige ud for samlingsplanet mellem de modstående kassetter, men de her optrædende områder er så snævre, at den relevante kulde/varmetransmission med fuld effektivitet kan varetages af selve de termisk ledende dele af formhalvparteme.According to the invention, this is attainable by leaving the notion of "the surrounding bath" as a free bath and, in return, introducing the bath as a flow chamber in close connection with the outside of each of the respective mold halves, with associated opposite inlet and outlet connections for a cold flow of cold brine. Each of the mold halves can hereby appear as a kind of cassette which can show at a front part the required depressions for forming a desired half-part mold with associated protruding bottom part and open top, and which at the back of this front part can be kept flushed by the cold brine without it. the least risk that the brine will be able to penetrate into the closed mold space. Although the brine may not be effective just off the junction plane between the opposing cassettes, the areas present here are so narrow that the relevant cold / heat transmission can be handled with full efficiency by the thermally conductive parts of the mold halves.

For den tilhørende procesteknik vil det være af markant betydning, at de nævnte kassetterum bag bagsiderne af formhalvparteme ikke blot skal gennemstrømmes af den kolde brine, men også derefter kan omstilles til at blive gennemstrømmet af et varmt medium såsom varm brine for frembringelse af den fornødne fritøning af støbeemnet, uden at dette herved i det hele taget skal udsættes for noget ophold i et omgivende bad i gængs forstand. Formhalvparteme skal således ikke overløftes til noget fritøningsbad, idet det vil være tilstrækkeligt at fremkalde en omskiftning mellem tilbringning af henholdsvis kold og varm brine til de nævnte kassettedele.For the associated process technique, it will be of significant importance that the said cassette compartments behind the back sides of the mold halves must not only be flowed through the cold brine, but also then be converted to be flowed through a hot medium such as hot brine to produce the required freeze. of the molding, without this being at all subject to any stay in an ambient bath in the usual sense. Thus, the mold halves should not be elevated to any free-thaw bath, as it will be sufficient to induce a switch between the application of cold and hot brine respectively to said cassette parts.

Kassetterne kan være dobbeltsidigt operative, således at hvert sæt af de tre kassetter vil danne to komplette rækker af støbeforme og to yderrækker af formhalvparter. Kassetterne behøver ikke være specielt tykke, således at der kan arbejdes med god pladsudnyttelse.The cassettes may be bilaterally operative so that each set of the three cassettes will form two complete rows of molds and two outer rows of mold halves. The cartridges do not need to be particularly thick, so that good space utilization can be worked on.

FigurfortegnelseList of Figures

Opfindelsen forklares i det følgende nærmere under henvisning til tegningen, på hvilken fig. 1 er et perspektivbillede af to sammenstillede formkassetter ifølge opfindelsen, fig. 2 et tilsvarende billede af kassetterne ført ud fra hinanden, fig. 3 et ovenbillede af en støbemaskine ifølge opfindelsen, og fig. 4 et sidebillede af en anden type af en anvendelig støbemaskine. Udførelseseksempler I fig. 1 er vist to sammenstillede, hule kassetter 2, der hver især er udført med indsænkninger i form af formhalvparter 4 i de modstående endeflader. Ved sammenstillingen vil der således i midten dannes en række af formhulrum, der er lukkede forneden og ved siderne, medens de foroven har en indfyldningsåbning 6. Hver kassette har ved den ene side en tilgangsstuds 8 og ved den modstående side en afgangsstuds 10 for etablering af en gennemstrømning i kassetten.The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the drawing, in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of two assembled mold cartridges according to the invention; FIG. 2 shows a similar view of the cassettes spaced apart; FIG. 3 is a top view of a molding machine according to the invention; and FIG. 4 is a side view of another type of a useful casting machine. Embodiment Examples In FIG. 1, two assembled hollow cassettes 2 are shown, each of which is made with depressions in the form of half moldings 4 in the opposite end faces. Thus, at the assembly, a series of mold cavities closed below and at the sides will be formed, while having a top opening 6 at the top. Each cassette has at one side an inlet nozzle 8 and on the opposite side a outlet nozzle 10 for establishing a flow through the cassette.

Det er i fig. 1 vist, at der i indfyldningsåbningeme 6 er nedstukket respektive fylderør 12, gennem hvilke formhulrummene udfyldes med ismasse. I samme forbindelse lukkes der via studsene 8 og 10 et frysemedium, fortrinsvis kold brine, igennem kassetterne 2. Når isen er halvfrossen kan der gennem åbningerne 6 nedstikkes bærepinde i ismassen. Når frysningen er fuldført omskiftes der til en kortvarig gennemstrømning med passende varm brine eller et andet medium til fritøning af de frosne islegemer, hvorefter kassetterne udstyres fra hinanden jfr. fig. 2.It is shown in FIG. 1, it is shown in the filling openings 6 that respective filling pipes 12 are plunged through which the mold cavities are filled with ice mass. In the same connection, through the studs 8 and 10, a freezing medium, preferably cold brine, is closed through the cassettes 2. When the ice is semi-frozen, carrier pegs in the ice mass can be inserted through the openings 6. When the freezing is complete, a short-term flow with a suitable hot brine or other medium for freezing of the frozen ice bodies is switched, after which the cassettes are fitted apart, cf. FIG. 2nd

Hvis islegememe er forsynet med bærepinde kan de inden formåbningen gribes med en sædvanlig pindegribeudrustning, men ellers kan der arrangeres specialgribere. Det kan i den forbindelse være en relevant mulighed, at der i en første fase kan fremkaldes en ensidig fritøning, således at islegemerne ved formåbningen forbliver i forbindelse med en og samme kassette, der så efter en gribning af legemerne opvarmes til endelig frigivelse af islegememe. Ekstremt vil legemerne kunne frigøres ved simpelt nedfald på en udstyringstransportør. Hvad angår håndteringen af legemerne vil det stå som en fordel, at der kan arbejdes i et fuldstændig tørt miljø.If the ice bodies are provided with supporting pins, they can be gripped with the usual stick grip equipment before opening, but otherwise special grippers can be arranged. In this connection, it may be a relevant possibility that in the first phase a unilateral free thaw may be induced, so that the ice bodies remain open at the opening with one and the same cassette which is then heated after final gripping of the bodies for final release of the ice bodies. Extremely, the bodies can be released by simple fallout on an equipment conveyor. As far as the handling of the bodies is concerned, it will be an advantage that work can be done in a completely dry environment.

Som antydet ved henvisningsbetegnelse 14 i fig. 2 kan formhalvparteme 4 eventuelt være anbragt på udskiftelig måde i kassetterne.As indicated by reference numeral 14 in FIG. 2, the mold halves 4 may be optionally disposed in the cartridges.

Det er i fig. 3 vist, at kassetterne kan være arrangeret i en rundtgående kreds, ganske svarende til de formbærende lameller i en konventionel støbemaskine af rundbordstypen. På et enkelt sted A er der plads til, at der kan skabes den fornødne åbning mellem kassetterne for udtagningen af islegemerne. Dette sted kan have en fast placering, når kassettekransen bevæges i omkredsretningen, men alternativt kan kransen som helhed være ubevægelig, hvis blot kassetterne er således svingbare, at de successivt kan åbne sig fra hinanden som ved A. Det vil derved være stedet A, der flytter sig i omkredsretningen, og der skal naturligvis så sørges for, at både griberindretningen og fyldeindretningen svinges rundt i en tilsvarende bevægelse.It is shown in FIG. 3 shows that the cassettes may be arranged in a circular circuit, quite similar to the mold-bearing slats in a conventional round table type casting machine. In a single location A, there is room for the necessary opening to be created between the cassettes for the removal of the ice bodies. This location may have a fixed location when the cassette rim is moved in the circumferential direction, but alternatively, the wreath as a whole may be immovable if only the cassettes are pivotal so that they can successively open apart as at A. It will thereby be the location A which moves in the circumferential direction and, of course, care must be taken to swing both the gripper device and the filling device in a corresponding movement.

Fig. 4 viser, at kassetterne 2 også kan fremføres langs en lige strækning, f.eks. på en transportør, hvorved åbnestedet A automatisk vil være beliggende ved en omstyringsende som vist. I princippet kan kassetterne udføres så de kun samarbejder parvis, hvorved de i sammenstillet tilstand kan føres omkring en sådan omstyring for videre frysningspåvirkning under det nedre returløb. Alternativt kan der også her udføres en selektiv eller ensidig fritøning til muliggørelse af det i fig. 4 viste åbningsforløb, således at der ved overgangen til returløbet sker en genlukning af kassetterne omkring de medførte, delvis nedfrosne islegemer for påfølgende slut-frysning af disse.FIG. 4 shows that the cassettes 2 can also be fed along a straight line, e.g. on a conveyor whereby the opening point A will automatically be located at a divert end as shown. In principle, the cassettes can be designed so that they only cooperate in pairs, whereby they can be guided in such a state around such a redirection for further freezing effect during the lower return flow. Alternatively, a selective or unilateral free thaw may also be performed here to enable the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, so that at the transition to the return flow, the cassettes are re-closed around the entrained, partially frozen ice bodies for subsequent final freezing thereof.

Claims

A method of forming molded ice cream bodies by filling ice cream pulp in mold cavities formed between tightly closed but open mold halves (4) which can define a mold cavity without a natural slip, after these mold halves (4) are first subjected to cooling by means of an ambient freezing medium for obtaining at least an outer shell freezing of the filled ice mass and subsequently for heating to obtain a surface thaw of the thus frozen ice body by means of an ambient heating medium, after which the mold halves (4) are opened apart release of the thus-frozen ice body, characterized by the use of molded half portions (4) which appear as depressions in hollow cassettes (2) adapted for the passage of freezing and heating medium, respectively, these cassettes (2) being adapted to move against and apart for forming and opening said mold cavities, respectively.

2. Molding equipment for forming molded ice-cream bodies by filling the ice-cream mass in mold cavities, said equipment comprising tightly closed but open mold halves (4) to form mold cavities between the mold halves (4) without a natural slip, characterized in that the mold halves used ( 4) constitutes recesses in the front portions of hollow cassettes (2) which have inlet and outlet openings (8, 10) for selective flow of freezing medium and heating medium.

Molding equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that said molding equipment is constituted by a movable series of hollow cassettes (2) elongated in the transverse direction, which are formed at both opposite end faces with a number of said depressions and which are open from each other by mutual fluctuation.

Molding equipment according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the mold halves (4) are interchangeably arranged in the cassettes (2).