| 摘要 |
Input food is extruded between a pair of counter-rotating wheels (26, 28) whose outer surfaces define mold cavities (30, 32). The deposited input food is molded into pieces having desired shape by compression between aligned, counter-rotating mold cavity pairs (30, 32). Preferably, the input food is heated prior to molding to prevent irreversible set up, and the wheels (26, 28) are chilled to cause deposited food to set up as it is compressed and carried between aligned, chilled mold cavities (30, 32) from a loading station to a release station. After the input food is molded and set up into pieces, the rotating cavities separate at a release station, allowing the molded pieces to fall away from the wheels (26, 28). To ensure ejection of all molded pieces from the cavities (30, 32) before refilling, it may be desirable to mist the empty cavities with a non-toxic release agent such as glycerine. |
