Apparatus for and method of shirring a tubular casing

摘要

Apparatus for shirring a tubular casing includes a pair of shirring wheels with helical teeth. The wheels 21,22 (FIG. 9) are moulded from flexible rubber or polyurethane. The leading edge 43 of a tooth of one wheel 22 is aligned (shown by a nominal straight line 48) with the leading edge 42 on the adjacent tooth on the other wheel 21. The helical teeth are of controlled flexibility and the wheels may include circumferential walls joining the teeth. Other features of the invention relate to the curvature of the crest or face surface of the teeth which are related to wheel diameter and to the desired diameter of the shirred stick or slug which is to be produced.