| 摘要 |
An enclosed finishing vat for cheese making. The vat 1 has a generally oval configuration and an agitator unit 12 is mounted for reciprocating movement on a frame 13 above the vat and includes a vertical drive shaft 16 that extends through a slot 17 in the top 4 of the vat. The lower end of the drive shaft carries a rotatable support arm 28 and at each end of the arm both a stirring paddle 34 and an unloading paddle 39 are pivotally mounted. The stirring paddle and unloading paddle extend in opposite directions from the respective end of the arm. In operation, the agitator unit reciprocates along the length of the vat, and the arm is rotated such that the stirring paddles 34 lead in the direction of rotation and stir the curd, while the unloading paddles 39 trail and float on the curd. To unload the curd from the vat, a discharge opening 42 in the bottom of the vat is opened and the direction of rotation of the arm is reversed, whereby the unloading paddles lead in the direction of rotation and scrape along the bottom 3 of the vat and deliver the curd through the discharge opening 42. <IMAGE> |
