Synchronized cutting and injection system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9277753-B2
Application number	US-86029210-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2010
Priority date	Aug 20, 2010
Publication date	Mar 8, 2016
Grant date	Mar 8, 2016

Abstract

A system and method for producing a co-filled product. A center layer is fed through a center channel of a die face and an outer layer is fed through an outer layer of a die face. The center channel is coupled to a fluid control device which controls the flow of the center layer. The position of the fluid control device is determined by the location of a cutting blade located downstream from the die face. In one embodiment the fluid control device is synchronized to ensure that when the product is cut by the cutting blade the cutting blade does not cut through the center layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for producing a co-filled product having a center layer and an outer layer, the system comprising:
a die face comprising a center channel through which the center layer can flow and an outer feed channel through which the outer layer can flow;
at least one fluid control device coupled to said center channel, wherein said fluid control device comprises at least two operative positions to cause intermittent flow in the center channel;
at least one cutting blade located downstream from the die face, wherein the at least one cutting blade is coupled to a blade mount rotated by a shaft;
a sensor in communication with the at least one fluid control device, wherein the sensor determines a location of the at least one cutting blade during cutting by sensing at least one of the blade mount, the at least one cutting blade, and the shaft during rotation, and wherein operation of the at least one fluid control device is synchronized with the location of the at least one cutting blade, which determines the at least two operative positions of the fluid control device to cause the intermittent flow in the center channel,
enables the at least one cutting blade to cut through an extrudate to form a puff while avoiding cutting into a section of the extrudate that includes intermittent flow from the center channel.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said fluid control device comprises a valve.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said fluid control device comprises a gate valve.

4. A system for producing a co-filled product having a center layer and an outer layer, the system comprising:
a die face comprising a center channel through which the center layer can flow and an outer feed channel through which the outer layer can flow;
at least one fluid control device coupled to said center channel, wherein said fluid control device comprises at least two operative positions to cause intermittent flow in the center channel;
at least one cutting blade located downstream from the die face, wherein the at least one cutting blade is coupled to a blade mount rotated by a shaft;
at least one pin pushing device coupled with the at least one cutting blade so that rotation of the at least cutting blade causes rotation of the at least one pin pushing device, which intermittently engages the at least one fluid control device,
wherein synchronization of the at least one cutting blade and the operation of the at least one fluid control device enables the at least one cutting blade to cut through an extrudate to form a puff while avoiding cutting into a section of the extrudate that includes intermittent flow from the center channel.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said at least one pin pushing device is offset from said at least one cutting blade.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein said at least pin pushing device intermittently engages said at least one fluid control device.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein during use, said at least one pin pushing device intermittently engages said at least one fluid control device to stop the flow of said center feed.

8. The system of claim 4 wherein said at least two positions comprises an open position and a closed position.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the fluid control device is a valve, and wherein a width of said pin pushing device is proportional to the time said valve is in said closed position.

10. The system of claim 4 wherein said at least one pin pushing device comprises at least one control knob.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least two positions comprises an open position and a closed position.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least two positions comprises an on position and an off position.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein at least two fluid control devices are coupled to said center channel.

14. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least two center channels.

15. A method for cutting a co-filled product having a center layer and an outer layer, the method comprising:
directing the outer layer into a die;
intermittently directing the center layer into the die by a fluid control device having at least two operative positions;
joining said center layer and said outer layer to form a puff having the center layer enclosed within the outer layer, upon exiting from the die;
cutting said exiting puff off with a cutting blade without cutting the center layer of the puff, wherein the cutting blade is coupled to a blade mount rotated by a shaft; and
determining a location of said cutting blade by sensing at least one of the blade mount, the cutting blade, and the shaft during rotation, wherein operation of the at least one fluid control device is synchronized with the location of the cutting blade, which determines the at least two operative positions of the fluid control device to cause intermittent flow of the center layer.

16. A method for cutting a co-filled product having a center layer and an outer layer, the method comprising:
directing the outer layer into a die;
intermittently directing the center layer into the die by a fluid control device having at least two operative positions;
joining said center and said outer feed to form a puff having a center layer enclosed within an inner layer, upon exiting from the die;
cutting said exiting puff off with a cutting blade without cutting the center layer of the puff, wherein the cutting blade is coupled to a blade mount rotated by a shaft; and
wherein said intermittently directing further comprises mechanically coupling said fluid control device with a pin pushing device coupled with the cutting blade so that rotation of the cutting blade causes the pin pushing device to intermittently engage the fluid control device.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said cutting blade is mechanically coupled to the pin pushing device, and wherein said pin pushing device intermittently engages said fluid control device.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of intermittently directing comprises:
opening the flow of said center layer with the fluid control device; and
stopping the flow of said center layer with the fluid control device.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein said step of intermittently directing comprises adjusting said fluid control device between an on position and an off position.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein said step of intermittently directing comprises adjusting said fluid control device between an open position and a closed position synchronously with the step of cutting.

21. The method of claim 15 further comprising:
repeating the directing step, the intermittently directing step, the joining step, and the cutting step.

22. The method of claim 15 wherein step of intermittently directing comprises opening and closing a first fluid control device and opening and closing a second fluid control device.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said first and said second fluid control devices are coupled to dissimilar center layer sources.

24. The system of claim 4 wherein said fluid control device comprises a pin head coupled to a valve, and wherein said pin pushing device intermittently contacts said pin head.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein said fluid control device further comprises a spring.

26. The method of claim 4 wherein said fluid control device comprises a pin head coupled to a valve, and wherein said pin pushing devic

Assignees

• Bortone Eugenio
• Frito Lay North America Inc

Inventors

• Bortone Eugenio

Classifications

• B29C2948/92104

  Flow or feed rate · CPC title

• A21C3/06

  Machines for coiling sheets of dough, e.g. for producing rolls · CPC title

• B29C48/92

  Measuring, controlling or regulating · CPC title

• B29C48/0022

  combined with cutting · CPC title

• B30B11/227

  Means for dividing the extruded material into briquets · CPC title