Abstract: An oven with slide-out transfer guides is provided for use in conjunction with multiple conveyors ovens to provide quick and convenient accessibility to an oven's interior in case of product transfer difficulties. A slidable rail assembly is mounted in the oven, which also has an access port for transfer guide egress and ingress, and a transfer guide with opposed lips forming a slot which mounts the transfer guide on the rail assembly. When access to the oven's interior is necessary to remedy a product transfer problem, the oven of the present invention allows the transfer guide to slide along the rail while still supported by same, and said transfer guide can be partially removed from said oven without the need to turn off the oven. In this way, obstructions can be cleared quickly without significant down time, thereby saving the user both time and expense.

Abstract: An improved pinch-point gap adjustment mechanism for a dough sheeter having two counterrotating rollers, one of which is horizontally moveable, is disclosed. The pinch-point gap adjustment mechanism incorporates a lever-action arrangement to provide mechanical assistance to an operator adjusting the pinch-point gap. The lever-action incorporated by the current invention distributes input forces for pinch-point gap adjustment across the height of the moveable roller. The disclosed invention allows for smoother pinch-point gap adjustment such that binding of the slider plates is minimized. The preferred sheeter head assembly permits an operator to release the front roller from the same operator location as where adjustments to the pinch-point gap are made.

Abstract: A rework assist belt system for use on a sheeting head used to form masa dough into thin sheets improves the final product by preventing contamination with fragments of rework dough. The rework assist belt system prevents rework from prematurely detaching from the front roller by moving in synchrony with the front roller so that the rework is held between the belt and the front roller. The rework is carried to the top of the front roller where it is disgorged into a dough hopper and mixed with other dough therein.

Abstract: An improved hopper structure is described for sheeting heads which use rollers to process dough into thin sheets. Inserts which are attached to the hopper endwalls are equipped with a tongue-in-groove structure to prevent dough from escaping. The edges of the hopper inserts are contoured to mate with the roller surfaces and bear a tongue seated in a circumferential groove in the roller. This arrangement ensures that the hopper endwall does not change position and does not deform.

Abstract: An apparatus for proofing lumps of dough has an endless conveyor. A series of first cups are mounted on one side of the conveyor for transporting lumps of dough and series of second cups are mounted on the opposite side of the conveyor of transporting lumps of dough. The second cups are spaced from the first cups, and the first and second cups have the conveyor disposed therebetween. Also, the first and second cups are staggered relative to each other so that the distance between each first cup and an adjacent second cup is equal to the distance between that second cup and the next first cup along the conveyor. Lumps of dough are loaded into the first and second cups and, after having been transported, are discharged from the first and second cups. The endless conveyor and the first and second cups are contained in an enclosure in which a proofing environment for the lumps of dough is provided.

Abstract: Apparatus for distributing a series of objects into two paths comprise a series of containers for successively receiving the objects, equipment for advancing that series of containers in an endless path, equipment for depositing the objects in successive ones of the advancing containers, devices in odd-numbered ones of the series of containers including a first container for causing movement of deposited objects in these odd-numbered containers and toward one of the two paths, and devices in even-numbered ones of the series of containers for causing movement of deposited objects in the even-numbered containers and toward the other of the two paths. These apparatus also include an endless conveyor having first cups for receiving objects from the odd-numbered containers and second cups, staggered relative to the first cups, for receiving objects from even-numbered containers.

Abstract: Apparatus for proofing lumps of dough comprises a series of elongate conveyors for successively transporting the lumps of dough, equipment for mounting the elongate conveyors in a spatially staggered relationship, a plurality of auxiliary conveying systems each associated with a different pair of elongate conveyors for transferring lumps of dough from an end of one conveyor of the particular pair to a portion of the other conveyor of that particular pair, equipment for feeding lumps of dough to the first and from the last elongate conveyor in the series, an enclosure for the elongate conveyors and the auxiliary conveying systems, and equipment for providing inside the enclosure a proofing environment for the lumps of dough.