Abstract: An easily cleanable horizontal mixer. This horizontal mixer (10) includes a mixing bowl (18) having an upper opening, a material feed port (20), a roof (22) configured so as to close the upper opening, a material feed tube (24) attached to the roof and extending upwardly from a periphery of the material feed port to define a material feed passage extending through the material feed port, and the lid (26) disposed in the material feed tube. The mixing bowl has a bottom wall (14), a peripheral wall (16) extending from the periphery of the bottom wall to the upper opening, and a scraper plate (32) at an upper end (16b) of the peripheral wall. The lid has an inner surface (26a) that is, at a position to close the material feed port, brought into a position where the inner surface is flush with an inner surface (22a) of the roof.

Abstract: An endless dough conveyor 16 is provided with a resin endless toothed belt 18 instead of a metal chain. A toothed pulley 22 around which the endless toothed belt is wound is also made of resin. A rail 64 is disposed adjacent to a horizontal path of the belt, and a roller 46 attached to the belt is adapted to roll on the rail. At least two induction motors are provided for driving the endless toothed belt. The induction motors are supplied with electric power from a single inverter 35. At least a pulley is provided with a detecting unit 80. The detecting unit 80 detects a state in which teeth of the endless toothed belt climb onto that of the pulley, thereby predicting breakage of the belt. Thus, it is possible to prevent contamination of dough in a proofer.

Abstract: In a dividing apparatus A in which dough brought in through a hopper is extruded from an extruder 8 by a screw 71, dough is divided by cutting it into pieces of set length. The dividing apparatus A comprises a support plate provided for installation therein of a outlet member 1 of the extruder 8 and a cutter 9 for cutting off extruded dough D by sliding along the support plate 2. The outlet member 1 comprises a reducer 11 and a flange 12 formed such as to extend therefrom. The flange 12 is configured for ease of installation on, and removal from, the support plate 2.

Abstract: A rounding apparatus for rounding dough pieces comprises a conveyer having a surface for supporting thereon and transporting dough pieces; and a plurality of rounder bars any one of which is selectively brought into contact with the surface of the conveyor to engage with the dough pieces conveyed by the conveyor thereby rotating the dough pieces on the surface of the conveyor to round the dough pieces.

Abstract: In a dividing apparatus A in which dough brought in through a hopper is extruded from an extruder 8 by a screw 71, dough is divided by cutting it into pieces of set length. The dividing apparatus A comprises a support plate provided for installation therein of a outlet member 1 of the extruder 8 and a cutter 9 for cutting off extruded dough D by sliding along the support plate 2. The outlet member 1 comprises a reducer 11 and a flange 12 formed such as to extend therefrom. The flange 12 is configured for ease of installation on, and removal from, the support plate 2.

Abstract: A rounding apparatus for rounding dough pieces comprises a conveyer having a surface for supporting thereon and transporting dough pieces; and a plurality of rounder bars any one of which is selectively brought into contact with the surface of the conveyor to engage with the dough pieces conveyed by the conveyor thereby rotating the dough pieces on the surface of the conveyor to round the dough pieces.

Abstract: A dough extruder extrudes a sheet of dough. A ram is reciprocable within a chamber, the chamber having an entrance for receiving dough from the hopper and an exit. Reciprocation of the ram drives the dough from the entrance out the exit to form a sheet of dough. A driver is coupled to the ram for driving reciprocation of the ram. A sensor senses a characteristic of the sheet of dough and generates a sensing signal based on the characteristic sensed. A controller is coupled to the sensor and the driver and receives the sensor signal. The controller controls the driver based on the sensor signal received.