Abstract: A portioning machine reducing bulk semi-viscous material portions to lesser semi-viscous material portions and methods of operating and using are provided. The apparatus includes one or more horizontal conveyor belts with a stream of bulk semi-viscous material portions thereon processing a bulk semi-viscous portion from the stream. Two or more vertical conveyors are provided communicating with an end of the one or more horizontal conveyors and entraining the bulk semi-viscous material portions there between.

Abstract: A novel method and apparatus of controlling dough feeding to process and portioning machines in automated processing lines is provided. The completed system can supply dough and dough like materials to a portioner and or allow it to continue its operation during a period of time when the one or more feeding machine needs to go to a mixer to obtain another load of bulk material, a refill cycle, and returns to a home station so as to resume feeding operations of dough. The desired effect is to have a feeding system that can both store dough to continue dough supply to one or more portioning machine(s) while the feeding machine(s) can go to a mixer to obtain a new batch of bulk dough and again return to home position where it can feed dough to one or more conveyor system(s) to maintain feed of dough to portioning machine(s) without an interruption due to stoppages in feed arising from the need for the feeder to go to a mixer and receive additional dough from the mixer and then return to the feeding conveyors.

Abstract: The invention relates to an improved system, device and method for optimized, high volume cleaning of pans, related brush modules, and methods of operating and processing same A pan cleaning system having one or more modular swing arms for cleaning a flow of pans is provided. The system having a frame with a mounting point for each of the modular swing arms and the swing arm pivots about a pivoting element freely motivated by a swing arm actuator and controlled with a swing arm limiter coupled to one or more controllers. The modular swing arm is positioned by the one or more controllers by activating the swing arm actuator to position and to engage a dirty pan from the flow of pans at a pressure range exerted by the actuator and limited by the swing arm limiter such that the pan is cleaned.

Abstract: A rounding device and method of rounding that provides improved rounding of semi solid material portions by introducing changes or variations in the contours or profiles of rounding bars to produce two or more changes in the axis of rotation of the semi solid material portion through rapidly changing release sections along the working length of the rounding bars and round the surfaces of the semi solid material portion with greater uniformity and consistency. By substantially changing the axis of rotation of the semi solid material portion in the working length of the variable contour rounding bar as it passes through a rapid transition area one can improve the rounding and avoid blemishes and deformities that occur to the surface of the semi solid material portion in existing devices.

Abstract: A rounding device and method of rounding that provides improved rounding of semi solid material portions by introducing changes or variations in the contours or profiles of rounding bars to produce one or more changes in the axis of rotation of the semi solid material portion along the working length of the one or more contoured rounding bars and round the surfaces of the semi solid material portion with greater uniformity and consistency. By changing the axis of rotation of the semi solid material portion in the working length of the variable contour rounding bar one can improve the rounding and avoid blemishes and deformities that occur to the surface of the semi solid material portion in existing devices.