Abstract: A multi-product meat processing assembly (10) of the type for smoking meat includes a plurality of sequentially adjacent chambers (12,14,16,18,20,22) and trolley assemblies (26) for carrying meats hung from racks (24) through the chambers. An indexing mechanism (54) positions the racks (24) at predetermined positions within each of the chambers. The assembly (10) also includes telescoping doorways (74) separating the chambers. The assembly (10) further includes a reversible fan (132) for moving air in two directions through each of the chambers.

Abstract: An improved paint bake oven (10) of a modular construction is disclosed as including a convection heating module (12), exhaust modules (64), and a radiant drying module (80). The heating module (12) includes outer and inner housings (14) and (16) as well as an upper central supply plenum (20) and a central upper return plenum (28) that cooperate to provide efficient gas flow to painted products being baked upon passage through the heating module. Each exhaust module (64) is connected to an associated heating module so as to receive and exhaust gas therefrom to the environment. The radiant drying module (80) is located upstream from the heating module (12) and includes an outer insulated housing (84), an inner housing (86) having side passages (92) located on opposite sides of a product passage of the drying module (80), and a heater (96) that supplied heated gas to the side passages (92) to provide radiant heating that initially dries the painted products.

Abstract: An improved paint bake oven (10) of a modular construction is disclosed as including a convection heating module (12), exhaust modules (64), and a radiant drying module (80). The heating module (12) includes outer and inner housings (14) and (16) as well as an upper central supply plenum (20) and a central upper return plenum (28) that cooperate to provide efficient gas flow to painted products being baked upon passage through the heating module. Each exhaust module (64) is connected to an associated heating module so as to receive and exhaust gas therefrom to the environment. The radiant drying module (80) is located upstream from the heating module (12) and includes an outer insulated housing (84), an inner housing (86) having side passages (92) located on opposite sides of a product passage of the drying module (80), and a heater (96) that supplied heated gas to the side passages (92) to provide radiant heating that initially dries the painted products.

Abstract: A paint bake oven (10) including an outer insulated housing (12), the outer insulated housing having an inner wall surface (14). An inner housing (16) is disposed within the outer housing (12) and has an outer wall surface (18) spaced from the inner wall surface (14) to define a gas flow channel (20) therebetween. The inner housing (16) has an inner product passageway (22). A gas supply plenum (46) is disposed above the inner housings for supplying a gas flow to the gas flow channel (20). A gas exhaust passageway (38) exhausts gas from the product passageway (22). The oven (10) is characterized by including a manifold wall (28) for directing the gas flow along a flow path from the gas supply plenum (46) downwardly along the inner wall surface (20) of the outer housing (12) and then upwardly over the outer surface (18) of the inner housing (16) to uniformly distribute the gas flow over the inner housing (16).

Abstract: A recirculating processing oven heater (10) disclosed includes first and second flow paths (22,26) with an internal heat exchanger (36) located downstream from a burner (24) and upstream from a conical mixing member (28) that deflects gas from the first path outwardly for mixing with bypass gas that flows along the second path. Thermal incineration of unburned combustible gases takes place along the first path (22) after heating thereof by the burner and prior to passage thereof through the internal heat exchanger (36). Heat extracted by the internal heat exchanger (36) is supplied to the upstream end of one of the flow paths (22,26), preferably the first flow path (22) so as to provide most efficient operation of the heater.

Abstract: An elongated meat processing system including an improved lifting mechanism for lifting products from a conveyor during conveyance through a treatment zone defined by a housing of the system so as to control the rate of advancement of the products and the time the products are present in the treatment zone. The system preferably includes a plurality of the conveyors arranged in a vertically spaced relationship with each of these conveyors being of a reciprocating type including a pair of laterally spaced reciprocating beams that carry product sticks on which the products are hung. The lifting mechanism includes laterally spaced lifters along the length of the system for lifting the products after forward reciprocation of the conveyor beams so the products are suspended and do not move rearwardly during subsequent rearward beam reciprocation. Prior to a subsequent forward reciprocation, the lifters return the products to the beams to provide product advancement.

Abstract: A recirculating processing oven heater including a direct fired burner for heating processing gas and a catalytic converter downstream from the burner for removing unburned combustible gas and providing additional heating prior to delivery of the processing gas to an associated processing oven. A housing of the heater defines first and second parallel paths along which the gas flows between an inlet and an outlet thereof and the burner and catalytic converter are located along the first path to heat gas flowing therealong while mixing of the gas downstream therefrom at a junction of the two paths provides heating of the gas that flows along the second path. The relative mass flow rates of gas flowing along the first and second paths is adjustable by a control valve mechanism including first and second adjustable valves at the inlet of the heater housing.

Abstract: An overload indicator particularly adapted for use with driving and driven components of a meat processing system conveyor to indicate when an overload condition takes place. A frangible member of the indicator is preferably embodied as a shear pin that normally connects the driving and driven components and includes an internal gas chamber which is communicated with the environment as the pin fractures in shear due to overloading. Pressurized gas supplied to the gas chamber of the shear pin decreases in pressure as the pin fractures and this pressure decrease is sensed to indicate the occurrence of an overload condition. A conduit for supplying the pressurized gas to the gas chamber of the shear pin preferably includes a restricted orifice through which the gas is fed by a compressor, and a pressure sensitive valve downstream from the restricted orifice senses the pressure decrease due to an overloading pin fracture.