Abstract: An apparatus for charging products to be frozen onto a freezer plate comprises a conveyor arranged to place the products in front of a charging opening of a freezer, and a device for transferring the products in a translatory movement from the conveyor through the charging opening onto the freezer plate. To obtain a strong transfer force and effective control, the transferring device comprises a pusher bar arranged to engage the products to be frozen on the conveyor, a chain drive arranged to impart the translatory movement to the pusher bar engaging the products, the chain drive comprising chains to which the pusher bar is attached and driving pinions about which the chains are trained, the chains having links short enough to enable the chains to engage the pinions over about a quarter of a circle and the pinions being affixed to a rotary shaft, a reduction brake motor floatingly mounted on the rotary shaft and comprising a return arm.

Abstract: A freezer comprises an insulated housing with two opposite walls defining an interior chamber therebetween, the walls respectively defining a charging opening and a discharge opening for respectively charging products to be frozen into the interior chamber and discharging the frozen products from the interior chamber, and a stack of horizontal freezer plates arranged in the interior chamber. Vertical screw jacks vertically displace the stack of freezer plates whereby they are successively moved to the level of the openings.

Abstract: To reduce manual handling of a pressing plate in a cheese-making vat and to facilitate its operation and maintenance, the plate is constituted by a case whose inner surface is covered by a series of rigid filtering panels. These panels are pivotal between an operating position and an open position which permits washing the panels.

Abstract: A cheese making apparatus comprises a rectangular vat, a pressing plate, a filtering sheet supported on the bottom wall of the vat for displacement in a longitudinal direction, and a transverse partition affixed to an end of the filter sheet adjacent a fixed end wall of the vat for simultaneous displacement with the filtering sheet in this direction. The partition defines with the side walls, the bottom wall and a mobile end wall opposite the fixed end wall an operating volume of the vat determining the amount of curds to be held in the vat for producing cheese from a pressed mass of the curds wherefrom the whey has been drained. Displacement of the partition changes the operating volume and the transverse partition is elastically compressible in a vertical direction whereby lowering of the pressing plate into the vat compresses the partition and permits the plate to apply pressure to the curds held in the vat.

Abstract: A homogenizing apparatus comprises a casing having an internal cylindrical surface defining a bore having an open end. A portion of the surface is threaded and the casing defines an inlet portion terminating in an annular chamber along the threaded portion substantially centered between the ends thereof. A rotatable closing plug in the open bore end has a cylindrical threaded portion meshing with the threaded portion of the internal cylindrical surface and longitudinally extending grooves along the cylindrical threaded portion of the plug. The threads of the threaded portions and the grooves define homogenizing passages and the annular chamber surrounds the threaded portion of the plug and communicates with the homogenizing passages whereby a liquid or pasty product delivered under pressure into the inlet port is divided into two equal streams flowing from the centered annular chamber through the homogenizing passages in opposite directions. An outlet conduit receives the streams of homogenized product.