Abstract: A grinding machine has a shearing chamber that includes one or more edges that provide fulcrum points against which frozen block of material, such as frozen blocks of meat, can be held against during a reduction or shearing process. The edges may be arranged to limit the advancement of reduced blocks of material to provide more control on the size of the ground material that is ultimately output by the grinding machine. The grinding machine may also include an expansion zone into which reduced blocks can be temporarily held to accommodate volume increases during the reduction process. A feed screw advances the frozen blocks through the shearing chamber and includes pressure flighting to help shear material from the frozen blocks. The feed screw may include a knife holder that provides support for a knife held therein against the lateral forces experienced by the knife as the knife shears material adjacent the orifice plate.

Abstract: A grinding machine has a shearing chamber that includes one or more edges that provide fulcrum points against which frozen block of material, such as frozen blocks of meat, can be held against during a reduction or shearing process. The edges may be arranged to limit the advancement of reduced blocks of material to provide more control on the size of the ground material that is ultimately output by the grinding machine. The grinding machine may also include an expansion zone into which reduced blocks can be temporarily held to accommodate volume increases during the reduction process. A feed screw advances the frozen blocks through the shearing chamber and includes pressure flighting to help shear material from the frozen blocks. The feed screw may include a knife holder that provides support for a knife held therein against the lateral forces experienced by the knife as the knife shears material adjacent the orifice plate.

Abstract: Coating is applied from a coating application chamber to a moving web or backing roll by a rotating premetering rod, a curved or straight wedge, or a premetering blade which is urged against the moving substrate by a plurality of profiling mechanisms which are spaced from one another in the cross machine direction to control the cross machine direction profile of the applied coating to avoid coating streaks. The profiling mechanisms may be hydraulic actuators, machine screws or thermal expansion driven pistons. Cross machine profiling of the premetering device allows control with minimum pressure on the web. Adjustments to the premetering device are only made where necessary to correct nonuniform coating application where detected.

Abstract: Coating is applied from a coating application chamber to a moving web or backing roll by a rotating premetering rod, a curved or straight wedge, or a premetering blade which is urged against the moving substrate by a plurality of profiling mechanisms which are spaced from one another in the cross machine direction to control the cross machine direction profile of the applied coating to avoid coating streaks. The profiling mechanisms may be hydraulic actuators, machine screws or thermal expansion driven pistons. Cross machine profiling of the premetering device allows control with minimum pressure on the web. Adjustments to the premetering device are only made where necessary to correct nonuniform coating application where detected.

Abstract: A foil blade for use in dewatering devices found in a web forming section of a papermaking machine is described. The improved foil blade according to the present invention is easily installed into and removed from such dewatering devices. The improved foil blade of the present invention is rigidly mounted within the same dewatering devices such that the foil blade does not rotate or change geometry during a papermaking process as a wire or fabric having a stock mixture thereon travels over the foil blade. The improvement resides in providing a loaded clamping assembly for the foil blade. In one embodiment, according to the present invention, the loaded clamping assembly comprises a pneumatic load air tube to rigidly secure the foil blade to a dewatering device in a web-forming section of a papermaking machine. The foil blade being firmly clamped in position by way of the loaded air tube, cannot rotate or change geometry during operation.