Abstract: Systems and methods of producing a frozen food product include dosing ingredients with a liquefied gas while mixing the ingredients using self-cleaning interlocking beaters. A system can include a container mount rotatable in a clockwise and counterclockwise direction, a coolant dosing system configured to provide coolant to ingredients in a container coupled to the container mount, at least one beater to mix ingredients in the container, and a controller to control the rotation of the container mount and the beaters, the controller performing a mixing process that includes rotating the beaters and the container mount in opposite directions for a first time period, rotating the beaters and the container mount in the same directions for a second time period, and rotating the beaters and the container mount in opposite directions for a third time period.

Abstract: A polymer cutter with a rotary cutting head in which the cutting edges are on the circumferential periphery of the head is described. The knife blades on the rotary head have a knife angle (as defined) of about 40° to about 60°. The apparatus is especially useful for cutting hard and/or brittle thermoplastics and may be used for preparing polymer granules or pellets.