Abstract: Apparatus and method for continuously forming pizza crusts, particularly deep dish pizza crusts having substantially vertical sidewalls, in pizza pans of corresponding shape. A ribbon of deep dish pizza dough is formed and superimposed on a conveyor comprising flights including upstanding cutting rings within which pizza pans to be filled are disposed. A roller passing over the cutting rings severs dough disks disposed within each cutting ring; the dough disks drop into each pizza pan. Each pan is then registered with a diaphragm which is inflated to urge each dough disk into intimate conformity with the pan, then the diaphragm is withdrawn from the pan, leaving a finished crust. A carriage periodically moves the diaphragm in the contra-machine direction to engage the following flight. The pans are then removed from the conveyor flights to recover pan and pizza crust assemblies.

Abstract: Apparatus for continuously forming pizza crusts, particularly deep dish pizza crusts having substantially vertical sidewalls, in pizza pans of corresponding shape. A ribbon of deep dish pizza dough is formed and superimposed on a conveyor comprising flights including upstanding cutting rings within which pizza pans to be filled are disposed. A roller passing over the cutting rings severs dough disks disposed within each cutting ring; the dough disks drop into each pizza pan. Each pan is then registered with a diaphragm which is inflated to urge each dough disk into intimate conformity with the pan, then the diaphragm is withdrawn from the pan, leaving a finished crust. A carriage periodically moves the diaphragm in the contra-machine direction to engage the following flight. The pans are then removed from the conveyor flights to recover pan and pizza crust assemblies.