Abstract: A dough rounding machine with a drum rotatable about a vertical axis, a frame disposed around the drum and a trough which is formed between the drum jacket and a number of trough elements mounted on the frame and extending helically adjacent the jacket. Each trough element has a rail fixedly mounted in the frame and abutting the drum, and a wall portion positioned on the rail and displaceable relative to the jacket. The dough rounding machine further comprises a control unit for adjusting the width of the trough, the unit comprising rotatable rods extending from the lower part to the upper part of the drum and substantially parallel to the drum jacket, and link means interconnecting the rods and the wall portions.

Abstract: An apparatus for forming rolled food products includes a pair of end members in generally spaced parallel relation. The end members each include an arcuate recess with a support member maintaining the end members in fixed relation to one another. The support member may include a plurality of support rods or a pair of support walls or even a planar base portion. Alternatively, the apparatus may be formed with a continuous curvilinear surface defining an arcuate recess. The method includes placing a first flexible mat in the apparatus, placing a second sheet on said mat, and filling a receiving cavity with food stuff. The assembly is thereafter rolled in the arcuate recess to form a sushi roll or other rolled food product.

Abstract: A helical band is produced by applying a layer of heat-settable material on to a rotating support to one side of the axis of rotation. Heat is applied to the layer, as by the support while it rotates, for a length of time sufficient for the material in the layer to set to a required extent to form the band. The band is removed before it comes into contact with the material being applied on the support. The band is preferably made of electrically-insulating material so that it can be wound helically round and bonded to a cylindrical rod of electrically-insulating material to form a helically flanged insulator for use in an overhead electric power transmission line, the flange-forming band defining along the rod a helical leakage path of substantially uniform width.

Abstract: The apparatus comprises a dough preparation station, for preparing fresh dough and a tank adapted for containing water at 100.degree. C. for pre-cooking dough produced at the dough preparation station. A roller is effective to prevent pre-cooked dough from breaking as it is moved to a shaping station, including a pair of conveyor belts having vanes for shaping dough. The apparatus further comprises a cutter for cutting shaped dough, into segments of preset dimensions and a drying station, for drying dough segments.

Abstract: An extrusion head is disclosed, for extruding weather strips of elastomeric material, particularly for motor vehicles, of the type comprising an anchoring section and a longitudinal sealing section in the form of a tab coextruded with the anchoring section. The extrusion head comprises a die with an extrusion orifice having a shape corresponding to the cross-section of the weather strip to be extruded, and a deflector device adapted, when actuated, to change the inclination or orientation of the sealing section relative to the anchoring section during extrusion.

Abstract: A fish paste or slurry is processed to form a product having the palate consistency and taste of crab meat.

Abstract: A machine for manufacturing croquettes from a source of elastic food mass continuously discharged from a nozzle assembly having a reciprocating chopper controlled by sensors for severing the mass into croquettes, a plurality of conveyors for moving said croquettes through tunnel assemblies for compressing said croquettes into a desired shape and a shaker assembly for breading said croquettes and providing a frictional means for rolling said croquettes through said tunnels.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process making it possible to produce a drawn object having a chiralic structure. This production process consists of subjecting the object to torsion during its drawing and simultaneously to hardening making it possible to fix part of the thus obtained torsional stresses in the structure.

Abstract: A process for preparing an ice confection or other foodstuff with projecting and relatively recessed relief features of its outer surface, by extruding the ice confection or other extrudable edible material from a rotating extrusion nozzle having a cross-section with an assymetrical configuration with respect to the rotation axis, with the extruded material passing from the nozzle immediately into an unconfined space and on to an elongate travelling conveyor which does not share the rotational motion of the extrusion nozzle, thereby to lay down on the conveyor an extended spirally-formed extrudate with projecting and relatively recessed relief features derived from its extrusion through the nozzle of assymetrical configuration.

Abstract: A coupling element shaper comprises a pair of parallel externally threaded screw members corotatable in a common direction and disposed on opposite sides of a mandrel along which a core thread is fed while a filamentary material is wound around the mandrel into a row of helically coiled coupling elements. Each screw member has a portion varying in pitch to gradually reduce in a direction from one end to the opposite end thereof. The core thread is squeezed by the coupling elements as shaped by such portion so as to have a certain degree of stretchability which can cancel or take out its shrinkage when the coupling elements are sewn to a slide fastener stringer tape.

Abstract: A comestible extruding apparatus including a pressure chamber having an outlet, a hollow extrusion die journaled in the outlet, and a hollow seal force fit in the outlet and having a neck extending slidably into the hollow die, the neck and die combining to define a rotary seal for the comestible.

Abstract: Marbleized cookie dough pieces are formed by independently feeding different color doughs into a common extrusion die, in which a rotating impeller is located. The impeller lards portions of each dough into the flow of the other to produce a spiral pattern in the extrudate which is sliced to produce spirally marbleized dough pieces.

Abstract: Turbulence members made of a synthetic resin are manufactured by a method which comprises melting a synthetic resin and causing the molten resin to be rotated around its axis and at the same time extruded in a state wherein the molten resin is spirally twisted by use of an extruding means provided with a rotary nozzle having a slit, passing the extruded molten resin under water in a cooling means thereby cooling and solidifying the extruded resin and drawing the resultant resin with a drawing means. The cooling means is provided with a relatively narrow and relatively wide chamber to facilitate uniformity and efficiency of production.

Abstract: A machine assembly for producing lengthy rolls of bakery products such as biscuits and the like, wherein the machine includes an inlet work station having a device for forming a plurality of separate bars of dough and the machine also includes an outlet work station having a device for forming a continuous spiral in each of the bars of dough with the spirals interlocking to form a braided roll of dough. The machine assembly further includes a conveyor assembly for transporting the bars of dough between the inlet and outlet work stations while kneading and rolling the bars into their final configuration.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing a plurality of trapezoidal dough pieces of the same orientation from a web of moving dough sheet includes a first rotatable cylindrical cutter producing two kinds of series of trapezoidal dough pieces arranged in opposite orientations, one kind of series of continuous, the other separated into pieces. The series which is continuous is sidetracked upwardly, cut into pieces by a second rotatable cylindrical cutter and then reversed by passing around a curved surface and following onto the moving surface on which the dough pieces of the other series are being conveyed. The fall causes all dough pieces to have the same orientation.

Abstract: Helical plastic members are formed by rotating an extrusion die while extruding a filament in a generally horizontal direction just above a tank of liquid. The plastic helix so formed is cooled and solidified in the liquid. A mandrel in the liquid can be used to guide the helix downwardly, and the helix is removed from the tank with extraction rollers. As a variation, the tank can rotate relative to a fixed extrusion nozzle which extrudes the plastic horizontally just above the rotating liquid in the tank.

Abstract: Apparatus for forming the rim on a foam plastic container such as a cup by use of a segmented rim former. The cavity in the rim former is contoured so as to produce a curled rim that is flat on the top. The flat top of the rim is parallel to the bottom of the cup.The apparatus comprises a segmented rim former with a combination of linear and curved surfaces that form a noncircular container rim.

Abstract: A strip of heated thermoplastic material is extruded from a die past first and second stations while the strip is drawn down between the die and the first station. Initial cooling of the strip is performed at the first station and further drawing down of the strip is effected between the first and second stations. The strip is thereafter guided through a plurality of spaced convolutions about a journaled cylindrical member driven at a peripheral speed substantially equal to the linear speed of the strip as it enters the second station.

Abstract: Method of manufacturing helical members from a synthetic plastic material comprises the step of leading the extruded material while still deformable along the helical path and permitting it to harden while retained in that path. The invention also comprises a machine for carrying out this process and the article produced thereby.

Abstract: A machine having two extruders operable to move hot plastic materials of different colors through passages of a die. The die has a merging chamber where the plastic materials from the two extruders are fused in side-by-side positions and an outlet opening through which the fused materials are discharged to form a two-colored ribbon product. A rotatable mandrel located in a water tank winds the ribbon product into a helical coil spring shape. A separator plate surrounding the mandrel guides the ribbon in a helical direction as the ribbon is wound around the mandrel. The ribbon product is cooled and set as it is wound around the mandrel.