Abstract: A sausage encasing machine has an improved looper horn thereon mounted to be in communication with the horizontal flow path of encased linked sausages being discharged from the machine. The looper horn is mounted on a looper horn adapter which rotatably secures the horn for rotation with respect to the machine about a rotational axis that extends downwardly from the looper horn adapter. The looper horn is connected to a suitable source of rotational power. The geometry of the adapter and the looper horn causes the horn to be rotated from a substantially horizontal position of maximum elevation through a circular continuous arc which is located below the position of maximum elevation whereby the strand will never have to be moved in an upwardly inclined direction as it passes through the looper horn. The looper horn is U-shaped in cross section and thereupon has an elongated side opening having a discharge axis.

Abstract: Apparatus for feeding a chain of connected sausages and for suspending the sausages in the form of loops on a smoking rod in which the outlet end of the feeding means is located above the path described by the transport hooks and the end of the transport belt, which supports the sausage loops, extends in laterally staggered relationship with respect to the feeding means. Further the transport belt revolves in an approximately horizontal plane and the transport hooks are in each case attached to a downwardly directed supporting arm approximately vertical to the plane of the transport belt, the transport hooks branching off laterally from the supporting arm and being directed obliquely upwardly at an acute angle.

Abstract: Apparatus for the separation of sausages from a string by a scissor structure moving with the string, of which structure the scissors (5, 6) constrict and separate the string. In the zone of separation of the sausages these are present on a stationary inclined guide surface (10), leading to a moving conveying surface (12). Above the guide surface (10) and to the sides of the sausages blowing means (15) are provided, blowing air from the side onto the sausages, so that they are displaced sideways on the guide surface (10) directly at separation from the string. Thus the sausages form rows one to the side of the other on the conveying surface (12), in which either exclusively blowing takes place, alternatingly to one and the other side, or there is no blowing for each third sausage from the string, so that either two or three rows can be formed.

Abstract: An apparatus for conveying sausages from a sausage stuffing machine to a packing unit comprises a deflecting device, with which the sausages are alinged in a defined position on a conveyor belt; a loading station comprising a lifting member and coordinated containers that are arranged above said lifting member and into which the sausages are introduced via the lifting member that penetrates the conveyor belt; a storage unit for transporting said loaded and unloaded containers; and an unloading station which receives the loaded containers via the storage unit and unloads the sausages from the containers synchronously to a working cycle of the packing unit. With the apparatus, sausages portioned and twisted off by a sausage stuffing machine may be introduced into packing containers of a packing unit in an automated manner without personnel touching the sausages.

Abstract: A process for the mechanized suspended on smoking or cooking rods of individual sausages produced in an automatic filling installation with teardrop-shaped suspension loops fastened to their ends is characterized in that following the picking up by a first pair of conveyor elements from the discharge area of the filling pipe the teardrop-shaped suspension loops are raised up and are simultaneously flared, whereupon the flared teardrop-shaped suspension loops are picked up by a second pair of conveyor elements, are moved away over the smoking or cooking rod which is chucked at one end and finally are placed on the point provided for that purpose on the smoking or cooking rod.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for manufacturing sausages or the like including: a nozzle for stuffing a material such as a meat emulsion into a casing for sausages or the like; a pump for supplying the material into the nozzle; a chuck for rotating the casing stuffed by the nozzle; and a linking device for clamping the stuffed casing discharged from the chuck and forming the casing stuffed with the material into the form of a chain in cooperation with the chuck. A motor for driving the pump, a motor for driving the chuck, and a motor for driving the linking device are provided separately and independently of each other, and the respective numbers of revolutions of the pump, the chuck, and the linking device rotatively driven by the respective motors are individually changeable.

Abstract: Apparatus for transporting sausages, which are filled in a continuous sausage casing, by suspending said sausages in the form of loops from reception hooks. The reception hooks are connected to an endless, driven conveyor belt in spaced relationship with one another, the conveyor belt circulating round two deflection wheels with the hooks being loaded with the sausage loops in the area of a first leg of the conveyor belt (transport leg) and returning without any load in the area of a second leg (free leg). To allow adjustment of the spacing between the hooks depending on the size and the nature of the chain of sausages, the hooks are positively connected to the conveyor belt in the transport leg and are frictionally connected to the conveyor belt in the free leg.

Abstract: A process for the input and carrying away of smoking rods or cooking rods to and from a station for the automatic suspension of sausages provided with loops on a rod which in turn is tightly chucked at one end works as follows: the rods are first brought out of a storage area one after the other into horizontal arrangement in a readiness position. Then one rod is tightly chucked there and is fed by a horizontal movement to the loading station; finally the loaded rod is picked up at both ends and fed in the same direction as before to a holding station, in which a number of loaded rods are collected for transfer by being shoved onto a smoking or cooking wagon. The process is carried out nearly without dead time, and is accomplished by an operator who remains for the post part independent of the filling and suspending cycle.

Abstract: Disclosed are a method and an apparatus for suspending a chain of sausages or the like sequentially in the form of loops from moving hooks. The apparatus for implementing the method includes a supplying device for supplying the product in a longitudinal direction thereof; a conveyor having a plurality of hooks adapted to move toward a path of the product in such a manner that a plane of movement of the hook at a position of intersection with the path of the product includes a horizontal component; and a hampering member or a rectifying device. The hampering member is located forwardly of the path of the product in the moving direction of the hook and adapted to press the product in cooperation with the hook. The rectifying device is located downstream of the supplying device and adapted to guide the product supplied by the supplying device toward the conveyor. The products of varying sizes and link lengths are suspended on the hooks securely and stably even when supplied at high speed.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for manufacturing sausages or the like having a nozzle for stuffing a material such as a meat emulsion into a casing for sausages or the like, a pump for supplying the material into the nozzle, a chuck for rotating the casing stuffed by the nozzle, and a linking device for clamping the stuffed casing discharged from the chuck and for forming the casing stuffed with the material into the form of a chain in cooperation with the chuck. The apparatus includes a device for driving the chuck, the device including a housing, a rotary member accommodated rotatably inside the housing and adapted to rotate the chuck with the chuck inserted and fixed therein, a bearing for rotatably supporting the rotary member, a sealing device for preventing the entrance of a foreign substance such as the material into the bearing, and a rotation transmitting device for driving the rotary member, the bearing having a sealing member for sealing a lubricant for the bearing in the bearing.

Abstract: A sausage link handling and packaging machine which comprises a feed conveyor for receiving individual sausage links from a link forming machine and for transferring them onto a main conveyor. These sausage links are transferred in a guided manner whereby to orient them on a predetermined ejecting path. When the sausage links arrive at the receiving end of the main conveyor, they are oriented in a side-by-side transverse alignment relationship. A transfer device is provided at a transfer station along the main conveyor to transfer a predetermined number of the transversely aligned sausage links off the conveyor and onto a package support element. The package support element with the predetermined number of sausage links thereon are then conveyed downstream of the transfer station for further handling.

Abstract: Sausages leaving a sausage-making machine as a string are arranged into groups suitable for packing by transferring them onto a conveyor belt, subsequently orienting them with their respective longitudinal axis extending obliquely with respect to the conveying direction of the conveyor belt and thereafter restraining the sausages to turn them to a transverse orientation relative to the conveying direction so they can be discharged in groups.