Apparatus and method for manufacturing products

• Main Authors: JELLEY SIMON PHILIP, BANISTER STUART MARK, BUFTON ANDREW CHRISTOPHER, WILLIAMSON FINBARR CHARLES RONALD, BOWEN GAVIN, HAINES RODERICK ANDREW
• Format: Patent
• Language: Chinese; English
• Published: 16.01.2013
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; CHEWING GUM; COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; CONFECTIONERY; FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; FOODS, FOODSTUFFS, OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT COVERED BYSUBCLASSES A23B - A23J; HUMAN NECESSITIES; ICE-CREAM; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PREPARATION THEREOF; PRESERVATION OF FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS, IN GENERAL; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OR WORKING OF FOODSTUFFS, NOT FULLY COVERED BY ASINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; THEIR PREPARATION OR TREATMENT, e.g. COOKING, MODIFICATION OFNUTRITIVE QUALITIES, PHYSICAL TREATMENT; THEIR TREATMENT, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES; TRANSPORTING; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

A method of manufacturing products comprising an outer casing of a first material (12) and containing at least one chamber (18) filled with a second material (14) comprises extruding the first material through a die (10) to form an extrudate body (16) and delivering the second material through at least one fluid outlet (22) in the die to form the least one filled chamber. The extrusion process is varied periodically and momentarily to produce sections (30) of extrudate body having no filled chamber. In one embodiment, the flow of the second material (14) is periodically reduced to form the unfilled sections. The flow of the second material (14) may be reduced by increasing the volume of a supply path for the second material upstream from the die (10). Apparatus for carrying out the method is also disclosed. The method and apparatus are particularly adapted for producing food, and especially confectionery, products.