US 12,108,769 B2
De-aeration cavities in a mould member
Hendrikus Petrus Gerardus Van Gerwen, Someren (NL); and Andreas Leonardus De Bijl, La Den Dungen (NL)
Assigned to GEA FOOD SOLUTIONS BAKEL B.V., Bakel (NL)
Appl. No. 16/603,462
Filed by GEA FOOD SOLUTIONS BAKEL B.V., Bakel (NL)
PCT Filed Apr. 19, 2018, PCT No. PCT/EP2018/060071
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 7, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/193046, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 25, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. 17167078 (EP), filed on Apr. 19, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0037621 A1, Feb. 6, 2020
Int. Cl. A22C 7/00 (2006.01); A23P 30/10 (2016.01); B29C 37/00 (2006.01); B29C 43/40 (2006.01); B29C 45/27 (2006.01)
CPC A22C 7/0069 (2013.01) [A22C 7/0076 (2013.01); A23P 30/10 (2016.08); B29C 37/0003 (2013.01); B29C 43/40 (2013.01); B29C 45/2725 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A food product forming apparatus comprising:
a mould drum comprising a multitude of product cavities, each of the multitude of product cavities comprise a bottom wall and a sidewall made of a porous material;
an infeed channel 1 mass is supplied to the mould drum;
a fluid passage, which extends in a longitudinal direction of the mould drum;
a pair of stabilization blocks, one of which is arranged upstream of the infeed channel and a second of which is arranged downstream of the infeed channel;
a seal plate;
one or more piston/cylinder arrangements that are arranged above each of the pair of stabilization blocks and that are controlled and configured to press the pair of stabilization blocks against the seal plate to cause the seal plate to be moved relative to a surface of the mould drum to change a size of a gap that is defined between the seal plate and the surface of the mould drum during filling of the multitude of product cavities with the food mass; and
a controller configured to control the one or more piston/cylinder arrangements to change the size of the gap;
wherein during the filling of the multitude of product cavities, entrapped air within one or more of the multitude of product cavities is removed therefrom through the porous material, the fluid passage, and the gap.