Moulding and cooling device

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for cooling a flowable melted food material ( 1 ), especially a cheese melt. Said device forms a continuous strip ( 2 ) and comprises two parallel, cooling belts ( 3 ) which extend counter to each other and which bring the continuous strip ( 2 ) into contact with both sides thereof, in order to cool it. The cooling belts ( 3 ) are oriented at an angle of between 45° and 90° in relation to the horizontal and guide the strip ( 2 ) at a corresponding angle.

1 . A device for cooling a free-flowing molten food product, which is optionally a cheese melt, which is shaped to form a food product strip, whereby the device has two parallel, continuous cooling belts which guide the food product strip with contact on both sides, thereby cooling it. 
 characterized in that    the cooling belts are aligned at an angle between 45° and 90° to the horizontal and guide the strip at the corresponding angle.    
     
     
         2 . The device according to  claim 1 , 
 characterized in that    the cooling belts are arranged in a vertical position.    
     
     
         3 . The device according to  claim 2 , 
 characterized in that    the direction of movement of the cooling belts is from top to bottom.    
     
     
         4 . The device according to  claim 3 , 
 characterized in that    each cooling belt runs over an upper guide roller and a lower guide roller, whereby all the guide rollers are aligned to be axially parallel to one another.    
     
     
         5 . The device according to  claim 4 , 
 characterized in that    the axis of one of the two lower guide rollers is arranged so that it is offset above the axis of the other lower guide rollers, such that the cooling belt guided by this roller is lifted up away from the other cooling belt, which is still running vertically at this location.    
     
     
         6 . The device according to  claim 4 , 
 characterized in that    one of the two upper guide rollers is acted upon by a cooling medium to achieve cooling of this guide roller in relation to the other guide roller.    
     
     
         7 . The device according to  claim 1 , 
 characterized in that    two upper guide rollers form a filling gap which receives the material between the guided cooling belts, whereby the contra-rotating guide rollers with the cooling belts wrapped around them shape the material fed into the filling gap to form a strip in the manner of a calibration device.    
     
     
         8 . The device according to  claim 7 , 
 characterized in that    the thickness of the food product strip that is to be cooled is adjustable by the calibration device over the width of the filling gap.    
     
     
         9 . The device according to  claim 7 , 
 characterized in that    the calibration device has means with which the width of the belt is adjustable.    
     
     
         10 . The device according to  claim 9 , 
 characterized in that    the means are comprised of tubes made of tetrafluoroethylene polymers mounted on bordering means that define the width of the filling gap, protruding into the gap between the parallel cooling belts.    
     
     
         11 . The device according to  claim 10 , 
 characterized in that    the tubes are inflatable and in the inflated state are in contact with the cooling belts.    
     
     
         12 . The device according to  claim 1   characterized in that    the cooling belts are sprayed with a cooling liquid on the surface facing away from the food product strip.    
     
     
         13 . The device according to  claim 1 , 
 characterized in that    the speed of the cooling belts is adjusted so that on exiting from the cooling system, the food product has reached a pasty state in which it is laminable in layers due to the cooling.    
     
     
         14 . The device according to  claim 1 , 
 characterized in that    the cooling belts are made of steel strip, whereby the steel strip has a thickness between 0.1 millimeter and 3 millimeters in particular and a width between 0.5 meter and 2.0 meters in particular.    
     
     
         15 . The device according to  claim 1 , 
 characterized by    a pressing device which acts on one of the cooling belts and by means of which the distance between the cooling belts and/or the contact pressure on the belt is adjustable.    
     
     
         16 . A method for shaping and cooling a free-flowing molten food product, optionally a cheese melt, through a device according to  claim 1 , 
 the process comprising    supplying the mass from above to the filling gap which is shaped by the guide rollers guiding the cooling belts; rolling the material in the beginning area of the processing zone through the cooling belts to form a food product strip; and, cooling the material by means of the parallel cooling belts after rolling.