The accompanying illustration represents a combined biscuit cutting,
scrapping, and panning machine, specially designed for running at high
speeds, and so arranged as to allow of the relative movements of the
various parts being adjusted while in motion. The cutters or dies,
mounted on a cross head working in a vertical guide frame, are
operated from the main shaft by eccentrics and vertical connecting
rods, as shown. These rods are connected to the lower strap of the
eccentric by long guide bolts, on which intermediate spiral springs
are mounted, and by this means, although the dies are brought quickly
down to the dough, they are suffered to remain in contact therewith,
under a gradually increasing pressure, for a sufficient length of time
to insure the dough being effectually stamped and completely cut
through.
[Illustration: IMPROVED BISCUIT MACHINE.]
Further, the springs tend to counteract any tendency to vibration that
might be set up by the rapid reciprocation of the cross head, cutters,
and their attendant parts. Mounted also on the main shaft is one of a
pair of reversed cone drums. These, with their accompanying belt and
its adjusting gear, worked by a hand wheel and traversing screw, as
shown, serve to adjust the speed of the feed rollers, so as to suit
the different lengths of the intermediate travel or "skip" of the
dough-carrying web.
Provision is made for taking up the slack of this belt by mounting the
spindle of the outer coned drum in bearings adjustable along a
circular path struck from the axis of the lower feed roller as a
center, thus insuring a uniform engagement between the teeth of the
small pinion and those of the spur wheel with which the drum and
roller are respectively provided.
The webs for carrying forward the dough between the different
operations pass round rollers, which are each operated by an
adjustable silent clutch feed, in place of the usual ratchet and pawl
mechanism. Movement is given to each feed by the connecting links
shown, to each of which motion is in turn imparted by the bell crank
lever placed beside the eccentric. This lever is actuated by a crank
pin on the main shaft, working into a block sliding in a slot in the
shorter or horizontal arm of the lever, while a similar but adjustable
block, sliding in the vertical arm, serves to impart the motion of the
lever to the system of connecting links, the adjustable block allowing
of a longer or shorter stroke being given to the different feeds, as
desired.
The scraps are carried over the roller in rear of the cutters, and so
to a scrap pan, while the stamped biscuits pass by a lower web into
the pans. These pans are carried by two endless chains, provided with
pins, which take hold of the pans and carry them along in the proper
position. The roller over which these chains pass is operated by a
silent clutch, and in order to give an additional motion to the chains
when a pan is full, and it is desired to bring the next pan into
position, an additional clutch is caused to operate upon the roller.
This clutch is kept out of gear with its pulley by means of a
projection upon it bearing against a disk slightly greater in diameter
than the pulley, and provided with two notches, into which the
projection passes when the additional feed is required.
The makers, H. Edwards & Co., Liverpool, have run one of these
machines easily and smoothly at a hundred revolutions per minute, at
which speed, and when absorbing about 3.5 horse power, the output
would equal 4,000 small biscuits per minute.--_Industries._
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