Machine for canning foodstuff product, such as tuna fish and similar

Abstract

A canning machine for a foodstuff product ( 2 ), such as tuna fish and similar, comprises a conveyor belt ( 1 ) suitable for carrying the foodstuff product ( 2 ) in a compressing and shaping device comprising a knife ( 11 ) suitable for cutting substantially parallelepipedal portions ( 12 ) of the foodstuff product ( 2 ) and a compression channel ( 7 ) closed at one end by means of a shaping member ( 8 ) and at the other end by means of a compactor ( 9 ) slidable in the compression channel ( 7 ). Two openings ( 14 ) are made in the bottom wall of the compression channel ( 7 ) in order to allow the passage of a pair of dies ( 16 ) and of a pair of ejecting pistons ( 15 ) which in their initial position close said openings ( 14 ) without substantially protruding into the compression channel ( 7 ). Said ejecting pistons ( 15 ) are capable of a cyclic movement comprising a backward movement with respect to the compressing and shaping device, a forward movement through said openings ( 14 ) and a movement of return to the initial position.

1 . A canning machine for a foodstuff product ( 2 ), such as tuna fish and similar, comprising a conveyor belt ( 1 ) suitable for carrying the foodstuff product ( 2 ) in a compressing and shaping device comprising a knife ( 11 ) suitable for cutting substantially parallelepipedal portions ( 12 ) of the foodstuff product ( 2 ) and a compression channel ( 7 ) closed at one end by means of a shaping member ( 8 ) and at the other end by means of a compactor ( 9 ) slidable in the compression channel ( 7 ), two openings ( 14 ) being made in the bottom wall of the compression channel ( 7 ) in order to allow the passage of a pair of dies ( 16 ) and of a pair of ejecting pistons ( 15 ) which in their initial position close said openings ( 14 ) without substantially protruding into the compression channel ( 7 ), characterized in that said ejecting pistons ( 15 ) have a cyclic movement comprising a backward movement with respect to the compressing and shaping device, a forward movement through said openings ( 14 ) and a movement of return to the initial position.  
     
     
         2 . A machine according to  claim 1 , characterized in that said compressing and shaping device also comprises a pair of side shaping members ( 17 ), slidably arranged inside the two wings of a sliding channel ( 18 ) which perpendicularly intersects compression channel ( 7 ), each side shaping member ( 17 ) having one end provided with a semi-cylindrical concavity suitable for penetrating into the compression channel ( 7 ) by sliding between one die ( 16 ) and the bottom of the shaping member ( 8 ), the outlet of the two wings of the sliding channel ( 18 ) onto the compression channel ( 7 ) being provided with shutters which can be opened.  
     
     
         3 . A machine according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the backward movement of the ejecting pistons ( 15 ) occurs at the same time of the penetration of the side shaping members ( 17 ) into the compression channel ( 7 ).