Dough sheet spreader

Abstract

A dough sheet spreader through which dough is extruded in sheets of predetermined width and thickness. A multi-part housing having a downwardly distending, outwardly flaring passageway terminating in an egress, the lips of which are lined with dough release members, is adapted to receive and extrude dough-like material. Provision may be made for degassing the dough during the extrusion process. In one embodiment the thickness of the dough sheet can be varied and in another, both the width and thickness can be varied in progressive, finite steps.

.[.We.]. .Iadd.I .Iaddend.claim: .[.1. A sheet spreader for viscous material comprising: an enclosed vessel having an inlet and an egress connected by an interior passageway for the movement of viscous materials therethrough, said passageway being so dimensioned as to diverge generally outwardly in a first plane and to converge generally inwardly in a plane normal to said first plane as the passageway progresses from said inlet toward said egress, said vessel egress comprising an extrusion die means, means for mounting said vessel so that the longitudinal axis of said passageway distends downwardly at about 60° from the horizontal, and in addition, means associated with said vessel for removing entrained gases from said viscous material being extruded prior to extrusion through said die means, said degassing means extending into said passageway between said inlet and said egress and comprising a plate extending in a biased, touching relationship to the material moving through said passageway and adapted to move in a direction substantially normal to the flow of material through the passageway in accordance with the variations in the material density, whereby variable movement of said plate against 
     
        said material will drive out the gases entrained therein..]. .[.2.  A sheet spreader for viscous material comprising: an enclosed vessel having an inlet and an egress connected by an interior passageway for the movement of viscous materials therethrough, said passageway being so dimensioned as to diverge generally outwardly in a first plane and to converge generally inwardly in a plane normal to said first plane as the passageway progresses from said inlet toward said egress, means for mounting said vessel so that the longitudinal axis of said passageway distends downwardly at about 60° from the horizontal, said egress including an extrusion die means comprising an adjustable cooperating roller pair, the first roller of which contains a plurality of bars of differing dimensions on the outer periphery thereof, said bars each having an indentation in the mediate portion thereof, and the second roller of which contains a plurality of bars on the outer periphery thereof, each of said first and second roller bars being dimensioned so that at least one of them fixedly and partially nests into the indentation of a corresponding first roller outwardly extending bar in sealing relationship 
     
     
        to form a die through which viscous material may be extruded..]. 3. An extrusion die for viscous material fed thereinto under pressure comprising: an adjustable cooperatng roller pair, the first roller of which contains a plurality of bars of differing dimensions on the outer periphery thereof, said bars each having an indentation in the mediate portion thereof, and the second roller of which contains a plurality of bars on the outer periphery thereof, said first and second roller bars being so dimensioned that at least one second roller bar fixedly and partially nests into the indentation of a corresponding first roller bar in sealing relationship to form a die through which viscous material under 
     
     
        pressure may be extruded. 4. A device as set forth in claim 3 wherein the second roller bars comprise a plurality of sets of bars, each set having at least two bars therein, the bars of each set being of constant length as measured in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the roller, 
     
     
        and of a preselected height. 5. A device as set forth in claim 3 wherein the bars on the outer periphery of the adjustable cooperating roller pair are made of a release material to which the viscous material to be extruded will not adhere.