A steady-state extrusion type bulking machine for bulking meal replacement

Abstract

The application is a kind of puffed meal replacement steady-state extrusion type puffed machine, including a barrel, a screw is arranged in the barrel, and a die head is arranged at the outlet of the barrel; the die head is provided with a plurality of extrusion holes, and the material is extruded outward from the extrusion holes; the outer end of the extrusion hole is also connected with an expansion hole; the diameter of the expansion hole is greater than that of the extrusion hole, and the diameter of the expansion hole is more than twice the diameter of the extrusion hole; the material is first expanded when entering the expansion hole from the extrusion hole; the material is secondly expanded when moving out of the barrel from the expansion hole. The application sets the expansion hole with a diameter more than twice that of the extrusion hole at the outer end of the extrusion hole of the die head to build a graded expansion channel. The material is first kept in a high-pressure constraint state in the extrusion hole, and is first controllably expanded after entering the expansion hole. Since the expansion hole provides a gradual expansion space, the violent expansion impact caused by the sudden pressure drop is relieved, the phenomenon that the outer particles of the material are scattered due to excessive kinetic energy is significantly reduced, and thus the morphological integrity and structural uniformity of the puffed food are effectively maintained.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of extruder technology, specifically a steady-state extrusion extruder for extruding meal replacements. Background Technology

[0002] Extruders are key equipment in the field of puffed food processing, especially for meal replacement foods (such as nut and cereal bars). Their core component, the extruder itself, typically includes a barrel and a screw housed within it. During operation, the screw conveys, compresses, shears, and melts the material, causing it to form a uniform molten state under high temperature and pressure. The pressure at the barrel outlet is usually maintained within a high-pressure range of 2-10 MPa. When the material is extruded through the die at the barrel outlet, the sudden drop in external pressure causes the moisture inside the material to rapidly vaporize, resulting in a rapid expansion of the material's volume and the formation of a porous puffed food product.

[0003] However, during the puffing process described above, due to the significant pressure difference between the inside and outside of the barrel, the material expands violently at the moment of extrusion. At this time, the particles on the outermost edge of the material, due to the weaker constraint force, are prone to detach from the main body under the kinetic energy generated by the expansion, resulting in damage to the structural integrity of the puffed food. This structural incompleteness not only affects the appearance of the food but may also reduce its nutritional uniformity, storage stability, and palatability, ultimately affecting product quality. Furthermore, the detached particles can scatter in the production environment and may re-mix into the finished food, leading to increased impurities, uneven composition, and even potentially adverse effects on subsequent packaging and transportation.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a technical solution with a reasonable structure and significant effect to improve the expansion uniformity of materials during the puffing process, inhibit the detachment of outer particles, and improve the product quality and production stability of puffed foods. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the technical problems in the background art, this invention discloses a stable extrusion extrusion machine for extruded meal replacements.

[0006] This invention provides a stable extrusion extrusion extruder for extruding meal replacements, including a barrel, a screw installed inside the barrel, and a die head installed at the outlet of the barrel; the die head is provided with multiple extrusion holes, and the material is extruded outward from the extrusion holes; An expansion hole is also connected to the outer end of the extrusion hole; The diameter of the expansion hole is larger than that of the extrusion hole, and the diameter of the expansion hole is more than twice the diameter of the extrusion hole; The material undergoes its first expansion when it enters the expansion orifice from the extrusion orifice. The material undergoes secondary expansion when it exits the barrel through the expansion hole.

[0007] Furthermore, the wall of the extrusion hole is provided with a spiral rotary cutting groove; The rotary cutting groove extends axially along the extrusion hole.

[0008] Furthermore, the extrusion orifice and the expansion orifice are transitioned by a bevel.

[0009] Furthermore, the inclination angle of the inclined plane is 40-50°.

[0010] Furthermore, the length of the rotary groove is less than the pitch.

[0011] Furthermore, the length of the expansion hole is less than the set length of the finished food product.

[0012] Furthermore, a guide hole is connected to the inner end of the extrusion hole.

[0013] The guide hole is wedge-shaped, and its constricted end is connected to the extrusion hole.

[0014] Furthermore, a loosening rod is installed inside the barrel near the die head; One end of the release rod is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the barrel, while the other end extends radially into the barrel.

[0015] Furthermore, spiral-shaped loosening blades are coaxially arranged on the outer wall of the loosening rod; The propeller blades on the screw are positioned with a reduced diameter opposite the loosening rod, and this section is designated as the reduced diameter section. The axial projection of the propeller blades on the reduced diameter section covers the guide hole; The length of the loosened blade is equal to the pitch.

[0016] Furthermore, the outer end face of the die head is provided with a recessed, annular connecting groove that is coaxial with the extrusion hole; The outer wall of the connecting groove is provided with internal threads; The outer wall of the adjusting sleeve is provided with external threads, which are threaded to the connecting groove. The thread depth of the adjusting sleeve is adjustable; The inner hole of the adjusting sleeve forms an expansion hole.

[0017] The beneficial effects of this invention are: 1. This invention constructs a staged expansion channel by setting an expansion hole with a diameter more than twice that of the extrusion hole at the outer end of the die head. The material is first kept under high pressure and constrained in the extrusion hole, and then undergoes an initial controllable expansion after entering the expansion hole. Because the expansion hole provides a gradual expansion space, it alleviates the violent expansion impact caused by a sudden drop in pressure, and significantly reduces the phenomenon of the outer layer particles of the material scattering due to excessive kinetic energy, thereby effectively maintaining the morphological integrity and structural uniformity of the puffed food.

[0018] 2. The material sequentially passes through the transition path of "extrusion orifice → expansion orifice → external environment," completing the initial local expansion and the secondary overall expansion. This staged expansion mechanism makes the moisture vaporization process more gradual and orderly, avoiding the unevenness caused by instantaneous overall expansion in the traditional single-outlet structure, improving the consistency of the expansion degree, and helping to obtain puffed food with more uniform pore distribution and more stable texture.

[0019] 3. By inhibiting the escape of fine outer particles, the components in the food are retained in situ, reducing component segregation and improving the uniformity of nutrient distribution. At the same time, the intact particle shape is more in line with animal feeding habits, enhancing the palatability and digestibility of the food.

[0020] 4. The reduction of loose particles directly reduces dust dispersion in the puffing area, improves the production environment, and avoids the increase of impurities and batch-to-batch quality fluctuations caused by loose particles being re-mixed into the finished product, thus improving the cleanliness and safety of the product.

[0021] 5. The expansion holes serve as a buffer and guide, reducing vibration and fluctuation during material extrusion, resulting in a more stable and continuous discharge. This facilitates the stable operation of subsequent cooling, crushing, screening, and packaging processes, reduces the scrap rate, and improves overall production efficiency and product qualification rate.

[0022] 6. The expansion hole can be directly re-processed and shaped from the extrusion hole without major modifications to the main barrel or screw system. It has low implementation cost, strong compatibility, and is easy to promote and apply in existing food extrusion equipment.

[0023] 7. A diameter difference of "more than twice" ensures sufficient free expansion volume, allowing moisture vaporization and volume expansion to occur orderly within the expansion pores, forming a relatively uniform cell structure. This initial expansion occurs within a confined but spacious area, which is conducive to the balanced release of internal stress; the subsequent secondary expansion that occurs when the material moves out of the expansion pores and enters the atmospheric environment is more gentle and controllable. The synergistic effect of these two expansion mechanisms significantly improves the uniformity of pore distribution, shape regularity, and texture consistency of the final puffed food, thus improving the product's appearance quality. Attached Figure Description

[0024] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a front sectional view of the barrel and its internal structure; Figure 3 yes Figure 2 Enlarged view of point A in the middle; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the mold head structure; Figure 5 This is the front view of the mold head; Figure 6 yes Figure 5 Enlarged view of point B in the middle; Figure 7 It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the extrusion hole, expansion hole, inclined plane, and guide hole; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a structure with adjustable expansion hole length; In the diagram: 1. Barrel; 2. Screw; 3. Die head; 4. Extrusion orifice; 5. Expansion orifice; 6. Rotary cutting groove; 7. Bevel; 8. Guide hole; 9. Loosening rod; 10. Loosening blade; 11. Adjusting sleeve; 12. External thread; 13. Internal thread; 14. Connecting groove; 15. Drive motor; 16. Cutter; 17. Motor frame; 18. Base; 19. Oblong hole; 20. Reducing diameter section. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. These drawings are simplified schematic diagrams, illustrating only the basic structure of the invention, and therefore only show the components relevant to the invention.

[0027] Example 1: like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, this invention discloses a stable extrusion puffing machine for puffed meal replacements, comprising a barrel 1, a screw 2 disposed inside the barrel 1, and a die 3 disposed at the outlet of the barrel 1; the die 3 is provided with multiple extrusion orifices 4. A high-temperature and high-pressure environment is formed inside the barrel 1, with a temperature generally between 90-150℃ and a pressure generally between 2-10MPa. When the screw 2 rotates, it conveys, compresses, shears, and melts the food raw materials, causing the materials to form a uniform molten state under high temperature and high pressure, and finally extruding them outward from the extrusion orifices 4. The superheated water in the material flashes instantly, turning into water vapor. The rapid expansion of the water vapor creates countless tiny bubbles in the molten material, causing the material volume to expand rapidly. At the same time, due to the low ambient temperature, the material cools and solidifies rapidly, permanently fixing the expanded porous structure, forming the sponge-like structure unique to puffed foods.

[0028] Among them, such as Figure 3-7 As shown, an expansion hole 5 is coaxially connected to the outer end of the extrusion hole 4; the diameter of the expansion hole 5 is larger than that of the extrusion hole 4, and the diameter of the expansion hole 5 is more than twice the diameter of the extrusion hole 4. In this embodiment, the diameter of the expansion hole 5 is 2.5 times the diameter of the extrusion hole 4. With this configuration, the material undergoes initial expansion when it enters the expansion hole 5 from the extrusion hole 4, and secondary expansion when it exits the barrel 1 from the expansion hole 5.

[0029] The advantages of the above configuration are as follows: 1. This invention constructs a graded expansion channel by setting an expansion hole 5 with a diameter more than twice that of the extrusion hole 4 at the outer end of the die 3. The material is first kept under high pressure constraint in the extrusion hole 4, and then undergoes the first controllable expansion after entering the expansion hole 5. Since the expansion hole 5 provides a gradual expansion space, it alleviates the violent expansion impact caused by the sudden drop in pressure, significantly reducing the phenomenon of the outer layer particles of the material scattering due to excessive kinetic energy, thereby effectively maintaining the morphological integrity and structural uniformity of the puffed food. 2. The material sequentially goes through the transition path of "extrusion hole 4 → expansion hole 5 → external environment", completing the first local expansion and the second overall expansion respectively. This graded expansion mechanism makes the water vaporization process more gradual and orderly, avoiding the unevenness caused by the instantaneous overall expansion in the traditional single outlet structure, improving the consistency of the expansion degree, and helping to obtain puffed food with more uniform pore distribution and more stable texture. 3. By suppressing the escape of fine outer particles, the components in the food are retained in situ, reducing component segregation and improving the uniformity of nutrient distribution. Simultaneously, the intact particle shape better suits animal feeding habits, enhancing palatability and digestibility. 4. The reduction of scattered particles directly reduces dust dispersion in the puffing area, improving the production environment. It also avoids increased impurities and batch-to-batch quality fluctuations caused by scattered particles re-mixing into the finished product, improving product cleanliness and safety. 5. The expansion hole 5 acts as a buffer and guide, reducing vibration and fluctuation during material extrusion, resulting in smoother and more continuous discharge. This facilitates stable operation of subsequent cooling, crushing, screening, and packaging processes, reducing scrap rates and improving overall production efficiency and product qualification rate. 6. The expansion hole 5 can directly re-process the extrusion hole 4 without requiring major modifications to the main barrel 1 or screw 2 system. This results in low implementation costs, strong compatibility, and easy application on existing food puffing equipment. 7. The diameter difference of "more than twice" ensures sufficient free expansion volume, allowing moisture vaporization and volume expansion to occur orderly within the expansion pores 5, forming a relatively uniform cell structure. This initial expansion occurs within a confined but spacious area, which is conducive to the balanced release of internal stress; the subsequent secondary expansion that occurs when the material moves out of the expansion pores 5 and enters the atmospheric environment is more gentle and controllable. The synergistic effect of the two-stage expansion mechanism significantly improves the uniformity of pore distribution, shape regularity, and texture consistency of the final puffed food, thus improving the product's appearance quality.

[0030] During the puffing process, when the material is output from the expansion hole 5 and cut by the cutter, due to the strong adhesion between the materials, the cutter easily drags out some of the material inside the expansion hole 5, resulting in damage to the food structure and reduced integrity. To solve this problem, a spiral swirl cutting groove 6 is provided on the wall of the extrusion hole 4, and the swirl cutting groove 6 extends axially along the extrusion hole 4. This design causes the outer area of ​​the material to generate a rotational progressive motion under the spiral guidance of the swirl cutting groove 6 when passing through the extrusion hole 4. When the material passes through the extrusion hole 4, it not only moves axially, but also generates a slight circumferential rotation or spiral progressive motion under the guidance of the swirl cutting groove 6. This composite motion changes the original single axial flow pattern of the material. Under the spiral guidance, the material near the hole wall (i.e., the outermost layer) undergoes radial shearing and slight displacement relative to the central area, forming a twisting effect, breaking the original uniform and dense laminar flow structure, thereby effectively alleviating the tight adhesion between the layers of material. The aforementioned radial relative displacement significantly reduces the contact area and intermolecular forces between material particles, especially reducing the adhesion between the outer layer material and the die head 3 hole wall, thereby effectively alleviating the tight adhesion between the material layers. Therefore, the rotary cutting groove 6 helps maintain the structural integrity of puffed food, reduces material loss or morphological damage caused by cutting operations, and thus improves product quality and production stability.

[0031] The extrusion orifice 4 and expansion orifice 5 are connected by a ramp 7 with an inclination angle of 40-50°. This design ensures that when material enters the larger diameter expansion orifice 5 from the smaller diameter extrusion orifice 4, it does not expand abruptly, but rather expands gradually outward along the ramp 7. This design achieves the following: 1. The ramp 7 guides the material to gradually expand its flow space, slowing down the pressure drop rate; 2. It avoids unstable flow phenomena such as eddies and shock waves caused by abrupt changes in cross-section; 3. It ensures that expansion develops in a controllable manner primarily along the axial and radial directions, rather than being randomly ejected. These features effectively mitigate the impact of sudden pressure drops in the outlet region and suppress particle fly-off caused by concentrated energy release.

[0032] Simultaneously, the transition structure of the inclined plane 7 alters the flow field morphology after the material exits the extrusion orifice 4. When the material passes through the 40–50° inclined plane 7, it forms one of three states: 1. The flow path is guided into a gradual diffusion, which helps to form a symmetrical and stable expansion precursor flow state; 2. The velocity difference between the material center and the edge is adjusted, reducing the flow distortion of "faster at the center and slower at the periphery"; 3. In conjunction with the subsequent expansion orifice 5, it helps to establish a preliminary steady-state expansion zone and complete the first controllable expansion. These three states effectively improve the rheological behavior of the material in the initial stage of expansion, promote the synchronous expansion of the inner and outer layers of material, and improve the consistency and density of the expansion structure.

[0033] This invention specifically limits the inclination angle of the inclined plane 7 to 40–50°. This range is the optimal range derived from extensive experimental verification and fluid dynamics simulation. The reasons are as follows: 1. If the angle is too small (<40°), the transition is too gentle, resulting in an excessively long structure, increasing equipment volume and pressure loss; materials are prone to adhere to the inclined plane 7, causing a risk of blockage; expansion initiation is delayed, affecting the rhythm of secondary expansion. 2. If the angle is too large (>50°), it approaches a right-angle abrupt expansion, losing its buffering effect and easily triggering turbulent separation; expansion is too rapid, still generating local low-pressure areas and cavitation effects; the first expansion is out of control, weakening the controllability of secondary expansion. 3. An inclination angle of 40–50° for the inclined plane 7 balances the transition length and buffering efficiency, achieving efficient and stable flow under a compact design; the smooth surface transition facilitates self-cleaning and reduces material accumulation; and it enables timely and controlled initiation of the first expansion.

[0034] The length of the rotary cutting groove 6 is less than the screw pitch. The reasons for this design are as follows: 1. If the length of the helical rotary cutting groove 6 is equal to or greater than one screw pitch, it will create a continuous conveying and rotating pushing effect similar to that of the screw 2 in the outlet area of ​​the extrusion orifice 4. This may cause the material to be continuously subjected to axial and circumferential forces as it leaves the extrusion orifice 4, exacerbating the tendency of the outer layer material to be thrown out, which is detrimental to stable extrusion. Designing the length of the rotary cutting groove 6 to be less than the screw pitch means that it only provides short-range guidance in local sections and will not form a complete helical propulsion mechanism, thus effectively limiting excessive driving and disturbance of the material. 2. The function of the rotary cutting groove 6 is to slightly change the flow path of the material in the extrusion orifice 4, especially guiding the material near the orifice wall to produce a slight offset or rotation in the axial direction. When the length of the rotary cutting groove 6 is less than the screw pitch, this guiding effect is gentle and limited, enabling the material in the edge area to obtain a certain cohesive movement tendency without disrupting the overall flow stability. This helps alleviate the non-uniform flow phenomenon of "high flow velocity in the center and stagnation at the edge," improving the speed consistency of the material at the moment of extrusion. 3. In this invention, a larger diameter and shorter length expansion hole 5 is provided as the initial expansion chamber. If the rotary cutting groove 6 is too long (≥ pitch), the material will be subjected to a strong rotational load before entering the expansion hole 5, which will lead to disordered initial expansion direction and uneven radial expansion. However, the length of the rotary cutting groove 6 is less than the pitch, so that it only provides initial guidance at the end of the extrusion hole 4. The material after entering the expansion hole 5 still maintains a low rotational inertia, which is conducive to achieving axisymmetric and radially uniform initial expansion within the expansion hole 5. 4. Longer spiral grooves are prone to causing high-viscosity molten material residue or accumulation, especially after shutdown and cooling, which may form carbides and increase the risk of blockage. Shortening the length of the rotary cutting groove 6 reduces the material retention space, reduces the probability of coking, and improves the self-cleaning ability of the die head 3.

[0035] In this embodiment, the length of the expansion hole 5 is less than the set length of the finished food product. The advantages of this design are: 1. As the first expansion space after material extrusion, the shorter length of the expansion hole 5 compared to the final set length of the finished food product means that the residence time and expansion space of the material within the expansion hole 5 are constrained. This avoids over-expansion or premature completion of the expansion process during the initial expansion stage, thus preserving reasonable expansion potential for subsequent secondary expansion (when removing from the barrel 1), ensuring the expansion process proceeds in stages and in an orderly manner. 2. The shorter length of the expansion hole 5 allows the material to maintain a high density and structural compactness after the initial expansion, preventing excessive loosening or breakage of the material due to an excessively long expansion hole 5. This helps to achieve a more balanced expansion dynamic between the inner and outer layers when the material is removed from the barrel 1 for secondary expansion, reducing the risk of outer layer particles flying away due to structural loosening. 3. By controlling the length of the expansion hole 5, the material releases some of its expansion kinetic energy during the initial expansion, while the remaining kinetic energy is gradually released during the secondary expansion. This staged release mechanism reduces the intensity of instantaneous expansion, making the expansion of the inner and outer layers of the material more synchronized, and improving the overall structural uniformity and integrity of the puffed food.

[0036] In this embodiment, a guide hole 8 is connected to the inner end of the extrusion orifice 4. The guide hole 8 is wedge-shaped, and its constricted end connects to the extrusion orifice 4. This design has the following advantages: 1. The wedge-shaped guide hole 8 can smoothly and gently guide the high-pressure molten material in the barrel 1 to the extrusion orifice 4, reducing flow resistance and turbulence at the inlet, avoiding pressure fluctuations or stagnation caused by abrupt changes in cross-section, thereby ensuring the continuity and stability of material flow. 2. The tapered structure of the guide hole 8 gradually constrains the material before it enters the extrusion orifice 4, forming a smooth pressure transition, which helps maintain pressure uniformity during extrusion and reduces material structure disturbance caused by sudden pressure changes. 3. Through the tapered guidance of the guide hole 8, the material is further compressed and integrated before entering the extrusion orifice 4, which helps improve the density uniformity of the material, reduces internal cavitation or component separation, and lays a more uniform material foundation for the subsequent expansion process. 4. The smooth guiding structure reduces the impact and shearing of material on the inlet edge of the extrusion orifice 4, which helps to extend the service life of the die head 3, while reducing the possibility of blockage caused by material accumulation or adhesion, and improving production continuity.

[0037] Because the conveying capacity of screw 2 is greater than the extrusion capacity of material from expansion hole 5, material will accumulate at the inner end of die 3, and its density will gradually increase, easily leading to blockage at the inner end of die 3. To solve this problem, this embodiment also incorporates the following design: a loosening rod 9 is provided inside the barrel 1 near die 3; multiple loosening rods 9 are provided, evenly arranged axially. One end of the loosening rod 9 is rotatably connected to the inner wall of barrel 1, and the other end extends radially into barrel 1. A spiral loosening blade 10 is coaxially provided on the outer wall of the loosening rod 9. The purpose of this design is as follows: 1. One end of the loosening rod 9 is rotatably connected to the inner wall of barrel 1, and the other end extends radially into the material flow channel, allowing it to directly intervene in the accumulation area. When material flows through, the loosening rod 9 is pushed by the material or rotates actively, mechanically agitating and dispersing the accumulated material, breaking its excessively dense structure, thereby effectively alleviating the tendency of local blockage and ensuring continuous and stable material delivery to die 3. 2. The spiral-shaped loosening blades 10, coaxially arranged on the outer wall of the loosening rod 9, further enhance its dispersing and mixing functions. When the blades rotate or are washed by the material, they shear and tumble the accumulated material, preventing clumping and promoting uniformity of moisture and temperature distribution. This pre-homogenization process ensures a more consistent physical state of the material before it enters the extrusion hole 4 of the die head 3, laying the foundation for orderly and uniform expansion through the expansion hole 5, and helping to reduce uneven expansion caused by local density or pressure differences. 3. The loosening rod 9 has a simple structure and sensitive response, automatically adjusting its agitation intensity according to the material's accumulation state (e.g., driven by material flow), without requiring additional power control. This enhances the extruder's adaptability to materials with different formulations and moisture contents, reduces the risk of blockage and downtime due to fluctuations in material properties, improves production continuity and stability, and reduces the frequency of manual cleaning of the die head 3, thus improving overall production efficiency.

[0038] The propeller blades on screw 2 are designed with a reduced diameter at the position facing the loosening rod 9, and this section is designated as the reduced diameter section 20. The axial projection of the propeller blades on the reduced diameter section 20 covers the guide hole 8. The length of the loosening blade 10 is equal to the screw pitch. The rationale for this design is as follows: 1. The reduced diameter design of the propeller blades on screw 2 at the position facing the loosening rod 9 temporarily reduces the material conveying pressure in this area, relatively increasing the flow space. This reduces excessive compression of the material before entering the die head 3, avoiding uncontrolled expansion during subsequent extrusion due to excessive local pressure. On the other hand, the reduced diameter area, combined with the rotation of the loosening rod 9, allows the material to be initially loosened before entering the guide hole 8, helping to break up any potential agglomerates or uneven density, laying the foundation for subsequent uniform expansion. 2. The reduced diameter design of the propeller blades provides installation space for the loosening rod 9 in the barrel 1 without changing its structure.

[0039] Example 2: The difference compared to Example 1 is as follows: Figure 8 As shown, since the length of food products may vary, and the expansion hole 5 in the conventional die head 3 can only be used for food products of one length, the outer end face of the die head 3 is provided with a recessed, annular, and coaxial connecting groove 14 with the extrusion hole; the area in the middle of the connecting groove 14 forms a circular tube that protrudes outward from the bottom of the groove, and the inner chamfer at the end of the circular tube forms a bevel 7. The outer end of the extrusion hole 4 extends into the circular tube and connects with the bevel 7.

[0040] The outer wall of the connecting groove 14 is provided with an internal thread 13; the outer wall of the adjusting sleeve 11 is provided with an external thread 12, which is threadedly connected to the connecting groove 14; the thread depth of the adjusting sleeve 11 is adjustable; the inner hole of the adjusting sleeve 11 forms an expansion hole 5.

[0041] The length of the expansion hole 5 can be adjusted by adjusting the thread depth of the adjusting sleeve 11.

[0042] To accommodate the extension length of the adjusting sleeve 11, the cutter 16 driven by the drive motor 15 is also adjusted accordingly. In this embodiment, the motor frame 17 that mounts the drive motor 15 is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, the lower end of the motor frame 17 is provided with an elongated hole 19. The bolt passes through the elongated hole 19 and is threadedly connected to the base 18, thereby making the distance between the cutter 16 and the die head adjustable.

[0043] Based on the above-described preferred embodiments of the present invention, and through the foregoing description, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the inventive concept. The technical scope of this invention is not limited to the contents of the specification, but must be determined according to the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A stable extrusion extrusion machine for puffed meal replacements, comprising a barrel (1), a screw (2) disposed inside the barrel (1), and a die (3) disposed at the outlet of the barrel (1); the die (3) is provided with a plurality of extrusion holes (4), through which material is extruded outward; characterized in that: An expansion hole (5) is also connected to the outer end of the extrusion hole (4); The diameter of the expansion hole (5) is larger than that of the extrusion hole (4), and the diameter of the expansion hole (5) is more than twice the diameter of the extrusion hole (4); The material undergoes its first expansion when it enters the expansion hole (5) from the extrusion hole (4); The material undergoes secondary expansion when it is removed from the barrel (1) through the expansion hole (5).

2. The puffed meal replacement steady-state extrusion puffing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wall of the extrusion hole (4) is provided with a spiral rotary cutting groove (6). The rotary cutting groove (6) extends axially along the extrusion hole (4).

3. The puffed meal replacement steady-state extrusion puffing machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The extrusion hole (4) and the expansion hole (5) are connected by a slope (7).

4. The puffed meal replacement steady-state extrusion puffing machine according to claim 3, characterized in that: The inclination angle of the inclined plane (7) is 40-50°.

5. The puffed meal replacement steady-state extrusion puffing machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The length of the rotary cutting groove (6) is less than the pitch.

6. The puffed meal replacement steady-state extrusion puffing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The length of the expansion hole (5) is less than the set length of the finished food product.

7. The puffed meal replacement steady-state extrusion puffing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner end of the extrusion hole (4) is connected to a guide hole (8). The guide hole (8) is wedge-shaped, and its constricted end is connected to the extrusion hole (4).

8. The puffed meal replacement steady-state extrusion puffing machine according to claim 7, characterized in that: A loosening rod (9) is provided inside the barrel (1) near the die head (3); One end of the loosening rod (9) is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the barrel (1), and the other end extends radially toward the barrel (1).

9. The puffed meal replacement steady-state extrusion puffing machine according to claim 8, characterized in that: The outer side wall of the loosening rod (9) is coaxially provided with spiral loosening blades (10). The propeller blades on the screw (2) are positioned with a reduced diameter opposite the loosening rod (9), and are designated as a reduced diameter section (20). The axial projection of the propeller blade on the reduced diameter section (20) covers the guide hole (8). The length of the loosening blade (10) is equal to the pitch.

10. The puffed meal replacement steady-state extrusion puffing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer end face of the die head (3) is provided with a recessed, annular connecting groove (14) that is coaxial with the extrusion hole (4). The outer wall of the connecting groove (14) is provided with an internal thread (13); The outer wall of the adjusting sleeve (11) is provided with an external thread (12), which is threadedly connected to the connecting groove (14); The thread depth of the adjusting sleeve (11) is adjustable; The inner hole of the adjusting sleeve (11) forms an expansion hole (5).

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