A tea leaf pressing mold and a tea leaf pressing apparatus

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of tea leaf pressing mould, it includes: cylindrical shell, top is open structure;The bottom center of cylindrical shell is inwardly recessed, forms steam source connecting port, and forms cylindrical convex structure in the inside of cylindrical shell;Cylindrical convex structure side wall is provided with several communicating ports, so that the space inside cylindrical shell and steam source connecting port are communicated;Forming cap, movably sleeved on the cylindrical convex structure;Pressing piston, its outer contour is compatible with the shape of the inner cavity of cylindrical shell, for tea cake is formed by pressing tea leaf after steam softening in cylindrical shell.The tea leaf pressing mould realizes steam fumigation and pressing by single container, the whole process does not need cloth bag;Traditional cloth bag repeatedly used leads to tea residue, bacteria breeding and peculiar smell problem, meet food safety standards;The pressing mould can be applied to automatic assembly line.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of tea processing, and in particular to a tea pressing mold and tea pressing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In the traditional production process of tea cakes, the pressing stage generally follows a relatively fixed procedure. This process typically begins by weighing a predetermined weight of dry, loose tea leaves. These weighed leaves are then placed in a steaming container and briefly steamed (for no more than 60 seconds). The steam allows the tea leaves to absorb moisture, softening and shaping them for subsequent pressing. Once softened, the leaves are removed from the steaming container, manually placed into a special cloth bag, and the bag opening is tied tightly, folding the tied part to the bottom of the tea cake to create a depression. Finally, the cloth bag containing the tea leaves is placed in the mold of a pressing machine, where pressure and a holding time are applied to press the loose tea leaves into a tea cake. This process has the following problems: The sealing process is highly manual, which is not only inefficient but also increases labor costs. As the carrier that comes into direct contact with the tea leaves, the cloth bags are reused multiple times during production. Although they are washed, after prolonged use, the bags are prone to microbial growth, developing odors, or becoming moldy, posing potential food safety and hygiene risks. Utility Model Content

[0003] In view of the above-mentioned deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides a tea pressing mold and tea pressing equipment, which realizes steam fumigation and pressing through a single container, and the whole process does not require a cloth bag, thereby solving the defects of the traditional tea cake pressing process.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides a tea pressing mold, which includes: The cylindrical shell has an open top; the bottom center of the cylindrical shell is recessed inward to form a steam source connection port, and a columnar protrusion is formed inside the cylindrical shell; the sidewall of the columnar protrusion has several connecting openings, so that the internal space of the cylindrical shell communicates with the steam source connection port; A molded cap is movably fitted onto the cylindrical protrusion structure; The pressing piston, whose outer contour is adapted to the inner cavity shape of the cylindrical shell, is used to press the steam-softened tea leaves into tea cakes inside the cylindrical shell.

[0005] A further improvement of this utility model is that the inner cavity of the cylindrical shell has a circular cross-section, and its cross-sectional shape gradually expands from the bottom to the top opening direction, forming a taper that facilitates the demolding of the tea cake.

[0006] A further improvement of this utility model is that the taper of the inner cavity of the cylindrical shell ranges from 0.03 to 0.12.

[0007] A further improvement of this utility model is that the bottom of the molding cap is provided with a receiving hole that matches the shape of the cylindrical protrusion structure, and a gas guiding slope is provided at the junction of the receiving hole and the bottom surface of the molding cap; when steam enters the cylindrical shell through the connecting port, the steam acts on the gas guiding slope to generate an upward component force, which lifts the molding cap; a limit mechanism is provided between the molding cap and the cylindrical protrusion structure.

[0008] A further improvement of this utility model is that the limiting mechanism includes: A limiting rod, one end of which passes through the through hole at the top of the steam source connection port and is connected to the bottom of the receiving hole of the molded cap; A limiting part is provided at the other end of the limiting rod to limit the maximum lifting height of the molded cap.

[0009] A further improvement of this utility model is that the limiting rod is a screw; the bottom of the receiving hole is provided with a threaded hole adapted to the screw; and the limiting part is a hexagonal end of the screw.

[0010] A further improvement of this utility model is that the bottom surface of the cylindrical shell is provided with a ring groove around the steam source connection port to accommodate the sealing ring.

[0011] This utility model also includes a tea pressing device, which includes the aforementioned tea pressing mold.

[0012] The method provided by this utility model has the following technical effects: (1) The tea pressing mold achieves steam fumigation and pressing through a single container, and the whole process does not require a cloth bag; it avoids the problems of tea residue, bacterial growth and odor caused by repeated use of traditional cloth bags, and meets food safety standards; the pressing mold can be applied to automated production lines. (2) The forming cap has multiple functions: it can guide steam during the fumigation process to make the tea more evenly fumigated; it can form a pit at the bottom of the tea cake during the forming process, which conforms to the traditional shape; during the demolding process, the forming cap can be lifted up to assist in demolding. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the tea pressing mold of this utility model; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the molded cap in the raised position; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the forming cap and columnar protrusion structure during the pressing of tea cakes; Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the tea pressing mold of this utility model when pressing tea cakes. Detailed Implementation

[0014] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation of this utility model. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this utility model from the content disclosed in this specification. This utility model can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of this utility model. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features described therein can be combined with each other.

[0015] It should be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic representations of the basic concept of the present invention. Therefore, the illustrations only show the components related to the present invention and are not drawn according to the number, shape and size of the components in actual implementation. In actual implementation, the form, quantity and proportion of each component can be arbitrarily changed, and the layout of the components may also be more complex.

[0016] Some exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described for illustrative purposes. It should be understood that the present invention may be implemented in other ways not specifically shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0017] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment provides a tea pressing mold, which includes: a cylindrical shell 10, a forming cap 20, and a pressing piston 30. Specifically: The top of the cylindrical shell 10 is an open structure. The bottom center of the cylindrical shell 10 is recessed inward to form a steam source connection port 11. This recess forms a cylindrical protrusion structure 12 inside the cylindrical shell 10. The side wall of the cylindrical protrusion structure 12 has four connecting ports 13, so that the internal space of the cylindrical shell 10 communicates with the steam source connection port 11.

[0018] The molding cap 20 is movably fitted onto the cylindrical protrusion structure 12. Except during steam fumigation, the molding cap 20 is in a state of flux. Figure 2 The state shown Figure 2 The steam source connection port 11 is connected to the steam pipe, and the steam will lift the forming cap 20.

[0019] The outer contour of the pressing piston 30 is adapted to the inner cavity shape of the cylindrical shell 10, and is used to press the steam-softened tea leaves into tea cakes inside the cylindrical shell 10. In order to closely resemble the shape of traditional tea cakes, the bottom center of the pressing piston 30 is concave inward, so that the top surface of the pressed tea cake is a convex arc surface.

[0020] For ease of demolding, the inner cavity of the cylindrical shell 10 has a circular cross-section with a certain taper, and its cross-sectional shape gradually widens from the bottom to the top opening direction, facilitating the demolding of the tea cake. Specifically, the taper of the inner cavity of the cylindrical shell 10 ranges from 0.03 to 0.12. In this embodiment, the bottom of the molding cap 20 is provided with a receiving hole that is adapted to the shape of the cylindrical protrusion structure 12, and a gas guiding slope 21 is provided at the junction of the receiving hole and the bottom surface of the molding cap 20; when steam enters the cylindrical shell 10 through the connecting port 13, the steam acts on the gas guiding slope 21 to generate an upward component force, which lifts the molding cap 20; a limit mechanism is provided between the molding cap 20 and the cylindrical protrusion structure 12.

[0021] In some embodiments, the limiting mechanism includes: a limiting rod 22, one end of which passes through a through hole at the top of the steam source connection port 11 and connects to the bottom of the receiving hole of the forming cap 20; and a limiting part 23, disposed at the other end of the limiting rod 22, for limiting the maximum lifting height of the forming cap 20. The limiting rod 22 is a screw; the bottom of the receiving hole is provided with a threaded hole adapted to the screw; and the limiting part 23 is a hexagonal end of the screw. The limiting mechanism can not only be used to limit the lifting height of the forming cap 20 during the fumigation process, but also to assist in demolding. During demolding, the limiting part 23 can be pushed to raise the forming cap 20, thereby lifting the pressed tea cake and facilitating demolding.

[0022] In this embodiment, the bottom surface of the cylindrical shell 10 is provided with a ring groove 14 around the steam source connection port 11 to accommodate the sealing ring and ensure the sealing of the steam passage.

[0023] This embodiment also provides a tea pressing device, which includes the tea pressing mold described above.

[0024] The process of using the tea pressing mold in this embodiment is as follows: The weighed dry tea leaves are poured into the cylindrical shell 10 through the top opening; after the tea leaves are filled, the inside of the cylindrical shell 10 is as follows: Figure 1 As shown.

[0025] like Figure 2 As shown, an external steam source pipe is connected to the steam source connection port 11 at the bottom of the cylindrical shell 10, and high-temperature steam is introduced. The steam enters the interior of the cylindrical shell 10 through the communication port 13 on the side wall of the cylindrical protrusion structure 12, and evenly penetrates the tea leaves to make them absorb moisture and soften (this step continues for 30-60 seconds of steaming). During the steam steaming process, when the steam flows through the communication port 13, it acts on the air guide slope 21 at the bottom of the forming cap 20, generating an upward thrust, causing the forming cap 20 to rise (the limiting rod 22 restricts its maximum height), promoting the even diffusion of steam in the tea leaf layer.

[0026] After fumigation, turn off the steam. Figure 3 As shown, the molded cap 20 falls back to the bottom of the cylindrical shell 10 under the influence of gravity. Figure 4 As shown, the pressing piston 30 is inserted into the top opening of the cylindrical shell 10, and an external press (such as a hydraulic press) is activated to press down the piston. The pressing piston 30 compresses the softened tea leaves downwards, and the tea leaves gradually compact and take shape within the conical cavity of the cylindrical shell 10. Under pressure, the tea leaves wrap around the forming cap 20, and the top surface of the forming cap 20 forms a standard indentation in the center of the bottom of the tea cake (common in Pu'er tea cakes). The pressure is maintained for several seconds to several minutes to stabilize the shape of the tea cake.

[0027] Then demolding is carried out. During the demolding process, the limiting rod 22 can be pushed inward to make the forming cap 20 rise, and the tea cake is also lifted up. Since the inner cavity of the cylindrical shell 10 has a taper, the tea cake can be demolded smoothly after it is lifted up.

[0028] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of this utility model and are not intended to limit the scope of this utility model. Any person skilled in the art can modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of this utility model. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed in this utility model should still be covered by the claims of this utility model.

Claims

1. A tea pressing mold, characterized in that, include: The cylindrical shell (10) has an open top structure; the bottom center of the cylindrical shell (10) is recessed inward to form a steam source connection port (11), and a columnar protrusion structure (12) is formed inside the cylindrical shell (10); the side wall of the columnar protrusion structure (12) is provided with several communication ports (13) so that the internal space of the cylindrical shell (10) is connected to the steam source connection port (11); A molded cap (20) is movably fitted onto the cylindrical protrusion structure (12); A pressing piston (30) is used to press tea leaves softened by steam into tea cakes inside the cylindrical shell (10) with its outer contour adapted to the inner cavity shape of the cylindrical shell (10).

2. A tea leaf pressing mould according to claim 1, characterised in that The inner cavity of the cylindrical shell (10) is circular, and its cross-sectional shape gradually expands from the bottom to the top opening direction, forming a taper that facilitates the demolding of the tea cake.

3. A tea press mould according to claim 2, characterised in that: The taper of the inner cavity of the cylindrical shell (10) ranges from 0.03 to 0.

12.

4. A tea pressing mold according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the molding cap (20) is provided with a receiving hole that matches the shape of the cylindrical protrusion structure (12). The junction of the receiving hole and the bottom surface of the molding cap (20) is provided with a gas guiding slope (21). When steam enters the cylindrical shell (10) through the connecting port (13), the steam acts on the gas guiding slope (21) to generate an upward component force, which lifts the molding cap (20). A limit mechanism is provided between the molding cap (20) and the cylindrical protrusion structure (12).

5. A tea press mould according to claim 4, characterised in that: The limiting mechanism includes: The limiting rod (22) has one end passing through the through hole at the top of the steam source connection port (11) and connected to the bottom of the receiving hole of the molding cap (20); A limiting part (23) is provided at the other end of the limiting rod (22) to limit the maximum lifting height of the molding cap (20).

6. A tea press according to claim 5, wherein: The limiting rod (22) is a screw; the bottom of the receiving hole is provided with a threaded hole that is compatible with the screw; the limiting part (23) is the hexagonal end of the screw.

7. A tea pressing mold according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom surface of the cylindrical shell (10) is provided with a ring groove (14) around the steam source connection port (11) for accommodating the sealing ring.

8. A tea leaf compressing apparatus, characterized by: Includes a tea pressing mold as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

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