Forming of a lollipop head in two different steps

Abstract

The invention relates to a lollipop production device, with a drum that rotates around a central axis and that comprises a plurality of moulds at its circumference, a supply of lollipop material strand to the moulds, wherein the moulds form individual pieces of lollipop material into the desired shape of the lollipop head and a stick insertion means, which inserts a stick into each lollipop head.

Description

[0001] Forming of a Lollipop head in two different steps

[0002] The invention relates to a lollipop production device, with a drum that rotates around a central axis and that comprises a plurality of moulds at its circumference, a supply of lollipop material strand to the moulds, wherein the moulds form individual pieces of lollipop material into the desired shape of the lollipop head and a stick insertion means, which inserts a stick into each lollipop head.

[0003] It is known to make lollipops using a lollipop production device with a drum rotating about a horizontal central axis. The drum is provided with a series of moulds at its circumference. Generally, each of the moulds has a lower mould that is fixed to the drum and an upper mould that can be moved into an open position, in which the leading end of a strand of lollipop material is inserted into the lower mould. The upper mould is then moved into a closed position, thereby forming the lollipop material accommodated between the lower and the upper mould. The lollipop material is formed / pressed for example into a sphere-shape. From a direction parallel to the drum axis, a stick is inserted into the mould.

[0004] There is a constant need in the lollipop production industry to produce a large variety of different shapes of lollipops on the same device.

[0005] The problem is attained with a lollipop production device, with a first forming drum that rotates around a central axis and that comprises a plurality of moulds at its circumference, a supply of lollipop material strand to the moulds, wherein the moulds form individual pieces of lollipop material into the desired first shape of the lollipop head and a stick insertion means, which inserts a stick into each lollipop head, wherein it comprises a second forming drum located downstream from the first forming drum which reshapes the lollipop head into a second shape.

[0006] The disclosure made regarding this embodiment of the present invention also applies to the other embodiments and vice versa. Subject matters disclosed relative to this embodiment can be combined with other embodiments and vice versa.

[0007] The present invention relates to a lollipop production device with a first forming drum rotating around a central axis during production. The first forming drum is provided with a series of adjacent moulds at its circumference, preferably around the entire circumference. More preferably, the moulds are provided along a ring, that extends around the central axis and perpendicular to the central axis. Preferably, each of the moulds has a lower mould that is preferably fixed to the drum and an upper mould that is moved, preferably pivoted, into an open position, in which the leading end of a strand of lollipop material is provided onto the lower mould. During further rotating of the first forming drum, the upper mould is then moved, preferably pivoted, into a closed position, thereby forming the lollipop material accommodated between the lower and the upper mould. The lollipop material is formed / pressed into a first shape, for example into a sphere-shape. From a direction parallel to the drum axis a stick is inserted into the mould, preferably after the forming / pressing has started, but before it is finalized. During the insertion of the stick, the pressure on the lollipop material in the mould is preferably released. During closing of the upper mould, the respective lollipop head is separated from the strand.

[0008] The lollipop material can be any material which is utilized to produce a lollipop or a candy. Preferably, the lollipop material is a sugary material. The lollipop material may comprise two components, wherein one may be a liquid- powdery or a pasty substance which is preferably surrounded by a solid substance. The lollipop material can be a composition of two or more single lollipop materials that each may have a different color. During the forming process the color may stay in its defined position, e.g. one color on top of the lollipop and a second color on the bottom of the lollipop.

[0009] For the purpose of forming the lollipop material, it is warm, preferably around 60° C. After the forming and the stick insertion, the lollipops are cooled to ambient temperature.

[0010] After the lollipop head is formed, the mould is opened again by moving the upper mould into its open position and then the lollipops are sequentially removed from the lower mould by means of a transfer device, which preferably grips the stick of the lollipop and pulls the lollipop out of the lower mould. The lollipop being removed from the mould can be handed over to a subsequent device, for example a conveyor, usually provided with a series of clamps to transport the lollipops to a next processing station, such as a packaging- and / or a cooling station. Alternatively in an intermediate step, the lollipops can be further processed for example further formed.

[0011] Each mould rotates from a filling- to the take-out position. In the filling position, each mould is filled with fresh lollipop material, While the drum rotates further, the mould is then closed and preferably cuts of the desired length of lollipop material from the strand. Subsequently and / or simultaneously, a stick is inserted into the lollipop material, preferably through an opening in the mould. The drum then rotates further and the lollipop material is further pressed into its desired shape, until the mould reaches the take-out position in which and / or prior to which, the upper mould has been moved into a position that the lollipop can be removed from the mould.

[0012] This is preferably accomplished by a rotating take-out wheel, which preferably rotates in the opposite direction of the drum. Preferably, the take-out wheel has a plurality of grippers at its circumference, which each grip the stick of a lollipop and remove it from the moulds and hands it over to a subsequent unit, which can be a further processing unit and / or a transportation unit.

[0013] After removal of the lollipops, the drum is then rotated further to an annular position where the lollipop material strand reaches the moulds and in which the mould is filled again with lollipop material.

[0014] According to the present invention, the device comprises a second forming drum, which changes the first shape of the lollipop head into the second shape. The second drum is provided with a series of adjacent moulds at its circumference, preferably around the entire circumference. More preferably, the moulds are provided along a ring, that extends around the central axis and perpendicular to the central axis. Preferably, each of the moulds has a lower mould that is preferably fixed to the drum and an upper mould that is moved, preferably pivoted or moved along a linear or different path, into an open position, in which the lollipop head is provided onto the lower mould and / or between the lower and the upper mould. During further rotating of the drum, the upper mould is then moved, preferably pivoted, into a closed position, thereby forming the lollipop head accommodated between the lower and the upper mould from its first shape into its second shape.

[0015] During insertion of the lollipop head between the lower- and the upper mould of the second drum, the stick is preferably placed into an indentation in the upper- and / or lower mould. The indentation is preferably provided parallel to the axis of rotation of the second forming drum.

[0016] After the lollipop heads are formed into their second shape, they are removed from the second forming drum. This is preferably carried out by grippers which grip the stick of the lollipop. The grippers are preferably provided at a transportation means, for example a chain.

[0017] Preferably, the second forming drum is modularly attachable, so that lollipops with a first shape or a second shape can be produced. In case lollipop heads with the first shape shall be produced, the second forming drum is left out or circumvented. In case a lollipop head with the second lollipop head shape shall be produced, the second forming drum is utilized. The lollipop heads can be filled in its first and in its second shape. The filling is preferably added upstream from the first forming drum. The lollipop heads can be composed of lollipop material of different colors. The composition of different colors is made upstream from the first forming drum

[0018] Preferably, a transfer means is provided between the first forming drum and the second forming drum. This transfer means has preferably grippers at its circumference, which grip the stick of the lollipop, remove it from the first forming drum and release the stick after the lollipop heads have been placed between the lower- and the upper mould of the second forming drum.

[0019] Preferably, lollipop production device comprises a transportation means to transport the lollipops to a further processing means, for example cooling, coating and / or packaging.

[0020] The problem is also solved with a method to produce a lollipop by means of a first forming drum that rotates around a central axis and that comprises a plurality of moulds at its circumference, a supply of lollipop material strand to the moulds, wherein the moulds form individual pieces of lollipop material into the desired first shape of the lollipop head and a stick insertion means, which inserts a stick into each lollipop head, characterized in, that the lollipop head is reshaped by a second forming drum located downstream from the first forming drum into a second shape.

[0021] The disclosure made regarding this embodiment of the present invention also applies to the other embodiments and vice versa. Subject matters disclosed relative to this embodiment can be combined with other embodiments and vice versa.

[0022] Preferably, the second shape is a flat shape or a 3D-shape. More preferably, the first shape is less flat than the second shape, form example sphere-shaped.

[0023] The inventions are now explained according to the only Figure 1 . The explanations apply to all inventions likewise and do not limit the scope of protection.

[0024] The only Figure shows the inventive lollipop production device 1 , which comprises a first forming drum 7 with a plurality of moulds 3 at its circumference. By means of the moulds, a portion of lollipop material is cut off from a lollipop material strand 2, while it is formed by the mould into its desired first shape. Preferably during the forming process, a stick, which is removed from a stick supply 10, is inserted into the lollipop material, preferably via an indentation in the mould. The movement of the stick into the moulds is preferably parallel to the axis of rotation of the drum. The moulds are preferably adjacent, more preferably directly adjacent, to each other and provided along a ring around the drum, that extends parallel to the paper plane and here in the paper plane. Each mould comprises a lower mould, that is preferably fixed at the drum, and an upper mould, that can be moved, preferably pivoted, relative to the lower mould from an open to a closed position and vice versa. The lower- and the upper mould are connected, preferably by means of a hinge. The pivot axis of the hinge is preferably tangential to the circumference of the drum. In the open position, the lower mould can be filled with lollipop material and the formed lollipops can be removed. From the open position, after the leading edge of the lollipop material strand has been placed onto the mould, the upper mould is subsequently closed until the upper and the lower mould are, at least essentially, in direct contact and thereby forms the lollipop material into the desired shape of the lollipop head and separates two adjacent lollipop heads from each other. In this closed position of the mould, the lollipop has received its final shape. Subsequently, the upper mould is opened again, so that the lollipops can be removed and the mould can receive lollipop material strand again. The removal of the lollipops from the moulds 3 of the drum is carried out in the present case by transfer means 6, here a take-out wheel, which preferably has grippers at its circumference, which grip the stick of the lollipops and moves them out of the mould.

[0025] The drum 7 rotates in the present case counter clockwise. The ring with the adjacent moulds 3 is provided in the paper plane. The feed path of the lollipop material strand 2 is indicated by arrows. In the present case, the lollipop material strand crosses the circumference of the drum 3 approximately at the four o'clock position but is still above the paper plane. Subsequently, the lollipop material strand 2 is guided along a spiral path along the circumference of the drum and simultaneously axially towards the ring of the moulds; i.e. in the present case from a position above the paper plane towards the paper plane. As soon as the lollipop material strand is coaxial with the ring ring of moulds, here approximately at the 1 o'clock position, the lollipop material strand can be place onto the lower mould. Subsequently, the upper mould is closed and the forming and cutting of the lollipop material starts and is finalized, while the respective mould rotates counter clockwise. During the forming of the lollipop material, a stick is moved, preferably parallel to the central axis of rotation of the drum, into the lollipop material, preferably through a hole in the mould. Here in the three o'clock position, the lollipops 5 are removed from the moulds by means of the transfer means 6, which rotates here clockwise. It can be seen, that the path of the lollipop material strand 2 and the ring of moulds cross each other, wherein during crossing, the ring of moulds 3 is in a different axial plane than the lollipop material strand 2, so that the lollipop material strand 2 and the still filled moulds 3 do not interfere. Further it can bee seen that the circle segment in which the moulds are filled with lollipop material is at least > 180°, here app. 270°. Due to this large segment, the rotational speed of the drum can be increase and / or the diameter of the drum can be reduced, without losing production capacity.

[0026] According to the invention embodiment, the production device comprises a second forming drum 9, which changes the first shape of the lollipop heads provided by the upstream forming drum 7 into a second shape. A spherical lollipop head can, for example, be pressed into a flat lollipop. Subsequently, the lollipops are removed from the production device by transportation means 8, for example a chain with grippers. Alternatively, the lollipops are handed directly from the means 6 to the means 8.

[0027] The second drum also comprises a multitude of lower and upper moulds at its circumference. The lollipop heads with the first shape are placed between the lower- and the upper mould. During the here counter-clockwise rotation of the drum, the upper mould closes and forms the lollipop from its first into its second shape. After the upper mould has been opened again, the lollipops are removed from the second forming drum, here by a gripper, here provided at a chain.

[0028] The second forming drum is a feature of the device which can be modularly added as needed. The second forming wheel can be omitted or circumvented in case lollipop heads with the first shape are desired. The second wheel is particularly advantageous in case filled flat lollipop heads shall be produced or flat lollipop heads with defined positions of colors or flavors.

[0029] List of reference signs

[0030] 1 Lollipop production device

[0031] 2 Lollipop material strand

[0032] 3 Mould

[0033] 4 Central axis

[0034] 5 Lollipop

[0035] 6 Transfer means, take-out wheel

[0036] 7 Forming Drum, first forming drum

[0037] 8 Transportation means

[0038] 9 Forming drum, second forming drum

[0039] 10 Stick supply

Claims

Patent claims:

1. Lollipop production device (1), with a first forming drum (7) that rotates around a central axis (4) and that comprises a plurality of moulds (3) at its circumference, a supply of lollipop material strand (2) to the moulds (3), wherein the moulds (3) form individual pieces of lollipop material into the desired first shape of the lollipop head and a stick insertion means, which inserts a stick into each lollipop head, characterized in, that it comprises a second forming drum (9) located downstream from the first forming drum (7) which reshapes the lollipop head into a second shape.

2. Lollipop production device according to claim 1 , characterized in, that the second forming drum is modularly attachable.

3. Lollipop production device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in, that a transfer means is provided between the first forming drum (7) and the second forming drum (9).

4. Lollipop production device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in, that it comprises a transportation means (8) to transport the lollipops to a further processing means.

5. Method to produce a lollipop by means of a first forming drum (7) that rotates around a central axis (4) and that comprises a plurality of moulds (3) at its circumference, a supply of lollipop material strand (2) to the moulds (3), wherein the moulds (3) form individual pieces of lollipop material into the desired first shape of the lollipop head and a stick insertion means, which inserts a stick into each lollipop head, characterized in, that the lollipop head is reshaped by a second forming drum (9) located downstream from the first forming drum (7) into a second shape.

6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in, that the second shape is a flat shape.

7. Method according to claims 5 or 6, characterized in, that lollipop material strand is filled.Method according to claims 5 - 7, characterized in, that the lollipop head consists of materials with different colors and / or materials with different flavors, each preferably at a defined position within the lollipop head.

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