Roll frame with improved product collection

Abstract

The present invention relates to a roll frame (1) comprising a product inlet (2), a crushing chamber having crushing rolls (3, 4) through which bulk material to be crushed can pass from the product inlet (2) into the crushing chamber, and a product outlet unit (P) arranged below the crushing chamber and through which the product can pass from the crushing chamber, the product outlet unit (P) comprising a hopper (5) having a conveying worm (10) in a lower region of the hopper (5) remote from the crushing chamber, the conveying worm (10) having two parts (10a, 10b) conveying in opposite directions to convey the product from the lower region of the hopper (5) to an outlet opening (7) in the bottom region of the hopper (5).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a roll frame for food and animal feed production with improved product collection.

[0002] Roll frames and their applications are well known. An exemplary roll frame from the prior art is shown in FIG. 1, with only the most important components identified in more detail. Roll frame 1′ comprises an inlet 2′ (e.g., a hopper) through which the material to be ground is fed to a pair of rolls 3′ and 4′. The ground material then leaves roll frame 1′ through hopper 5′, into which it falls by gravity. Hopper 5′ may be, for example, a discharge funnel and is guided by base 6′ on which roll frame 1 is placed. Below base 6′, hopper 5′ opens into a discharge device (not shown), which allows the material to be further conveyed mechanically or pneumatically.

[0003] Such a roll frame has several drawbacks: since the hopper 5' protrudes through the base 6' in which the roll frame 1' is located, an additional building floor must be provided below the base 6', in which the above-mentioned discharge device can be located.

[0004] Roll frames that directly extract and transport the product are also known. In such roll frames, two collection hoppers for the product are arranged in the roll frame, one on each side of the roll frame. Subsequently, a suction-pneumatic discharge is arranged for each collection hopper, i.e., four riser pipes are provided. Furthermore, in the case of larger roll frames (e.g., 1500 mm long), recesses for the collection hoppers are provided in the base on which the roll frame stands.

[0005] U.S. Patent No. 2,717,124 describes a roll frame with a closed hopper, into which a suction tube is guided, and into which the product is sucked and then transported upward by the roll frame.

[0006] None of the prior art variations are able to achieve constant product discharge at high mass flow rates.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a roll frame for the production of food and animal feed that overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks and makes it possible to achieve a constant product discharge even at high mass flow rates.

[0008] The object of the invention is achieved by the roll frame for the production of food and animal feed according to the invention.

[0009] The present invention relates to a roll frame for the production of food and animal feed, comprising a product inlet, a grinding chamber with grinding rolls through which bulk material to be ground can pass from the product inlet into the grinding chamber, and a product outlet unit arranged below the grinding chamber and through which the product can pass from the grinding chamber, characterized in that the product outlet unit comprises a hopper having a conveying worm in a lower region of the hopper remote from the grinding chamber, the conveying worm having two parts conveying in opposite directions to convey the product from the lower region of the hopper to an outlet opening in the bottom region of the hopper.

[0010] The present invention features a specific product outlet unit, which comprises a hopper. Hoppers and their use in roll frames are well known. According to the invention, the hopper is a prismatic unit with a substantially triangular cross section, the base region of which is oriented towards the grinding chamber and the end remote from the base region may be rounded.

[0011] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the roll frame for the production of food and animal feed according to the invention has a single hopper extending over the entire width of the roll frame, and particularly preferably, the base area of ​​such a hopper is completely open to the grinding chamber of the roll frame so that the ground product from the grinding chamber can enter the hopper over the entire width of the hopper.

[0012] Alternatively, multiple corresponding hoppers may be positioned adjacent to each other and together extend across the entire width of the roll frame.

[0013] The hopper has a conveying worm in a lower region of the hopper remote from the grinding chamber, i.e., at the end remote from the base region. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the end of the hopper remote from the base region is rounded in order to optimally accommodate the conveying worm.

[0014] The conveying worm extends over the entire length of the lower region of the hopper. The conveying worm is rotatably mounted at two side ends of the hopper. A motor for moving the conveying worm is operably connected to the conveying worm. Preferably, according to the present invention, the motor is located at the side end of the hopper, and is preferably removably fixed. According to the present invention, any motor normally used for moving a conveying worm can be used. Preferably, the motor is a geared motor, and more preferably, an electric motor.

[0015] The conveying worm disposed within the hopper has two sections that convey in opposite directions, for example, one section of the conveying worm is provided with worm elements that provide product conveyance from left to right, while another section of the conveying worm is provided with worm elements that provide product conveyance from right to left.

[0016] The provision of two counter-conveying sections of the conveying worm is used to transport product from the bottom region of the hopper to the outlet opening at the bottom region of the hopper.Using the counter-conveying sections of the conveying worm, product is transported from the regions of the hopper located on either side of the outlet opening to the outlet opening.

[0017] The worm element is arranged at least in the region of the hopper that is open to the grinding chamber. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the base region of this hopper is completely open to the grinding chamber of the roll frame so that the ground product from the grinding chamber can enter the hopper over its entire width. According to this embodiment, the worm element is arranged over the entire width of the hopper, except for the region where the outlet opening is located.

[0018] According to the invention, it is particularly preferred that the oppositely conveying sections of the conveying worm are connected to one another via an uninterrupted shaft, i.e., only a single conveying worm is provided, which is subjected to significantly less vibration than in the variant in which two separate oppositely conveying worms are provided in the hopper.

[0019] As mentioned above, product dropping into the hopper is conveyed by conveying worms from both side regions of the hopper to a single outlet opening. Such outlet opening is dimensioned to ensure continuous discharge of product from the hopper without clogging or obstruction, even in mass flow operation. The exact dimensions can be determined by an expert as a matter of routine.

[0020] It is particularly preferred that the outlet opening is located in the center of the bottom region of the hopper, i.e., equidistant from both ends of the hopper. However, it is also possible to position the outlet opening at a specific distance from the center of the bottom region of the hopper, for example, in the central third of the longest dimension (referred to herein as width) of the bottom region of the hopper.

[0021] According to another preferred embodiment, a component can be provided in the area of ​​the outlet opening to prevent accumulation of product in this area, which can be, for example, a pin.

[0022] The outlet opening is connected to a pipeline located below the outlet opening, and the product is conveyed away from the roll frame through such pipeline.

[0023] According to the invention, the outlet opening is preferably connected to the pipeline in such a way that the product passes from the outlet opening into the pipeline with as smooth a deflection as possible. This reduces the risk of clogging or blocking of the outlet opening. Preferably, the outlet opening is designed in the form of a so-called feeder shoe, by means of which an opening in the bottom region of the hopper is connected to an opening in the upper region of the pipeline via a vertical or slightly inclined or curved side wall. In this embodiment, the transfer of the product from the hopper into the pipeline takes place in a substantially vertical direction.

[0024] In this respect, it is preferred according to the invention that the pipeline is arranged at an angle of approximately 90° to the hopper, i.e. in the region of the outlet opening an imaginary line along the longest dimension (i.e. width) of the hopper and an imaginary central axis through the pipeline are aligned in such a way that they subtend an angle ranging from 60° to 120°, particularly preferably an angle of 90°.

[0025] The pipeline for conveying the product from the roll frame is constructed similarly to a conventional pipeline for discharging the product from the roll frame. The product is preferably discharged pneumatically, particularly preferably by suction air. In this case, the pipeline is preferably connected to a unit for de-airing. Such units are known and do not need to be described in detail here.

[0026] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the pipeline is arranged in a section below the hopper and has an upward bend beyond the hopper so as to be guided laterally upward past the hopper, so that the pipeline has a section arranged vertically above and is connected via a bend element to the section of the pipeline arranged below the hopper.

[0027] According to a preferred embodiment, the pipeline is placed in the hopper in a removable manner, for example by means of one or more screw connections. The pipeline can also have additional fastening means for fastening to the roll frame itself, for example one or more additional screw connections.

[0028] The present invention allows the product to be discharged without adding any additional structural height to the machine: the roll frame can be placed directly on the base, without the need for an additional building floor as required by the prior art.

[0029] Furthermore, according to the invention, in the case of a roll frame for the production of food and animal feed with direct extraction, the number of hoppers required can be reduced to one hopper per side (and correspondingly one pneumatic pipeline per side).

[0030] The present invention therefore offers significant advantages in device technology.

[0031] In principle, the product exit unit according to the invention can be used with any conventional roll frame. However, a preferred application is in roll frames for the production of food and animal feed. The invention therefore relates to a product exit unit comprising a hopper having a conveying worm in a lower region of the hopper remote from the base region of the hopper, the conveying worm having two parts conveying in opposite directions to transport the product from the lower region of the hopper to an exit opening in the bottom region of the hopper.

[0032] The product outlet unit according to the present invention is constructed as described above.

[0033] Depending on the design of the roll frame, the roll frame may have one or two of the product exit units according to the invention.

[0034] The roll frame according to the invention for the production of food and animal feed is preferably used to produce flour from cereals and from the processing of cereal milling products and cereal end products of the flour milling industry (in particular the milling of soft wheat, durum, rye, corn and / or barley) or the speciality flour milling industry (in particular the dehulling and / or milling of soybeans, buckwheat, barley, spelt, millet / sorghum, pseudocereals and / or pulses), in particular table wheat, durum wheat, corn or buckwheat. Table wheat is also known as Triticum aevestivum, and durum wheat is also known as Triticum durum. For the purposes of this application, rice is also understood to be a cereal. The roll frame according to the invention is further suitable for the production of feed for farm animals and livestock, fish and shellfish.

[0035] The roll frame is characterized by at least one grinding mill. Such roll frames are known, for example, from EP 0944433 (A1), EP 0991473 (A1), WO 2019 / 224399 (A1) and WO 2019 / 229014 (A1), the corresponding contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

[0036] The present invention further provides a method for comminuting bulk material using a roll frame according to the present invention, comprising the steps of: a) feeding bulk material to a product inlet; b) grinding the bulk material in the grinding chamber using grinding rolls and transferring the ground product into a hopper; c) conveying the pulverized product to an outlet opening through a conveying worm disposed within the hopper; The present invention relates to a method, comprising:

[0037] The introduction of the bulk material into the product inlet and the comminution of the bulk material in the comminution chamber by means of two comminution rolls is carried out in the usual known manner similar to that in conventional roll frames.

[0038] The crushed product is then transferred to the hopper of the roll frame according to the invention by the influence of gravity as the product falls from the crushing chamber through the open base area of ​​the hopper and into the hopper.

[0039] Within the hopper, the conveyance of the comminuted product to the outlet opening is effected by a conveying worm disposed within the hopper, as described above, with counter-conveying portions of the conveying worm conveying the product from the areas on either side of the outlet opening at the base of the hopper to the outlet opening.

[0040] The product delivered to the outlet opening is transferred into the pipeline. As mentioned above, this is preferably done with as smooth a deflection as possible, i.e., the direction of movement of the product changes as little as possible during transfer. The product only meets in the center of the hopper from the left and right. From there, the product leaves the hopper downwards (either by converting the horizontal movement into vertical movement or via the inclined shape of the feeder shoe) and enters the suction air pipeline. This is preferably achieved using the feeder shoe described above.

[0041] In the pipeline, the product is conveyed away from the roll frame as described above, preferably pneumatically, particularly preferably by suction air pressure.

[0042] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to non-limiting drawings and preferred embodiments, in which: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0043] [Figure 1]1 is a schematic diagram of a roll frame from the prior art for the production of food and animal feed. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram of a roll frame for the production of food and animal feed according to the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic diagram of a product outlet unit according to the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a further schematic view of a product outlet unit according to the invention;

[0044] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a prior art roll frame for the production of food and animal feed, with only the most important components identified in more detail. Roll frame 1′ is equipped with an inlet 2′ (e.g., a hopper) through which the material to be ground is fed to a pair of rolls 3′ and 4′. The ground material then leaves roll frame 1′ through hopper 5′, into which it falls by gravity. Hopper 5′ may be, for example, a discharge funnel and is guided by base 6′ on which roll frame 1 is arranged. Below base 6′, hopper 5′ opens into a discharge device (not shown), which allows the material to be further conveyed mechanically or pneumatically.

[0045] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a roll frame 1 according to the invention for the production of food and animal feed, with only the most important components identified in more detail. The roll frame 1 comprises an inlet 2 (e.g., a hopper) through which the material to be ground is fed to a pair of rolls 3 and 4. The ground material then leaves the roll frame 1 through a hopper 5, into which it falls by gravity. The hoppers 5 have in their centers outlet openings 7 in the form of feeder shoes, through which the product enters a pipeline 8. The components 5, 7, and 8 together form a product outlet unit P, respectively. The pipelines 8 of the two hoppers shown in FIG. 2 are arranged so that the vertical region 8a of one of the pipelines 8 is adjacent to the vertical region 8a of the other pipeline 8.

[0046] The roll frame 1 stands on a base 6 using legs 9 .

[0047] FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a product outlet unit P according to the invention. A conveying worm 10 is arranged in the hopper 5. The conveying worm has a section 10a conveying from left to right and a section 10b conveying from right to left. Between these sections 10a and 10b, there is a section 10c without a worm element in the area of ​​the outlet opening 7. The conveying worm 10 is rotatably mounted at a side end of the hopper 5. The conveying worm 10 is connected to and driven by a motor 11. A pipeline 8 runs horizontally below the hopper. Behind the hopper 5, the pipeline 8 has a bend and transitions into a vertical section 8a.

[0048] Figure 4 shows a longitudinal section through the product outlet unit P according to Figure 3, where the same reference numerals indicate the same components. Figure 4 shows the shape of the feeder shoe 7, which connects an opening at the base of the hopper 5 with an opening at the top of the pipeline 8 so that the product is transferred from the hopper 5 to the pipeline 8 with as smooth a deflection as possible.

Claims

1. A roll frame (1) for the production of food and animal feed, comprising a product inlet (2), a grinding chamber with grinding rolls (3, 4) through which bulk material to be ground can pass from the product inlet (2) into the grinding chamber, and a product outlet unit (P) arranged below the grinding chamber and through which the product from the grinding chamber can pass, The product outlet unit (P) comprises a hopper (5) having a conveying worm (10) in a lower region of the hopper (5) remote from the crushing chamber, the conveying worm (10) having two parts (10a, 10b) conveying in opposite directions to convey the product from the lower region of the hopper (5) to an outlet opening (7) in the bottom region of the hopper (5); The outlet opening (7) is connected to a pipeline (8) located below the outlet opening (7), the pipeline (8) has a vertically upper section (8a) which is connected via a bend element to a section of the pipeline (8) located below the outlet opening (7), Roll frame (1).

2. 2. A roll frame (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the outlet opening (7) is arranged in the center of the hopper (5).

3. 3. A roll frame (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the outlet opening (7) is connected to the pipeline (8) in such a way that the product passes from the outlet opening (7) into the pipeline (8) with as smooth a deflection as possible.

4. A roll frame (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the hopper (5) has an opening to the crushing chamber over the entire width of the hopper (5).

5. The roll frame (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the conveying worm (10) extends over the entire length of the lower region of the hopper (5), and the oppositely conveying parts (10a, 10b) of the conveying worm (10) are connected to each other via an uninterrupted shaft.

6. A roll frame (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the pipeline (8) is connected to a unit for sucking air.

7. A roll frame (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the pipeline (8) is arranged in the hopper in a removable manner.

8. A method for grinding bulk materials using a roll frame (1) for the production of food and animal feed according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising: a) feeding bulk material into said product inlet (2); b) crushing the bulk material in the crushing chamber using the crushing rolls (3, 4) and transferring the crushed product into the hopper (5); c) conveying the comminuted product through the conveying worm (10) located in the hopper (5) to the outlet opening (7); A method comprising:

9. 9. A method according to claim 8, characterized in that the crushed product is transferred through the outlet opening (7) into a pipeline (8) and carried away in the pipeline (8).

10. 10. Method according to claim 9, characterized in that the conveying in the pipeline (8) is carried out pneumatically.

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