Importance

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Abstract

An apparatus and method for processing dough is provided for automatically processing a large mass of dough into a plurality of smaller, shaped dough pieces. A dough divider is used to receive the large mass of dough and to divide the large mass into smaller dough pieces. A dough rounder is used to receive the smaller dough pieces, round the pieces into dough balls and eject the dough balls serially from a discharge outlet thereof. A first conveyor is provided to receive the ejected dough balls from the discharge outlet and to deposit the dough balls in a predetermined spacing on a second conveyor. The second conveyor intermittently carries the dough balls along a length of the second conveyor. A prepressing device is arranged with a portion for engaging the dough balls being carried on the second conveyor when the second conveyor is stopped, so as to deform the dough balls into thick dough disks. A pressing device for pressing the dough disks into dough pieces of a final desired shape is positioned along the second conveyor, downstream of the prepressing device. One or more heating devices are provided for setting the shaped dough pieces by heating the shaped dough pieces for a predetermined time period. The entire process takes place automatically without human intervention.

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First Claim