Importance

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Abstract

A tortilla dough forming machine has a hopper, hollow extension and hollow casing mounted in a serial arrangement on a support frame. The hopper receives a mass of tortilla dough through its open top and has a dough discharge outlet. The casing is cylindrical in shape, horizontally disposed, and has a dough entry inlet and a longitudinally-extending elongated narrow slit defined therethrough. The extension extends between and connects the hopper dough discharge outlet in communication with the casing dough entry inlet. A shaft is rotatably mounted to the casing and hopper and extends horizontally and axially through the casing, extension and hopper. A plurality of conveying vanes are attached along the upstream shaft portion extending through the extension and hopper and are operable to convey dough toward and through the hopper dough discharge outlet and through the extension upon rotation of the shaft. A screw conveyor and a conical member are attached in tandem end-to-end relation along the downstream shaft portion extending through the casing. The screw conveyor is disposed upstream of the conical member and adapted to convey dough through the casing toward the conical member upon rotation of the shaft. The conical member is oriented in opposing working relation to the screw conveyor to resist axial flow of dough through the casing past the slit thereby causing radial flow of dough from the casing through the slit.

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First Claim