Pressing machine for forming elongated bodies of meat and the like edible material

Claim 1

A pressing machine for forming elongated bodies of meat and like edible material especially from deep-frozen filleted fish and other meat, comprising 1 a compression chamber of substantially rectangular crosssectional shape positioned with a substantially horizontal axis, 2 an extrusion plate forming one end wall of the chamber and provided with a plurality of relatively long extrusion openings, in the extrusion direction each of which is of the approximate cross-sectional shape of the elongated bodies to be produced, the ingress edges of the extrusion openings flaring outwardly in the direction of the chamber to facilitate the extrusion of said meAt and like edible material, 3 horizontally movable pressure applying means to extrude material introduced into said chamber through the openings in said extrusion plate, 4. a stationary guide plate parallel to and spaced from said extrusion plate, 5. a forming plate slidably mounted between said extrusion plate and said guide plate, said forming plate having a thickness equal to the length of the bodies to be formed and provided with a plurality of through-going transverse forming passages equal in number to and mutually spaced like the openings of said extrusion plate, and 6. means to operate said forming plate between and operative position with said passages in alignment with the corresponding openings of said extrusion plate, for the filling of said passages with extruded material, and a retracted position with said passages presenting free open ends, for the ejection of the bodies formed therein.