Walker Stainless Equipment Company

Advanced Process Technologies, Inc.

Gary L Starkson

Virgil J Scherping

George H Schwinghammer

Paul R Bokelmann

Craig J Campbell

John M McCormick

A cheese process vat is disclosed. The cheese process vat includes an enclosure and a shaft assembly, preferably a shaft assembly having a shaft and a plurality of agitator panels arranged on the shaft. The cheese process vat preferably further includes an adjustable shaft seal assembly that adjustably seals the joint between the shaft and the enclosure. Methods of using the respective cheese process vats are also disclosed.

Cheese vat having adjustable shaft seal assembly

A cheese process vat is disclosed. The cheese process vat includes an enclosure and a shaft assembly, preferably a shaft assembly having a shaft and a plurality of agitator panels arranged on the shaft. The cheese process vat preferably further includes a shaft seal assembly having a fluid accessible clean-in-place chamber. Methods of using the respective cheese process vats are also disclosed.

Cheese vat having fluid accessible seal assembly

A cheese process vat is disclosed. The cheese process vat includes an enclosure and a shaft assembly, preferably a shaft assembly having a shaft and a plurality of agitator panels arranged on the shaft in a planar fashion. The agitator panels are preferably arranged on the shaft such that the shaft assembly is balanced in both weight and agitator panel surface area around the centerline of the shaft.

Horizontal cheese vat having single agitator shaft

An enclosed food processing device is provided having one or more conveyor belts and vertically rotating agitators positioned above the belt. The agitators have forwardly and rearwardly projecting prongs that stir the food being processed without causing physical damage to it. The preferred forwardly projecting prongs are elongated and have a generally rounded cross-section. The preferred rearwardly projecting prongs may be staggered or otherwise arranged so as to break up clumps while permitting curds to pass between them.

Food processing device

An enclosed food processing device is provided having one or more conveyor belts and vertical agitators positioned above the belt. The agitators have forward and backward prongs that stir the food being processed without causing physical damage to it. The food enters the device through an inlet and is evenly distributed across a draining screen by an inlet deflector plate, which is adjustable to account for the different rates at which the food may flow into the device. Ramps are positioned under the device to collect liquid drained from the food, and the ramps have independent segments that separate the liquid based on the stage of the process at which it is drained from the food. A salting apparatus is provided for conveying salt to the food to be processed. The salt is dispensed in proportion to the amount of food to be salted. Salt is moved from a salt hopper into a chamber by a rotating dispensing wheel. The salting apparatus has a pump that moves a fluid, such as filtered air, through a Venturi pickup tee, where it creates a partial vacuum that pulls salt into the airstream from the chamber. The salt then is pushed through stationary salt distribution tubes and applied to the food to be salted.

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Lester Prairie, MN, United States of America

Gary L Starkson