Apparatus and methods for recouping scrap dough material

Abstract

Apparatus and methods of fabricating half products in the field of puffed snack piece fabrication are disclosed including a rotary cutter (16) having an opposed pair of rollers (18). At least one of the rollers (18) of the rotary cutter (16) has cavities (112) arranged in a first, central portion (110) which stamp out first pieces and cavities (118) arranged in second and third, boundary portions (114, 116) for stamping out second pieces from the remaining portions of a continuous dough sheet (14). The first pieces are of the desired shape and size for the half products, and the second pieces are of a size and shape mechanically separable from the first pieces. In first preferred forms, the first pieces have tesselated shapes allowing the cavities (112) in the central portion (110) to be in a tight, juxtapositional pattern. In other preferred forms, the second pieces have nontesselated shapes, with pockets (113) of a pyramid shape located in the central portion (110) between the cavities (112) to reduce migration of the scrap material into the cavities (112) while the first pieces are stamped from the continuous dough sheet (14). After stamping, the first and second pieces are dried in an oven (134) and then separated by a separator (136). The dried first pieces form the half product. The dried second pieces can be ground in a grinder (138) and added to the ingredients (120) forming the dough prior to or during mixing in mixer (122). The mixed ingredients (120) are cooked and extruded as dough for formation into a sheet (12) by a sheeting apparatus (124). In the preferred form, the sheet (12) is flipped and aligned into a folded continuous two-ply sheet (14) prior to entering the rotary cutter (16).