GB1565068A

GB1565068A - Bakery equipment

Info

Publication number: GB1565068A
Application number: GB3769676A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1975-09-11
Filing date: 1976-09-10
Publication date: 1980-04-16
Also published as: FR2323328A1; DE2540559A1; NL7609259A; BR7606001A; IT1067866B; CA1041374A

Description

(54) BAKERY EQUIPMENT (71) I KATE KEMPER, a British Subject, of Wybuelstr. 6, CH-8702 Zurich Zollikon, Switzerland (formerly of 4835 Rietberg Z, Lange Strasse 8-10, Federal Republic of Germany do hereby delcare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me. and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention relates to mechanized bakery equipment. and more particularly to machinery for the automatic makeup of bread dough into one of several dough piece shapes for subsequent baking in a continuous baking operation, the machinery being readily convertible from one dough piece shape to another, without modification.

Bread or bread-like products have historically been by far the most important of all food staples. The growing mobility of large segments of population from one region to another and from one countrv to another has brought about corresponding changes in the bread eating habits of local consumer groups, the changing habits reflecting themselves in a considerably wider variety of types of breads being in demand.

The bread producers. desirous to respond to this changing demand pattern, are being forced to offer a much greater variety of bread products than in the past. But. the desire to offer a greater variety of bread products is in direct conflict with the increasing need for mechanization of all bakery operations, in order to reduce production costs. Obviously. the mechanization of bread production is only the economical.

when the automatic equipment is in use on a continuous basis. In the past, this meant that only one kind of bread could be produced economicallv on a continuous basis.

Known mechanized dough makeup equipment is normally arranged in line with a continuously operating baking oven, forming a processing line for a particular shape of loaf. e.g. Such a dough makeup line starts with a dough divider at the beginning of the line, into which the mixed dough is loaded batch by batch. The dough pieces produced by the dough divider pass through a dough piece rounder, and from there to a fermenting unit. or so-called proofer, where they are left to rest to redevelope the cast content lost during rounding. Following proofing, the dough pieces undergo a moulding operation. as they pass through suitable molding or shaping equipment. The latter may include stretch-molding and/or roll-molding equipment. The shaped dough pieces are then transferred to baking pallets or baking pans which carry them into a tunnel oven.

Such a mechanized dough makeup line does not offer the possibility of quickly converting the bread production to a different bread shape, for example switching from the production of standard loaves to flat loaves, to round loaves or rolls. Extensive modifications are necessary for such a change. and these modifications involve a prolonged disruptive shut-down of all the equipment. besides requiring highly skilled special personnel for this purpose.

The different kinds of bread which are to be produced differ not only in terms of the types of flour used. they also call for a widely differing weights and shapes. For instance. while the general preference in central and northern Europe goes to long bread, such as rolled or pan loaves, southern countries have a preference for flat breads. for example.

In mv U.K. Patent No. 1547662 I disclose a dough makeup line for the selective mechanized production of long bread and flat bread. This dough makeup line uses two parallel arrranged longitudinal dough piece molding lines equipped with appropriate adjustable molding stations for the different bread shapes. One or the other of the two molding lines is selectively operable, and both lines feed their output to a common transverse dough piece molding line which leads to a baking palette loading station, from where the molded dough pieces are fed to- the baking oven.

An object of the present invention is provision of an improved dough makeup line of simplified construction, which is adapted for selectively producing loaves of differing shapes, the equipment being readily convertible from the makeup configuration of one loaf shape to another.

According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for the mechanised processing of a mass of bread dough into dough pieces of at least two different shapes for use in the selective production of different kinds of bread in a production line baking operation, comprising a head unit, having means for dividing the bread dough into a regular succession of dough pieces and means for rounding those dough pieces, a proofing unit receiving dough pieces from the head unit and including means for proofing those dough pieces and means for delivering proofed dough pieces to a discharge station, a first dough piece molding line receiving proofed dough pieces from the discharge station. said line including conveying means for carrying the dough pieces away from the discharge station and shaping means operable. when in a first operative position to shape those dough pieces into desired shapes a second dough piece moulding line including means for conveying the dough pieces received from the first dough piece molding line and shaping them to a flat shape. a displaceable conveyor unit located between said first and said second dough piece molding lines, which displaceable conveyor unit is movable between a transfer position in which it transfers the dough pieces from the first dough piece molding line to the second dough piece molding line and a position in which the dough pieces are allowed to fall from the first dough piece molding line to means arranged beneath the first dough piece molding line which receives the falling dough pieces and carries them to a baking oven.

An embodiment ot the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 represents an elevational side view of a convertible dough makeup line embodying the invention, as used in conjunction with a divider/rounder head unit: Figure 2 shows the dough makeup line of Figure 1 in a plan view:: Figure 3 shows the dough makeup line of Figure 1 in a different operational configuration; Figure 4 is a plan view of Figure 3; Figure 5 shows, at an enlarged scale, a right-angle dough piece transfer device and an associated rolling station, as used in the dough makeup line of Figures 1-4; Figure 6 is a further enlarged representation of certain control components of the right-angle dough piece transfer device of Figure 5; Figure 6a shows the components of Figure 6 in a transverse cross-section; Figure 7 is an elevational view of the transverse molding line of the embodiment of Figures 1-4, showing additional associated processing units: and Figure 8 is a plan view of the equipment shown in Figure 7.

Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing schematically illustrate a portion of a mechanized dough makeup line embodying the present invention, the remainder of the line being shown in Figures 7 and 8. At the start of the line is arranged a head unit 28 with a dough intake station 29 onto which mixed dough, coming from a dough kneading machine, is deposited by means of a mechanical dough loader or by hand. The head unit 28 consists essentially of a combination of a dough divider and a dough piece rounder, which mav both be of conventional design.

A dough piece delivery station 30 discharges a steadv flow of rounded dough pieces onto a diverging conveyor section, from where the dough pieces move into a rest zone which, in the preferred embodiment. is a proofing cabinet 1. There, the dough pieces are allowed to redevelop, through rest and fermentation, the gas content which they had lost in the rounding operation. Inside the proofing cabinet 1. the dough pieces are held in suitable dough pockets of a suspended endless proofing train which slowlv moves through the proofing cabinet.

The dough pieces 32 which leave the proofing cabinet 1 over its discharge station 31 are again separated in the lateral sence by means of a diverging conveyor unit 33 which delivers the dough pieces to a molding conveyor 5. The diverginhg conveyor unit 33 consists of several narrow conveyor belts arranged side by side. but running at slightly divergent angles. thereby increasing the lateral distances between the several rows of dough pieces which move from the discharge station 31 to the molding conveyor 5.

The diverging rows of dough pieces 32 can best be seen in Figure 2.

Behind the molding conveyor 5 is arranged a displaceable conveyor unit 8, constructed in the preferred embodiment as an upwardly pivotable conveyor belt. Its pivotability is reflected by the arrow 34 (see also Figure 3).

Immediately underneath the molding conveyor 5 and the cooperating pivotable conveyor 8, and normally convered by the latter, is arranged a horizontal chain con veyor 10. While the upper conveyors 5 and 8 of the main molding line are driven for conveyance of the dough pieces 32 away from the proofing cabinet 1, the lower chain conveyor 10 is driven in the opposite direc tion, i.e. towards the proofing cabinet 1. As can readily be seen from the configuration of Figure 1, the chain conveyor 10 only receives dough pieces when the pivotable conveyor 8 is raised; the raised position is shown in Figure 3. The operation of the chain conveyor 10 will therefore be de scribed in more detail further below, in connection with the operational configura tion of Figures 3 and 4.

Succeeding the upwardly pivotable con veyor belt 8 is a first rolling station 11 by which the dough pieces are delivered to a right-angle dough piece transfer device 12, by means of which the several rows of dough pieces travelling on the longitudinal main molding line are transferred onto a trans verse molding line which runs perpendicu larly to the travel direction of the longitu dinal molding line and dough piece transfer device 12. The latter device will be de scribed in more detail further below, in connection with Figure 5.

Figures 7 and 8 illustrate a transverse molding line, starting underneath the ear lier-mentioned right-angle transfer device 12 and including a final proofing cabinet 37, from where the molded and proofed dough pieces pass directly into a baking oven 41 of the tunnel oven type. A first conveyor belt 35 receives the partially molded dough pieces from the transfer device 12 of the longitudinal main molding line and carries them to a rolling station 36. An intermedi ate conveyor belt 55 deposits the fully molded flat dough pieces onto suitable carrier members of a suspended proofing train 38 of the final proofing cabinet 37. The path of the proofing train 38 is indicated schematically by the lines 38 and the guide rollers 39.A short transfer conveyor 40 receives the proofed dough pieces from the proofing train 38 and deposits them on the conveyor of the baking oven 41.

Referring again to Figure 1 of the draw ing, there can be seen that the molding conveyor 5 is associated with a verticallv adjustable upper molding belt 4. The latter runs in opposite direction to the lower molding belt 5 and is driven continuously.

-For the production of round loaves the upper molding belt 4 is not needed, and it is adjusted upwardly to a level above the lower molding belt 5 at which it will not touch the dough pieces carried by the lower ,molding belt 5. When the desired loaf is to be molded, the upper molding belt 4 is lowered to a position in which the arriving dough pieces 32 are engaged by both molding belts 4 and 5 and rotated therebetween, as the upper belt 4 travels in opposite direction to the lower belt 5. The speed of the upper molding belt 4 may be varied, so as to increase or decrease the effective distance over which the roll molding action takes place. For certain purposes, the upper molding belt 4 may be replaced by a simple non-driven molding belt.

The operative configuration of the dough makeup line, as adjusted for the production of flat bread is shown in Figures 1 and 2, where the pivotable conveyor belt 8 is shown in its horizontal position. In this configuration, the makeup line operates preferably with intermittent motion. The molding belt 5, which may be driven for continuous motion when molded loaves are to be produced, is likewise driven with intermittent motion. The purpose of using intermittant motion is to ensure that irregular delivery positions on the diverging conveyor 33 will be corrected, in order to obtain lateral alignment of the dough pieces 32 in all the dough piece rows.Irregular dough piece delivery positions may result from delays in the dough piece transfer, due to excessive adherence of certain dough pieces to the pockets of the proofing train, The transverse alignment of the dough pieces 32 in the dough piece rows is important, in order to assure the proper positioning of the dough pieces on the conveyor 35 of the transverse molding line, following transfer by right-angle dough piece transfer device 12.

The pivotable conveyor conveyor 8, receiving the dough pieces from the molding belt 5. feeds them to a first rolling station 11. where the round pieces are flattened and stretched in the longitudinal direction. From the rolling station 11, the dough pieces pass onto the belt of the right-angle dough piece deliverv device 12 which deposits the dough pieces on the transverse conveyor belt 35.

The latter will be discussed in more detail further below. in connection with Figure 5.

The transverse conveyor belt 35 feeds the partially flattened dough pieces to a second rolling station 36 (see Figure 7), where the dough pieces are further flattened and stretched in a direction perpendicular to the first rolling and stretching operation. Thus, while both rolling stations stretch the dough pieces in the direction of conveyor advance, the perpendicularity between the two directions produces a substantially circular final shape of the dough pieces. If an ovalshape of the flat bread is desired, this is easily accomplished by correspondingly adjusting the rolling gaps between the rollers of the rolling station 11 and/or of the rolling station 36.

Following the final molding operation in the rolling station 36, the flattened dough pieces travel on a conveyor belt 55 to the final proofing cabinet 37, from where they are transferred automatically to the continuously operating baking oven 41.

For the production of loaves other than flat loaves the dough makeup line is switched to the configuration of Figures 3 and 4, by simply raising the pivotable conveyor belt 8 to the position shown in Figure 3. In this makeup mode, the molding belt 5 may be driven continuously or, preferably, intermittently, if more than one dough piece is to be placed on the baking palettes 9 which are conveyed by the chain conveyor 10. The intermittent motion produces a precise positioning of the molded dough pieces on the baking palettes 9 which are being conveyed underneath the molding belt 5 by the likewise intermittently advancing chain conveyor 10. For the accommodation of a greater or smaller number of dough pieces on a standardized baking palette, the chain conveyor has appropriately adjustable drive linkages which determine the distance of conveyor advance per movement cvcle.The chain conveyor 10, moving in the direction towards the proofing cabinet 1, transfers the loaded baking palettes 9 onto a driven friction roller unit 24. by means of which the baking palettes are further advanced onto a loading station for a transverse conveyor 26, where an arriving baking palette 9 actuates a limit switch 42, thereby automatically starting up the transverse conveyor 26 for the lateral removal of the loaded baking palettes 9 from the dough makeup line (Figure 4).

The entire dough makeup line is preferably operationally synchronized, the timing of each operational unit of the line being adjusted for smooth cooperation with adjacent units, while being locked into the overall operational cycle of the makeup line. The positive synchronization extends to the point where the molded dough pieces are transferred to the continuously operating baking oven 41. It should be understood that positive synchronization need not be limited to positive mechanical drive connections, but could also be accomplished bv means of photo-electric cells and/or proximity switches.

The controlling operational unit, as far as mechanical synchronization of the makeup line is concerned. is the head unit '8. whose dough dividing rate determines the operating speed of the entire dough makeup line.

The setting of the head unit '8 also determines the number of dough piece rows which are to be made up simultaneouslv bv the equipment. In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the head unit 28 and the various other operational units of the makeup line process six rows . of dough pieces simultaneously. This number can be further increased or decreased, if necessary.

An identical number of dough piece rows are also arranged on the transverse molding line (see Figure 8). However, the number of dough piece rows on the transverse molding line is not determined by the head unit 28, but depends on the transfer motion adjusted on the right-angle dough piece transfer device 12. Thus, while it is convenient to use an equal number of dough piece rows in the longitudinal molding line and in the transverse molding line, the transver device 12 could be easily adjusted to create more or fewer rows on the transverse conveyor 35.

In Figure 5 is shown a detailed elevational view of the right-angle dough piece transfer device 12 of the dough piece makeup line of the invention. As the drawing indicates, the transfer device 12 follows immediately the rolling station 11 which, in turn, follows the upwardly pivotable conveyor unit 8. The purpose of the right-angle transfer device 12 is to transfer to the transverse conveyor 35 the partially flattened dough pieces, as they arrive in several aligned rows from the longitudinal molding line. and to create similar multiple rows on the conveyor 35 of the transverse molding line. without buckling or otherwise distorting the dough pieces in the process.

In the embodiment shown in the drawings. the right-angle dough piece transfer device 12 receives six rows of dough pieces on the longitudinal molding line. While this is a convenient configuration, it will be readily understood that the right-angle transfer. in creating transversely oriented dough piece rows on the conveyor 35, does not transfer the dough pieces of each longitudinal row into a similar transverse row, but joins transversely aligned dough pieces of all longitudinal rows and add them to a single transverse row, advancing from row to row. Thus, it would be easv to increase or decrease the number of dough piece rows on the transverse conveyor 35 as desired. In the example illustrated, thirty-six dough pieces are deposited in six transverse dough piece rows on conveyor 35. before the latter advances bv a distance equal to six times the spacing between the dough piece rows on the longitudinal molding line.

Underneath the longitudinal molding line extends a longitudinal main drive shaft 15 which is connected to and driven by the head unit drive (not shown). The main drive shaft extends to a bevel gear coupling 16, where it drives a transversely oriented drive shaft for the transverse dough piece molding line.

The transverse drive shaft is operatively connected to a likewise transversely oriented control shaft 17 which, in turn, drives a control disc 19, using a pair of spur gears. This drive arrangement is shown in more detail in Figure 6. There, it can be seen that the control disc 19 carries a switching cam 20 which actuates a control switch 21 at a predetermined angular position of the control disc 19. The switch 21 controls an electric motor 23 (Figure 5) of a translational drive by means of which the upper end lower loops of the transfer belt 12 are advanced and retracted, respectively, as shown in Figure 5.

In the case at hand, where the right-angle transfer device 12 deposits six rows of dough pieces on the transverse conveyor 35, the control disc 19 is geared to the control shaft 17 so as to execute one revolution, while the longitudinal drive shaft and the control shaft execute six revolutions. Once started by the control switch 21, the translational drive 23' moves from the transfer belt 12' across the transverse conveyor 35, from right to left in Figure 5, until a cam on the translational dnve actuates the reversing switch 44 for the motor 23, which then returns the transfer belt to its starting position, where it is stopped by the limit switch 43, until restarted by the control cam 21 on the control disc 19.An increase or decrease in the number of rows of dough pieces deposited on the transverse conveyor belt 35 would thus simply require a corresponding change in the gear transmission ratio between the control shaft 17 and the control disc 19.

The right-angle dough piece transfer device 12 of Figure 4 operates as follows: The translational drive 23' for the transfer belt 12' is normally at rest. when the transfer edge 12" of the belt is fully extended over the transverse conveyor 35. The transfer movement of the transfer belt 12'. involving a retraction of the upper loop of the transfer belt 12' and a corresponding advance of the lower loop by means of the translational drive 23'. must start when the first line of dough pieces reach the transfer edge 12".

This means that the control cam 20 on the control disc 19 must at this point actuate the control switch 21. If this is not the case. an appropriate angular adjustment of the control disc 19 will be necessarv. This can be accomplished by means of the device shown in Figure 6a, where it can be seen that the control disc 19 is mounted on an axially movable arbor 46, by means of which the gear teeth of the control disc 19 can be disengaged from the small gear 18. on the control shaft 17, for an angular repositioning of the control cam 20. The knowb 47 on the arbor 46 is used to control the disengagement and reengagement of the gears and to retain them in their engaged position with the aid of a bayonet-type lock.

At the moment at which the leading dough pieces have reached the transfer edge 12" of the transfer device 12, six rows of six dough pieces each are positioned on the transfer belt 12' above the transverse conveyor 35. ready for transfer. The actuation of the motor 23 of the translational drive 23' by the control switch 21 now causes the transfer edge 12" to be retracted to the left from under the dough pieces, while a pickup loop of the transfer belt 12' executes a corresponding motion in the opposite direction to maintain the belt 12' under tension.

Having reached the reversing switch 44, the carrier member of the pickup loop of the transfer belt 12' activates that switch, thereby reversing the translational drive motor 23.

The coupling 16 may be adjusted to disconnect the transverse drive shaft 49 from the main drive shaft 15 so as to shut down the transverse dough piece molding line and its final proofing unit 37, while the main drive shaft 15 continues to rotate. A manually operable coupling lever 51 is used to disengage and reengage the coupling 16.

The latter is of the dog clutch type and arranged to reengage the coupling members in only a predetermined angular position, so as to maintain the timing relationship between the two drive shafts 14 and 49.

The dough piece makeup line of the invention. as described, lends itself ideally for a quick conversion. without shutdown, from the production of one kind of bread to another. so that it becomes possible. for example. to switch the makeup line repeatedly from the production of flat loaves to that of other shapes of loaf. while simul taneously operating separate baking ovens for the two kinds of bread.

As has been described in the foregoing, the switchover from the production of flat bread on the longitudinal and transverse molding lines to the production of other loaf shapes requires that the pivotable conveyor unit 8 be raised. that the chain conveyor 10 be started up. and that the upper molding belt 4 be adjusted for the particular bread shape. As soon as the laft fiat-molded dough pieces have left the final proofing unit 37, the shaft coupling 16 is disconnected, by actuating the coupling lever 51. thereby shutting down the transverse molding line.

The right-angle dough piece transfer device la. whose belt is driven by the motor 45 which also drives the rolling station 11, and the motor 23 for the translational drive of the transfer device 12 are automatically disconnected. when the pivotable conveyor unit 8 is raised.

This convertibility of the dough makeup line without shutdown makes it possible to operate the head unit at its maximum capacity. which may be greater than one baking oven alone. It also makes it possible to quickly adjust the bakery output to any short term changes in the demand pattern for the one or the other kind of bread.

Following the conversion of the dough makeup line from the production of flat loaves to the production of other shaped loaves, for example, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the chain conveyor 10 runs intermittently, carrying baking palettes 9 towards the transverse conveyor 26. The loaded baking palettes 9, after being pushed onto a transfer station by means of the friction roller drive 24, actuate the switch 42, whereupon the transverse conveyor 26 removes the baking palettes laterally, as shown in Figure 4. From there, the baking palettes are transferred to a baking oven, using either manual labor or a suitable transfer conveyor.

The chain conveyor 10 for the baking palettes 9 includes suitable adjustment means for the adjustment of the conveyor advance during each operational cycle, the length of advance depending on the number of dough pieces which are to be deposited on each baking palette 9. For this purpose.

the chain conveyor drive (not shown) is equipped with an adjustable drive disc and drive linkage. Round dough pieces have to be spaced further apart in the longitudinal direction than loaf-shaped dough pieces or equal weight. For the production of loaves, the molding belts 4 and 5 may be driven continuously, while the chain conveyor operates in each case intermittently. in order to assure a proper positioning of the loaves on the baking palettes 9.

Whenever round dough pieces are being produced, the upper molding belt 4 will not be needed. For this case, the upper molding belt 4 may be pivotable upwardly, similar to the pivotable conveyor unit 8. using the center of the entry guide roller as a pivot axis. The passing dough pieces are then just slightly pressed against the lower molding belt 5, as they pass under the entrv guide roller. Alternatively, the upper molding belt 4 may be adjustable vertically, while remaining horizontally oriented. as implied by the arrow in Figures 1 and 3.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. Apparatus for the mechanised processing of a mass of bread dough into dough pieces of at least two different shapes for use in the selective production of different kinds of bread in a production line baking operation, comprising a head unit, having means for dividing the bread dough into a regular succession of dough pieces and means for rounding those dough pieces. a proofing unit receiving dough pieces from the head unit and including means for proofing those dough pieces and means for delivering proofed dough pieces to a discharge station.

a first dough piece molding line receiving proofed dough pieces from the discharge station, said line including conveying means for carrying the dough pieces away from the discharge station and shaping means operable, when in a first operative position to shape dough pieces into desired shapes, a second dough piece molding line including means for conveying the dough pieces received from the first dough piece molding line and shaping them to a flat shape, a displaceable conveyor unit located between said first and said second dough piece molding lines, which displaceable conveyor unit is movable between a transfer position in which it transfers the dough pieces from the first dough piece molding line to the second dough piece molding line and a position in which the dough pieces are allowed to fall from the first dough piece molding line to means arranged beneath the first dough piece molding line which receives the falling dough pieces and carries them to a baking oven.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the displaceable conveyor unit comprises an endless conveyor belt upwardly pivotable about the axis of its roller guide adjacent the second dough piece molding line.

3. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein an intermittently driven chain conveyor, for the conveyance of baking palettes in the direction towards said proofing unit is arranged beneath the displaceable conveyor unit.

4. Apparatus according to Claim 3.

wherein the chain conveyor includes means for adjusting its rate of movement.

5. Apparatus according to Claim 3 or Claim 4, wherein the chain conveyor is succeeded by a motor-driven friction roller unti which, in turn, is succeeded by a transverse conveyor having an independent drive controllable by a switch actuated by said baking palettes.

6. Apparatus according to any one of Claims 1, 2 and 3, wherein a conveyor belt is arranged to succeed the proofing unit, the conveyor belt serving as a molding belt and being drivable intermittently or continuous ly, the conveyor belt being located in advance of said displaceable conveyor unit and wherein a second molding belt is arranged above the conveyor belt which second molding belt is driven continuously and in an opposite sense. the second molding belt being move able vertically relative to the conveyor belt.

7. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a rolling station is arranged to follow the displaceable conveyor unit, the rolling station being in turn followed bv a transfer device and a dough piece molding line oriented transversely to the displaceable conveyor unit.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. to quickly adjust the bakery output to any short term changes in the demand pattern for the one or the other kind of bread. Following the conversion of the dough makeup line from the production of flat loaves to the production of other shaped loaves, for example, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the chain conveyor 10 runs intermittently, carrying baking palettes 9 towards the transverse conveyor 26. The loaded baking palettes 9, after being pushed onto a transfer station by means of the friction roller drive 24, actuate the switch 42, whereupon the transverse conveyor 26 removes the baking palettes laterally, as shown in Figure 4. From there, the baking palettes are transferred to a baking oven, using either manual labor or a suitable transfer conveyor. The chain conveyor 10 for the baking palettes 9 includes suitable adjustment means for the adjustment of the conveyor advance during each operational cycle, the length of advance depending on the number of dough pieces which are to be deposited on each baking palette 9. For this purpose. the chain conveyor drive (not shown) is equipped with an adjustable drive disc and drive linkage. Round dough pieces have to be spaced further apart in the longitudinal direction than loaf-shaped dough pieces or equal weight. For the production of loaves, the molding belts 4 and 5 may be driven continuously, while the chain conveyor operates in each case intermittently. in order to assure a proper positioning of the loaves on the baking palettes 9. Whenever round dough pieces are being produced, the upper molding belt 4 will not be needed. For this case, the upper molding belt 4 may be pivotable upwardly, similar to the pivotable conveyor unit 8. using the center of the entry guide roller as a pivot axis. The passing dough pieces are then just slightly pressed against the lower molding belt 5, as they pass under the entrv guide roller. Alternatively, the upper molding belt 4 may be adjustable vertically, while remaining horizontally oriented. as implied by the arrow in Figures 1 and 3. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. Apparatus for the mechanised processing of a mass of bread dough into dough pieces of at least two different shapes for use in the selective production of different kinds of bread in a production line baking operation, comprising a head unit, having means for dividing the bread dough into a regular succession of dough pieces and means for rounding those dough pieces. a proofing unit receiving dough pieces from the head unit and including means for proofing those dough pieces and means for delivering proofed dough pieces to a discharge station.

4. Apparatus according to Claim 3.

wherein the chain conveyor includes means for adjusting its rate of movement.

8. Apparatus according to any one of

the preceding claims, in which the various parts of the apparatus are mechanically interconnected.

9. Apparatus according to Claim 8, wherein a main shaft connected to a main drive, is arranged beneath the dough piece molding units, said shaft being coupled to the various parts of the apparatus by a disengageable coupling enabling one or more of those parts to be coupled to said main drive.

10. Apparatus according to Claim 9, wherein the disengageable coupling is of the dog clutch type and is reengageable only at a single angular position of the coupling parts.

11. Apparatus according to Claim 9 or Claim 10, wherein a transverse shaft is arranged beneath the transverse dough piece molding line which shaft is driven by the main shaft.

12. Apparatus according to any one of Claims 9 to 11, wherein the main shaft drives a transversely oriented control shaft carrying a pinion which meshes with the gear teeth of a control disc carrying a control cam for the actuation of a control switch, thereby starting the transfer operation of the dough piece transfer device by means of a separate drive.

13. Apparatus according to Claim 12, wherein the control disc includes a manually adjustable angular repositioning means for the retiming of the dough piece transfer operation.

14. Apparatus according to Claim 13.

wherein the control disc may be interchanged with other ones of a set of control discs having differing gear ratios. enabling a different transfer motion of the dough piece transfer device to be selected.

15. Apparatus for the mechanised processing of mass of bread dough substantially as herein described with reference to. and as illustrated in. the accompanying drawings.