GB2436761A

GB2436761A - Plant for the production and separation of wafer pieces

Info

Publication number: GB2436761A
Application number: GB0712906A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Johann Hass; Josef Jun Haas; Erich Koletnik; Jirraschek Stefan
Original assignee: Haas Franz Waffel & Keksanlagen Industrie GmbH
Current assignee: Haas Franz Waffel & Keksanlagen Industrie GmbH
Priority date: 2005-01-05
Filing date: 2006-01-04
Publication date: 2007-10-03
Anticipated expiration: 2026-01-04
Also published as: AT501988A1; GB2436761B; WO2006072570A1; GB0712906D0; AT501988B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a plant for the production and separation or wafer pieces (1), in which wafer blocks are cut into wafer strips, comprising a wafer strip transport station (4), in which the water strips are moved apart with increasing separation in the longitudinal direction, a wafer strip cutting station (5), in which the wafer strips are cut sequentially at a distance from each other into wafer pieces and the wafer pieces are discharged in physically separate transverse rows and a wafer piece transport station (6), with a longitudinal branching unit (7), for the separation of the wafer pieces and a discharge station (8), arranged behind the same for the separated wafer pieces. Transport runs (9), running at the same level and transport runs (10), running at different levels are provided in the branching unit (7), connecting the adjacent initial regions thereof at the beginning of the branching unit (7) to the laterally distant terminal sections thereof at the end of the branching unit (7), by means of bypass sections (9b, 10b) running in physically differing locations.

Description

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PLANT FOR PRODUCING AND SPREADING APART WAFER PIECES

The invention relates to a plant for producing and spreading apart wafer pieces.

Such plants are used preferably in the production of wafer pieces enrobed with chocolate and in the production of chocolate bars filled with wafer pieces. They are used to produce the wafer pieces to be enrobed with chocolate and the wafer pieces to be introduced into chocolate bar moulds by cutting up of large-format, rectangular wafer blocks, and to separate the wafer pieces to those large longitudinal and lateral spacings with which the wafer pieces are conveyed to what is known as a chocolate enrober, in which the wafer pieces, lying on a mesh belt, are enrobed with liquid chocolate, or are conveyed to what is known as a bar moulding plant, in which the wafer pieces are introduced into the recesses of the chocolate bar moulds corresponding to the pieces of the chocolate bars, before the chocolate bar moulds are filled with liquid chocolate.

Known plants for charging chocolate enrobers and bar moulding plants with wafer pieces provide a wafer block cutter producing the wafer pieces and, arranged downstream thereof, a distributing plant spreading apart the wafer pieces being discharged from the wafer block cutter into a well-spaced formation with large longitudinal and transverse spacings.

In the wafer block cutter, the rectangular wafer blocks are slid through two cutting stations arranged in succession in the direction of transport, in which the wafer blocks are cut up in two directions perpendicular to one another. In the first cutting station, the wafer blocks are cut up into wafer strips of elongate form transversely to the direction of transport, the length extending in the transport direction corresponding to the length of the wafer pieces to be produced. In the second cutting station the wafer strips are cut up parallel to the direction of transport. The cutting tools of the cutting device of this cutting station are arranged laterally side by side transversely to the direction of transport at intervals corresponding to the width of the wafer pieces to be produced.

The finished wafer pieces emerge from the wafer block cutter in a very close formation.

The wafer pieces form rectilinear longitudinal and transverse rows. The longitudinal rows of wafer pieces are separated from one another by the very narrow longitudinal cuts made in the second cutting station. Within the individual longitudinal rows of -i wafer pieces, the wafer pieces arranged in succession in the direction of transport abut one another with their leading and rear end faces and form a longitudinal row of wafer pieces with no interruption.

Inside the wafer block cutter, the wafer blocks cut up into wafer strips are pushed forwards in the direction of transport by a feed mechanism mounted upstream of the second cutting station. With each feed movement, a wafer block cut up into wafer strips is advanced by one wafer block length in the direction of transport. In the first part of the feed motion, the wafer strips of the wafer block are pushed together in the direction of transport and pushed against the last wafer strip of the preceding mostly already cut-up wafer block. An uninterrupted row of wafer strips abutting one another with their end faces in the direction of transport is thus formed, of which in the second part of the feed motion a number corresponding to one wafer block length is pushed in one pass in the direction of transport through the second cutting station. As they pass through the cutting device of the second cutting station, the wafer strips abutting one another with their end faces are each cut up into numerous wafer pieces arranged in a row running transversely to the direction of transport. The wafer piece transverse rows in end-face abutment produced from the wafer strips in end-face abutment form, together with the wafer piece transverse rows in end-face abutment produced from the wafer strips in end-face abutment of the preceding wafer block, longitudinal rows of wafer pieces separated from one another only by the very narrow longitudinal cuts made in the cutting station; in these longitudinal rows of wafer pieces, the wafer pieces follow one another in succession without interruption in the direction of transport and abut one another with their end faces.

In the distributing plant adjoining the wafer block cutter, the wafer pieces coming from the wafer block cutter in very close formation are then spread apart in three consecutive work stations in the direction of transport into a well-spaced formation, for example co-ordinated with that of a chocolate enrober, with large lateral spacings and large longitudinal spacings in the direction of transport and transversely thereto.

The wafer pieces are pushed by the upstream feed mechanism mounted in the wafer-block cutter of the second cutting station through the first workstation of the distributing plant. There, in a passively acting spreading-out device, the wafer pieces

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are spread apart laterally transversely to the direction of transport as far as the large lateral spacings of the well-spaced formation. In the spreading-out device, the wafer pieces are pushed through adjacent longitudinal channels diverging radially forward in the direction of transport, the length of which increases continuously from the middle longitudinal channels transversely to the direction of transport as far as the outer longitudinal channels. In these longitudinal channels, the longitudinal rows of wafer pieces are spread apart laterally on paths of different length, wherein convex, arcuately curved transverse rows are necessarily formed from the rectilinear transverse rows of wafer pieces at the start of the spreading-out device. l0

In the second workstation of the distributing plant, the wafer strips in end-face abutment within the longitudinal rows of wafer pieces are then moved apart in the direction of transport. This is effected by two conveyor belts in succession in the direction of transport. The first conveyor belt takes the wafer pieces emerging from the spreading-out device, each lying one behind the other without interruption within the longitudinal rows of wafer pieces, and forwards them in the direction of transport. The second conveyor belt circulates at a somewhat higher speed than the first conveyor belt. As a result, the wafer pieces each lying one behind the other without interruption in the longitudinal rows of wafer pieces are moved apart in the direction of transport on transfer from the first conveyor belt to the second conveyor belt. Large longitudinal spacings between the successive transverse rows of wafer pieces are consequently produced, but the curved configuration of the transverse rows of wafer pieces produced in the spreading-out device is maintained.

In the third workstation of the distributing plant, the curved configuration of the transverse rows of wafer pieces is then eliminated in what is called a row aligner. This provides a cross beam movable into the path of movement of the longitudinal rows of wafer pieces, which is moved in front of each curved transverse row of wafer pieces into the path of movement of the longitudinal rows of wafer pieces in order to block all longitudinal rows of wafer pieces until their wafer pieces forming the curved transverse row of wafer pieces have abutted the cross beam with their leading end face. The cross beam holds the wafer pieces of the middle longitudinal rows and the longitudinal rows laterally adjacent to these towards the outside until the wafer pieces of the longitudinal rows lying laterally right outside also abut the bar with their end faces. The wafer .-pieces of the longitudinal rows of wafer pieces abutting the cross beam form a transverse row of waler pieces aligned in a straight line. The cross beam is then moved upwards or downwards out of the path of movement of the longitudinal rows of wafer pieces in order to release the transverse row of wafer pieces aligned in a straight line abutting it. This row is discharged from the row aligner by a conveyor belt arranged downstream of the cross beam. Before the next curved transverse row of waler pieces the cross beam is again moved into the path of movement of the longitudinal rows of waler pieces in order again to block all longitudinal rows of wafer pieces until their waler pieces forming the curved transverse row of waler pieces abut the cross beam with their leading end face.

A plant comprising a wafer block cutter and a downstream waler piece distributing plant for charging a chocolate enrober, in which the wafer pieces in fourteen widely spaced apart parallel longitudinal rows are simultaneously covered in chocolate, is equipped, for example, with a waler block cutter, in which the wafer blocks in the first cutting station are cut into four waler strips, the length of which measured in the direction of transport corresponds to the length of the wafer pieces to be produced, and in which the wafer strips formed in the first cutting station are each cut up in the second cutting station into fourteen waler pieces arranged side by side transversely to the direction of transport. This wafer block cutter cuts each waler block into fifty-six wafer pieces, which are discharged from the wafer block cutter in fourteen wafer piece longitudinal rows arranged side by side transversely to the direction of transport and each separated by a longitudinal cut and within which the wafer pieces follow in succession without interruption.

Waler blocks filled with cream, caramel or other fillings, in which layers of waler sheets and filling layers are arranged alternately above one another, are, cut up in the wafer block cutter. The wafer blocks are cut up into individual waler pieces, which are bounded in the direction of transport and transversely thereto by cut faces at which the edges of the filling layers are each exposed. The exposed edges of the filling layers at the leading and rear end faces running transversely to the direction of transport of the waler pieces affect the contact of the wafer pieces with one another when these are being advanced within the distributing plant in the direction of transport with end faces abutting, and the contact of the wafer pieces with the cross beam of the row aligner, g -.

which stops them temporarily and then releases them again. The exposed edges of the filling layers at the lateral faces extending in the direction of transport of the wafer pieces influence the contact of the wafer pieces with the guiding surfaces of the passively acting spreading-out device, in which the wafer pieces are pushed along S against the side walls of the longitudinal channels.

In the case of wafer pieces in which the exposed edges of the filling layers at the end and lateral faces produce no or only very slight adhesion, the forward motion generated by the wafer block cutter is sufficient to push the end-face abutting wafer pieces lying against the side walls of the longitudinal channels of the passively acting spreading-out device in the first workstation of the distributing plant through the spreading out device, without the wafer pieces remaining stuck to each other or to the side walls of the longitudinal channels, which would lead to blocking of the spreading out device and of the entire distributing plant. These wafer pieces are stopped by the cross beam of the row aligner without remaining stuck to the front face of the cross beam when this is raised or lowered to release the wafer pieces aligned to a rectilinear transverse row.

For wafer pieces that are very sticky at the end and side faces, for example, wafer pieces filled with caramel, the distributing plant must be provided with many mechanically very complex auxiliary devices each acting directly on the wafer pieces, which have to be arranged wherever the direction of transport of the wafer pieces is to be changed, directly consecutive wafer pieces are to be separated from one another, or the wafer pieces are to be temporarily stopped for rectilinear alignment in the transverse direction and then released again without the position of the wafer pieces being changed.

For the wafer pieces that are very sticky at the end and side faces, for example, wafer pieces filled with caramel, the first workstation of the distributing plant must be provided with numerous auxiliary devices. In the spreading-out device, a dedicated auxiliary device must be provided for the change of direction intended at the start of the longitudinal channel and for the change of direction intended at the end of the longitudinal channel; these auxiliary devices act mechanically on the wafer pieces and divert each individual wafer piece into the new direction of transport.

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For the wafer pieces that are very sticky at the end and side faces, for example, wafer pieces filled with caramel, in the second workstation of the distributing plant a dedicated auxiliary device is required at each longitudinal row pf wafer pieces to separate the immediately consecutive wafer pieces firmly adhering to one another. This auxiliary device must act mechanically on two immediately consecutive wafer pieces, to hold back the rear wafer piece whilst gripping the front wafer piece and moving it forwards in the direction of transport away from the rear wafer piece.

For the wafer pieces that are very sticky at the end and side faces, for example, wafer pieces filled with caramel, the row aligner arranged in the third workstation of the distributing plant must also be specially adapted or be provided with an additional auxiliary device in order to hold firmly the wafer pieces abutting or adhering to the cross beam with their sticky end faces, whilst the cross beani is moved out of the path of movement of the longitudinal rows of wafer pieces to release the transverse row of wafer pieces. This auxiliary device then also has to re-release the wafer pieces it holds, without the position of the wafer pieces or their alignment in the direction of transport being lost.

To solve the above problems, the invention proposes a plant for producing and spreading apart wafer pieces, in which the following stations are arranged in succession: (a) a wafer block cutting station, in which the wafer blocks are cut up into wafer strips in succession in the direction of transport and of elongate form transversely to the direction of transport, (b) a wafer strip transport station, in which there are provided at least two conveyor belts in succession in the direction of transport and moving the wafer strips apart with increasing spacings, (c) a wafer strip cutting station, in which the individual, spaced-apart successive wafer strips in the direction of transport are cut up into wafer pieces, which are discharged in spatially separated transverse rows of wafer pieces, and (d) a wafer piece transport station, having a branching unit for spreading apart the wafer pieces and downstream thereof a discharge station for the spread apart wafer pieces, wherein in the branching unit there are provided spatially * -.

differently running transport lanes individually associated with the wafer pieces arranged side by side in a wafer piece transverse row, at the ends of which transport lanes the wafer pieces of each wafer piece transverse row arrive simultaneously and are there transferred to a discharge station conveyor belt common to all wafer pieces arranged side by side in a wafer piece transverse row, wherein the transport lanes of the branching unit extend from their initial sections lying closely side by side at the start of the branching unit, via their spatially differently running by-pass sections, to their final sections lying laterally far apart at the end of the branching unit, wherein at least one group of transport lanes running at the same level from the initial sections to the final sections and at least one group of transport lanes traversing different levels from the initial sections to the final sections are provided.

In this plant, the wafer strips produced in the wafer block cutting station from a wafer block and of an elongate form transversely to the direction of transport, and of a length measured in the transport direction corresponding to the length of the wafer pieces to be produced, are spread apart in the direction of transport to relatively large longitudinal spacings and then conveyed in succession to the wafer strip cutting station, in which the wafer strips are each cut up parallel to the direction of transport into individual wafer pieces. The mutual spacings of the cutting tools of the wafer strip cutting station arranged side by side transversely to the direction of transport correspond in each case to the width of the wafer pieces to be produced. At the lateral edges of the wafer strips edge portions are left over, and fall down out of the wafer strip cutting station as waste. The wafer pieces produced from the individual wafer strips are discharged from' the wafer strip cutting station as wafer piece transverse rows separated from one another by longitudinal spacings. Within the wafer piece transverse row produced from a wafer strip, the wafer pieces arranged side by side are each separated from one another by a cut produced by the cutting tools of the wafer strip cutting station and running in the direction of transport. In the wafer piece transport station, the wafer pieces separated by cuts are spread laterally apart to larger lateral spacings as they pass along the transport lanes provided with by-pass sections in the branching unit.

in the plant according to the invention, firstly, the wafer strips produced in the wafer block cutting station, which are arranged in succession in the direction of transport and are separated by cuts running transversely to the direction of transport, are separated further apart in the direction of transport in the wafer strip transport station and, secondly, the wafer pieces produced in the wafer strip cutting station from the wafer strips separated from one another by longitudinal spacings, and separated within the particular wafer piece transverse row by cuts running parallel to the direction of transport, are spread further apart transversely to the direction of transport in the wafer piece transport station. The vertical side faces facing one another of adjacent wafer strips or adjacent wafer pieces, in which the edges of each of the filling layers are exposed, are consequently moved apart, so that even very sticky side faces of wafer pieces filled, for example, with caramel or caramel cream, do not affect the further transport of the wafer strips and wafer pieces or the alignment of the wafer strips within the wafer piece transverse rows or wafer piece longitudinal rows.

In the plant according to the invention, wafer blocks filled with very sticky fillings can be processed without problems. Unlike the known plants, in which all workstations of the wafer piece distributing plant have to be equipped with specially constructed auxiliary devices in order to render the distributing plant suitable for wafer pieces with very sticky end and side faces, for example, caramel-filled wafer pieces, in the plant according to the invention all such auxiliary devices for producing and spreading apart the wafer pieces can be dispensed with.

The invention provides a clearly more simply constructed plant for producing and spreading apart wafer pieces having sticky end and side faces than a conventional plant rendered suitable for the processing of wafer blocks filled with very sticky creams, in which a wafer piece distributing plant rendered suitable for the wafer pieces that are sticky all round is arranged downstream of a wafer block cutter producing the wafer pieces with sticky end and side faces.

In the case of the plant according to the invention, the spatially differently running by-pass sections of all transport lanes are the same length among themselves in the wafer piece transport station. The rectilinear alignment of the wafer piece * I transverse rows produced in the wafer strip cutting station is not lost on passing through the branching unit. The wafer pieces forwarded on spatially differently running transport lanes arrive at the same time at the final sections of the transport lanes, which are arranged side by side with large lateral spacings at the end of the wafer piece transport station. The row aligner, which is indispensable in the known plants, producing there the rectilinear alignment of the individual wafer piece transverse rows, with its vertically movable cross beam common to all wafer piece longitudinal rows arranged side by side and therefore very wide, can therefore be dispensed with in the case of the plant according to the invention. This also applies to the auxiliary devices, which are absolutely necessary in the known row aligner for handling wafer pieces having sticky end and side faces.

A further advantage of the plant according to the invention is that no device components that can come into engagement with the end and side faces of the wafer pieces are provided, apart from the deflector plates provided in the wafer block cutting station and in the wafer strip cutting station at the respective cutting device for the respective waste from cutting.

An embodiment of the plant according to the invention provides a wafer strip transport station arranged downstream of the wafer block cutting station, in which transport station the wafer strips are spread apart only to short longitudinal spacings in the direction of transport, and a wafer piece transport station arranged downstream of the wafer strip cutting station, in which transport station the wafer strips separated from one another only by narrow gaps are spread apart in the transport direction and transversely thereto to a well-spaced formation, in which the wafer pieces are arranged in rectilinear longitudinal and transverse rows separated from one another by respective large longitudinal and lateral spacings. In this variant of the plant, it is not until the branching unit of the wafer piece transport station that the wafer pieces are spread apart from one another to the large longitudinal and lateral spacings intended for a downstream chocolate enrober or bar moulding plant.

A further embodiment of the plant according to the invention provides a wafer strip transport station arranged downstream of the wafer block cutting station and spreading apart the wafer strips in the direction of transport to large longitudinal spacings, and a wafer piece transport station arranged downstream of the wafer strip cutting station and spreading apart the wafer pieces transversely to the direction of transport to large lateral spacings. In this variant of the plant, the wafer strips are spread apart to the large longitudinal spacings intended for a downstream chocolate enrober or bar moulding plant and the wafer pieces already spread apart to the large longitudinal spacings are spread apart in the branching unit of the wafer piece transport station to the large lateral spacings intended for a downstream chocolate enrober or bar moulding plant.

In the plants according to the invention, all kinds of wafer blocks filled with cream, caramel or a different filling can be cut up and spread apart into a well-spread formation matched to a downstream chocolate enrober or bar moulding plant and be discharged in rectilinear longitudinal Tows and transverse rows. The presence or absence of stickiness at the exposed end and side faces of the wafer picees produced during processing of the wafer blocks in the plant according to the invention, which contain layers of cream, caramel or filling, does not affect the alignment of the wafer pieces at the end of the plant according to the invention.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, in a plant for producing and spreading apart wafer pieces the following stations are arranged in succession: (a) an intermittently operating wafer block cutting station, in which the wafer blocks are cutup into wafer strips in succession in the direction of transport and of elongate form transversely to the direction of transport, (b) a continuously operating wafer strip transport station, in which there are provided at least two conveyor belts in succession in the direction of transport moving the wafer strips apart with increasing spacings, (c) a continuously operating wafer strip cutting station, in which individual wafer strips spaced in succession in the direction of transport are cut up to wafer pieces, which are discharged in wafer piece transverse rows spatially separated from one another, and (d) a continuously operating wafer piece transport station, having a branching unit for spreading apart the wafer pieces and downstream thereof a discharge station for the spread-apart wafer pieces, wherein in the branching unit there are provided spatially differently nmning transport lanes individually associated with the wafer pieces arranged side by side in a wafer piece transverse row, at the ends of which transport lanes the wafer pieces of each wafer piece transverse row arrive simultaneously and are there transferred to a discharge station conveyor belt common to all wafer pieces arranged side by side in a wafer piece transverse row, wherein the transport lanes of the branching unit extend from their initial sections lying closely side by side at the start of the branching unit, via their spatially differently running by-pass sections, as far as their final sections lying laterally far apart at the end of the branching unit, wherein at least one group of transport lanes running at the same level from the initial sections to the final sections and at least one group of transport lanes traversing different levels from the initial sections to the final sections are provided.

This construction enables a downstream, continuously operating chocolate enrober or bar moulding plant to be charged continuously with filled wafer pieces which have been produced in the plant according to the invention and have been rearranged into the well-spread formation intended for the chocolate enrober or bar moulding plant.

According to a further feature of the invention, the wafer strip transport station may comprise a plurality of conveyor belts in succession in the direction of transport, in which the circulating speed in the direction of transport of increases from conveyor belt to conveyor belt. This construction enables the wafer strips to be moved gradually further and further apart in the direction of transport. At the same time, the wafer strips can be gently accelerated from standstill to the transport speed required for the wafer strip cutting station.

In a further embodiment of the invention, a plant for spreading apart wafer pieces from a close formation into a well-spread formation with rectilinear longitudinal rows and transverse rows is proposed. This plant is distinguished in that a branching unit for spreading apart the wafer pieces and a discharge station for the spread-apart wafer pieces arranged downstream of the branching unit are provided, in that spatialLy differently running transport lanes individually associated with the wafer pieces arranged side by side in a wafer piece transverse row are provided in the branching unit, at the ends of which transport lanes the wafer pieces of each transveise row arrive simultaneously and are there transferred to a discharge station conveyor belt common to all wafer pieces arranged side by side in a wafer piece transverse row, in that the transport lanes of the branching unit extend from their initial sections lying closely side by side at the start of the branching unit, via spatially differently running by-pass sections, as far as their final sections lying laterally far apart at the end of the branching unit, and in that at least one group of transport lanes running at the same levelfrom the initial sections to the final sections and at least one group of transport lanes traversing different levels from the initial sections to the final sections are provided.

According to the invention, a branching unit can be provided in which the through-put time of the wafer pieces on the transport lanes running at the same level and on the transport lanes traversing different levels is the same length.

According to a further feature of the invention, a group of transport lanes running at the same level and a group of transport lanes traversing different levels are provided in the branching unit, the transport lanes of both groups being the same length and being arranged in sections on conveyor belts circulating at substantially the same speed, and the group of transport lanes running at the same level comprise bypass sections of the same length and lying in a bypass plane and the group of transport lanes traversing different levels comprise bypass sections of the same length and following a three-dimensionally extending bypass path.

According to a further feature of the invention, a group of transport lanes running at the same level and a group of transport lanes traversing different levels can be provided in the branching unit, the two transport lane groups having different length bypass sections from group to group and, for the final sections of at least one of the two transport lane groups, a variable-speed conveyor belt common to all final sections of this group being provided.

According to a further feature of the invention, in the branching unit two groups of transport lanes can extend from a common input region at the start of the branching unit via a bypass region of the branching unit as far as two adjacent output regions separated according to groups at the end of the branching unit, wherein the initial sections of the Iwo groups in the input region are arranged alternately side by side and the output region of the group of transport lanes traversing different levels is arranged in extension of the input region, whilst the output region of the groups of transport Lanes running at the same level is arranged laterally offset with respect to the input region transversely to S the direction of transport.

This variant of the plant is preferred for charging chocolate enrobers of narrow construction or bar moulding plants of narrow construction, in which only few parallel wafer piece longitudinal rows are required and the wafer pieces lying side by side in a transverse row can be produced by cutting up a single wafer block.

According to a further feature of the invention, in the case of the group of transport lanes running at the same level, the initial sections arranged in the input region of the branching unit can be connected by bypass sections arranged in a bypass plane in the bypass region of the branching unit and running obliquely to the direction of transport to the final sections, which are arranged in the output region of the branching unit arranged laterally offset with respect to the input region transversely to the direction of transport.

According to a further feature of the invention, in the case of the group of transport lanes traversing different levels, the respective initial section arranged in the input region of the branching unit can be connected by a bypass section arranged in the bypass region of the branching unit and running along a three-dimensionally extending bypass path to the final section arranged in the output region of the branching unit arranged in extension of the input region. S According to a further feature of the invention, in the case of the branching unit, two groups of transport lanes can extend from a common input region on spatially separated paths through a bypass region of the branching unit as far as three output regions side by side at the end of the branching unit, wherein the initial sections of both groups are arranged alternately side by side in the input region and the output region of the group of transport lanes traversing different levels is arranged in the middle output region arranged in extension of the input region, whilst the group of transport lanes running at the same level is divided into two subgroups diverging obliquely apart in the bypass region of the branching unit, the final sections of which subgroups are each arranged in a lateral, outer output region arranged laterally offset with respect to the input region transversely to the direction of transport.

This variant of the plant is preferred for charging chocolate enrobers or bar moulding plants of very wide construction, in which very many parallel wafer piece longitudinal rows are required and the wafer pieces lying side by side in a transverse row can be produced only by cutting up very wide wafer blocks or by cutting up two wafer blocks lying laterally side by side with sufficient spacing.

According to a further feature of the invention in the case of the group of transport lanes running at the same level divided into two subgroups, the respective initial sections of a subgroup arranged in the input region of the branching unit can be connected by bypass sections arranged in the bypass region of the branching unit in a bypass plane and running obliquely to the direction of transport to the final sections of the subgroup in a lateral, outer output region of the branching unit arranged laterally offset with respect to the input region transversely to the direction of transport, wherein the bypass sections of the two subgroups running in each case obliquely to the directiàn of transport diverge obliquely forwards in the bypass region of the branching unit in the direction of transport.

According to the invention, two groups of spatially differently running transport lanes may be provided in the branching unit. In the first group, the bypass sections traverse different levels in the longitudinal direction and each extends along a spatial bypass path that runs from the initial section via an intermediate level differing therefrom as far as the final section. The fmal sections of the first group are arranged at the end of the branching unit in a middle discharge region. The second group in divided into two subgroups, in which the bypass sections each running parallel in the respective subgroup lie in one plane and diverge obliquely in a V-shape in the longitudinal direction. The final sections of these two subgroups are arranged at the end of the branching unit in two separate discharge regions, which are arranged on either side of the discharge region of the first group.

In this construction, the wafer pieces are spread apart on group-wise, parallel running bypass sections and on group-wise, spatially differently running bypass sections as far as double their lateral spacings.

The invention is explained in detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, in which: Fig. I shows a side view of a first exemplary embodiment of a plant according to the invention for producing and spreading apart wafer pieces; Fig. 2 shows a plan view of a second exemplary embodiment of a plant according to the invention for producing and spreading apart wafer pieces; Fig. 3 shows a plan view of the wafer block cutting station and the downstream wafer strip transport station of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 shows an oblique view of the wafer strip transport station of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 shows a side view of the wafer strip transport station and the downstream wafer strip cutting station of Fig. 2; Fig. 6 shows an end view of the wafer strip cutting station of Fig. 2; Fig. 7 shows a side view of the wafer piece transport station of Fig. 2; Fig. 8 shows a plan view of the wafer piece transport station of Fig. 2; and Fig. 9 shows an oblique view of the branching unit of the wafer strip transport station of Fig. 2.

Fig. I shows a side view of a first exemplary embodiment of a plant according to the invention for producing and spreading apart wafer pieces. In this plant, the side by side and spaced longitudinal rows of wafer pieces required for a chocolate enrober or bar moulding plant of narrow construction are produced by cutting up individual wafer blocks. These are fed in succession to the plant according to the invention and processed in the plant to wafer pieces. The wafer pieces are discharged at the end of the plant in the rectilinear longitudinal and transverse rows intended for the chocolate enrober or bar moulding plant.

At the start of the plant for producing and spreading apart wafer pieces illustrated in Fig. 1, there is a wafer block cutting station I, to which the wafer blocks are fed via a conveyor belt 2 in the direction of transport (arrow 3). The wafer blocks are cut up in the wafer block cutting station I transversely to the direction of transport into individual wafer strips, the length of which measured in the direction of transport corresponds to the length of the waler pieces to be produced. The wafer strips are discharged from the wafer block cutting station I arranged in succession in the direction of transport and separated from one another only by the cuts made during cutting running transversely to the direction of transport. The wafer strips, separated from one another by the cuts, are passed on to the wafer strip transport station 4 arranged downstream in the direction of transport 3. Here, the wafer strips are spread apart to larger longitudinal spacings by conveyor belts in succession in the direction of transport 3, the circulating speed of which increases from conveyor belt to conveyor belt in the direction of transport 3, and then fed to the downstream wafer strip cutting station 4. In this, the individual wafer strips are cut up parallel to the direction of transport 3 into a plurality of wafer pieces arranged side by side in a row. Within the transverse row, the wafer pieces are separated only by the cuts running in the direction of transport 3 made in the wafer strip cutting station 5 when cutting up the waler strips. The wafer pieces leave the wafer strip cutting station 5 in rectilinear transverse rows and enter the downstream wafer piece transport station 6. In this, a branching unit 7 of elongate form in the direction of transport 3 for spreading apart the wafer pieces and a discharge station 8 for the spread-apart wafer pieces arranged downstream of the branching unit 7 are provided.

In the branching unit 7, transport lanes arranged side by side transversely to the direction of transport are individually associated with the respective wafer pieces lying side by side in a wafer piece transverse row. The odd-numbered transport lanes, i.e. transport lanes 1, 3, 5 etc., belong to a group of transport lanes 9 running at the same level within the branching unit 7 and the even-numbered transport lanes, i.e. transport lanes 2, 4, 6 etc., belong to a group of transport lanes 10 traversing different levels within the branching unit 7.

In the input region 7a arranged at the start of the branching unit 7, the transport lanes 9, have initial sections 9a and lOa lying closely side by side. These are connected, via bypass sections 9b, lOb lying in the bypass region 7b of the branching unit 7 adjacent to the input region 7a in the direction of transport 3, to the final sections 9c, lOc of the transport lanes 9, 10 lying laterally further apart, which lie in the output region 7c of the branching unit 7 arranged at the end of the branching unit 7 in two separate, discharge regions arranged side by side.

In the input region 7a of the branching unit 7, the initial sections 9a, lOa of the two transport lane groups are arranged alternately side by side transversely to the direction of transport 3. In the output region 7c of the branching unit 7, the discharge region of the transport lanes 10 traversing different levels is arranged in rectilinear extension of the input region 7a, whilst the discharge region of the transport lanes 9 running at the same level is arranged laterally offset with respect to the input region 7a transversely to the direction of transport 3 and lies next to the discharge region of the transport lanes 10 traversing different levels.

In the case of the transport lanes 10, in the bypass region 7b of the branching unit 7 respective bypass sections lOb running through a valley are provided. These are divided into two subsections ii and 12 in succession in the direction of transport 3.

The first subsections 11 of the bypass sections lOb lie in a first bypass plane 13 extending obliquely downwards away from the input region 7a of the branching unit 7.

The first subsections ii terminate at a level lower than the input region 7a of the branching unit 7. Leading on from this low level are the second subsections 12 of the bypass sections lOb of the transport lanes 10 lying in a second bypass plane 14 that rises obliquely upwards to the output region 7c.

In the case of the transport lanes 9, bypass sections 9b running obliquely to the direction of transport 3 and lying in a horizontal bypass plane 15 are provided in the bypass region lb of the branching unit 7; the bypass sections 9b each connect an initial section 9a to a final section 9c laterally offset with respect thereto transversely to the direction of transport 3.

In the branching unit 7, the wafer pieces of a wafer piece transverse row that are arranged side by side are forwarded on the transport lanes 10 traversing different levels and the transport lanes 9 running at the same level, and arrive at the end of the branching unit 7 simultaneously and lying laterally far apart in the discharge regions, arranged side by side transversely to the direction of transport 3, of the two groups of transport lanes. At the end of these discharge regions, the wafer pieces of the relevant wafer piece transverse row are then transferred as a rectilinear wafer piece transverse row to a wide conveyor belt 16 of the discharge station 8, which takes up all parallel wafer pieces of a wafer piece transverse row at once.

Figs 2 to 9 show a further exemplary embodiment of a plant according to the invention for producing and spreading apart wafer pieces, in which in each case two wafer blocks side by side are cut up simultaneously and the resulting wafer pieces are spread apart in a branching unit that corresponds to a branching unit in which two branching units 7 of the exemplary embodiment of Fig. I are arranged mirror-symmetrically side by side.

The plant illustrated in Figs 2 to 9 for producing and spreading apart wafer pieces is designed to charge very wide chocolate enrobers or bar moulding plants and produces the numerous longitudinal rows of pieces arranged side by side at relatively large intervals required for those plants.

In the case of the plant illustrated in Figs 2 to 9, the wafer blocks fed to the plant in its feed station 17 are conveyed in the longitudinal direction (arrow 18) through the four workstations of the plant. Following the feed station 17 in the direction of transport 18 is a tandem wafer block cutting station 19, downstream of which is a wafer strip transport station 20; following that is a wafer strip cutting station 21, downstream of which is a wafer piece transport station 22 with branching unit 23 and discharge station 24.

Figs 2 and 3 show the tandem wafer block cutting station 19 with the upstream feed station 17 and the downstream waler strip transport station 20. The wafer block cutting station 19 is illustrated in Fig. 2 with the wafer blocks to be cut up and the wafer strips produced from the wafer blocks, and in Fig. 3 without wafer blocks and wafer strips.

In the wafer block cutting station 19, two wafer blocks 25, 26 at a time are cut up simultaneously transversely to the direction of transport 18 into individual wafer strips 27,28, which are then passed in the direction of transport 18 lying side by side in pairs on a conveyor belt 29 to the wafer strip transport station 20. In the wafer block cutting station 19 there are two cutting devices 30, 31 arranged spaced apart opposite one another transversely to the direction of transport 18. The cutting tools of the two cutting devices 30, 31 are each aligned transversely to the direction of transport 18. In the feed station 17, the wafer blocks 25, 26 are fed by two conveyor belts 32, 33 running in the direction of transport 18 to the two cutting devices 30, 31. In the wafer block cutting station 19, the wafer blocks 25,26 are pushed transversely to the direction of transport 18 through the cutting devices 30, 31 by feed mechanisms 30b, 31b associated with a respective cutting device 30, 31. The resulting wafer strips 27,28 are pushed onto the conveyor belt 29 arranged between the two cutting devices 30, 31, on which the wafer strips 27, 28 are conveyed lying side by side in pairs in the direction of transport 18 out of the wafer block cutting station 19 and transferred to the downstream wafer strip transport station 20. The wafer strip pairs lie on the conveyor belt 29 in succession in the direction of transport 18 separated by the cuts running transversely to the direction of transport 18 made by the cutting devices 30, 31.

The wafer strip transport station 20 illustrated in detail in Figs 2 to 5 provides a plurality of conveyor belts 34-36 in succession in the direction of transport 18, on which the wafer strip pairs are advanced in the direction of transport 18 and at the same time are moved apart to larger longitudinal spacings. The circulating speed of the conveyor belts 34-36 increases in the longitudinal direction of the plant from conveyor belt to conveyor belt. The conveyor belts 34-36 move the wafer strip pairs apart to larger longitudinal spacings. The front conveyor belt of the wafer strip transport station then conveys the wafer strips 27', 28', lying side by side in pairs and separated from one another by larger longitudinal spacings, in the direction of transport 18 as far as the cutting device 37 of the downstream wafer strip cutting station 21.

The wafer strip cutting station 21 illustrated in detail in Figs 2, 5 and 6 contains a cutting device 37, the cutting tools of which are arranged spaced apart by the width of the wafer pieces to be produced and aligned parallel to the direction of transport 18.

Above the cutting device 37 is a feed mechanism 38 for the wafer strips operating in the direction of transport 18. The feed mechanism 38 is provided with two circulating endless chains 39 running parallel to the direction of transport 18, which carry pusher dogs 40 spaced in succession in the direction of transport 18 and running transversely to the direction of transport 18 and, arranged between them, pressure pieces 41 of elongate a a form transversely to the direction of transport 18. When the feed mechanism 38 is running, the pusher dogs 40 engage the rear face of the wafer strips 27', 28' lying side by side in pairs and slide them in the direction of transport 18 through the cutting device 37, whilst the pressure pieces 41 arranged between the pusher dogs 40 and circulating just above the top faces of the wafer strips 27', 28' prevent the wafer strips 27', 28' from lifting up during the cutting operation.

The wafer piece transport station 22 illustrated in detail in Figs 2 and 7-9 is arranged downstream of the wafer strip cutting station 21 in the direction of transport. The wafer piece transport station 22 provides a branching unit 23 of elongate form in the direction of transport 18 for spreading the wafer pieces apart and a discharge station 24 for the spread-apart wafer pieces downstream of the branching unit 23.

Transport lanes arranged side by side transversely to the direction of transport and individually associated with the wafer pieces each lying side by side in a wafer piece transverse row are provided in the branching unit 23. The odd-numbered transport lanes, i.e. transport lanes 1, 3, 5 etc., belong to a group of transport lanes 42 running at the same level within the branching unit 23, and the even-numbered transport lanes, i.e. transport lanes 2, 4, 6 etc., belong to a group of transport lanes 43 traversing different levels within the branching unit 23.

In the input region 23a arranged at the start of the branching unit 23, the transport lanes 42,43 have initial sections 42a and 43a lying closely side by side. These are connected via by-pass sections 42b, 43b lying in the bypass region 23b of the branching unit 23 following the input region 23a in the direction of transport 18, to the laterally further apart final sections 42c, 43c of the transport lanes 42,43, which lie in the output region 23c of the branching unit 23 arranged at the end of the branching unit 23 in three separate, side by side discharge regions 44, 45, 46; of these, the middle discharge region is associated with the transport lanes 43 traversing different levels, whilst the two outer discharge regions 44 and 46 are associated with a respective subgroup of the transport lanes 43 divided into two subgroups running at the same level.

In the input region 23a of the branching unit 23, the initial sections 42a, 43a of the two transport lane groups are arranged transversely to the direction of transport 18 alternately side by side. In the output region 23c of the branching unit 23, the discharge region 45 of the transport lanes 43 traversing different levels is arranged in rectilinear extension of the input region 23a of the branching unit 23. The transport lanes 42 running at the same level are divided transversely to the direction of transport 18 into two subgroups arranged side by side, the bypass sections 42b', 42b" of which diverge obliquely forwards in the bypass region 23b of the branching unit 23 in the direction of transport 18, and in the input region 23a of the branching unit 23 connect the initial sections 42a' and 42a" of the respective subgroup arranged in the input region 23a of the branching unit 23 to the final sections 42c' and 42c" of the respective subgroup arranged in one of the outer discharge regions 44,46 of the branching unit 23.

In the case of the transport lanes 43, in the bypass region 23b of the branching unit 23 respective bypass sections 43b running through a valley are provided. These are divided into two subsections 47 and 48 in succession in the direction of transport 18.

The first subsections 47 of the bypass sections 43b lie in a first bypass plane 49 extending obliquely downwards away from the input region 23a of the branching unit 23. The first subsections 47 terminate at a level lower than the input region 23a of the branching unit 23. Leading on from this low level are the second subsections 48 of the bypass sections 43b of the transport lanes 43 lying in a second bypass plane 50 rising obliquely upwards to the discharge region 23c of the branching unit 23.

In the case of the two subgroups of the transport lanes 42 running at the same level, bypass sections 42b', 42b" running obliquely to the direction of transport 18 and each lying in a horizontal bypass plane 51 are provided in the bypass region 23b of the branching unit 23; the bypass sections 42b, 42b" each connect a respective initial section 42a', 42a" to a respective final section 42c', 42c" laterally offset with respect thereto transversely to the direction of transport 18 and arranged in one of the outer discharge regions 44,46 of the branching unit 23.

A branching region 52 is provided at the start of the bypass region 23b of the branching unit 23. The obliquely downwardly running first bypass plane 49 of the bypass sections 43b of the transport lanes 43 traversing different levels follows the start 53 of the branching region 52. Adjoining the end 54 of the branching region 52 are the bypass sections 42b', 42b" of the two subgroups of the transport lanes 42 running at the same level, which each lie in a horizontal bypass plane 51, run obliquely with respect to the direction of transport 18 and diverge obliquely forwards. In the branching region 52, above the initial sections 42a', 42a", 43 of the two transport lane groups 42,43 running in the direction of transport 18, there are provided transversely to the direction of transport guide rolls 55 and 56 arranged side by side and each associated with the initial sections of a respective one of the two transport lanes groups 42 and 43; the guide rolls 55 and 56 associated with the initial sections 42a', 42a" and 43 respectively of a respective transport lane group 42, 43 are arranged side by side in a row transversely to the direction of transport 18.

On passing through the branching region 52 of the branching unit 23, the wafer pieces forwarded on the initial sections 43a of the transport lanes 43 running in the direction of transport 18 are diverted downwards, out of the plane of the input region 23a of the branching unit 23, into the obliquely downwardly running first bypass plane 49, whilst the wafer pieces forwarded on the initial sections 42a', 42a" of the transport lanes 42 running in the direction of transport 18 remain in the plane of the input region 23a of the branching unit 23 and are diverted correspondingly obliquely outwards only at the end 54 of the branching region 52 of the respective subgroup of transport lanes 42 running at the same level.

In the branching unit 23, the wafer pieces arranged side by side of a wafer piece transverse row are advanced on the transport lanes 43 traversing different levels and on the subgroups of transport lanes 42 running at the same level and arrive at the end of the branching unit 23 simultaneously and lying laterally far apart in the three discharge regions 44, 45, 46, arranged side by side transversely to the direction of transport 18, of the two groups of transport lanes. At the end of these discharge regions 44,45,46, the wafer pieces of the relevant wafer piece transverse row arc then transferred as a rectilinear wafer piece transverse row to a wide conveyor belt 57 of the discharge station 24, which extends transversely to the direction of transport 18 across all parallel transport lanes 42, 43 of both transport lanes groups and takes up all parallel wafer pieces of a wafer piece transverse row at once.

The two plants for spreading apart the wafer pieces arranged in the wafer piece transport stations 6 and 22 shown in Fig. 1 respectively Figs 2 and 7-9 can also be I * I constructed independently of a plant according to the invention for producing and spreading apart wafer pieces in each case as stand-alone plants.

These plants, each comprising a respective branching unit 7,23 for separating the wafer pieces and a respective discharge station 8, 24 arranged downstream of the respective branching unit 7,23 for the spread-apart wafer pieces, can also be arranged downstream of a conventional wafer block cutter equipped with two cutting stations in direct succession in order to convert the wafer pieces produced by these cutting stations from a very narrow formation with rectilinear longitudinal and transverse rows into a well-spread formation with rectilinear longitudinal and transverse rows, without need for a passively acting separating device producing perforce arcuately curved transverse rows of wafer pieces and a downstream row aligner stopping each individual transverse row of wafer pieces and aligning the transverse row of wafer pieces in a straight line. I S q

Claims

Claims A plant for producing and spreading apart wafer pieces, in which

the following stations are arranged in succession in the direction of transport: (a) a wafer block cutting station, in which the wafer blocks are cut up into wafer strips in succession in the direction of transport and of elongate form transversely to the direction of transport, (b) a wafer strip transport station, in which there are provided at least two conveyor belts in succession in the direction of transport and moving the wafer strips apart with increasing spacings, (c) a wafer strip cutting station, in which individual spaced-apart successive wafer strips in the direction of transport are cut up into wafer pieces, which are discharged in spatially separated transverse rows of wafer pieces, and (d) a wafer piece transport station, having a branching unit for spreading apart the wafer pieces and downstream thereof a discharge station for the spread-apart wafer pieces, wherein in the branching unit there are provided spatially differently running transport lanes individually associated with the wafer pieces arranged side by side in a wafer piece transverse row, at the ends of which transport lanes the wafer pieces of each wafer piece transverse row arrive simultaneously and are there transferred to a discharge station conveyor belt common to all wafer pieces arranged side by side in a wafer piece transverse row, wherein the transport lanes of the branching unit extend from their initial sections lying closely side by side at the start of the branching unit, via their spatially differently running by-pass sections, to their final sections lying laterally far apart at the end of the branching unit, wherein at least one group of transport lanes running at the same level from the initial sections to the final sections and at least one group of transport lanes traversing different levels from the initial sections to the final sections are provided.
2. A plant according to claim I, characterised In that, the following stations are arranged in succession in the direction of transport: (a) an intermittently operating wafer block cutting station, in which the wafer blocks are cut up into wafer strips in succession in the direction of transport and of elongate form transversely to the direction of transport, (b) a continuously operating wafer strip transport station, in which there are provided at least two conveyor belts in succession in the direction of transport moving the wafer strips apart with increasing separations, (c) a continuously operating wafer strip cutting station, in which individual wafer strips spaced apart in succession in the direction of transport are cut up to wafer pieces, which are discharged in wafer piece transverse rows spatially separated from one another, and (d) a continuously operating wafer piece transport station, having a branching unit for spreading apart the wafer pieces and downstream thereof a discharge station for the spread-apart wafer pieces, wherein in the branching unit there are provided spatially differently running transport lanes individually associated with the wafer pieces arranged side by side in a wafer piece transverse row, at the ends of which transport lanes the wafer pieces of each wafer piece transverse row arrive simultaneously and are there transferred to a discharge station conveyor belt common to all wafer pieces arranged side by side in a wafer piece transverse row, wherein the transport lanes of the branching unit extend from their initial sections lying closely side by side at the start of the branching unit, via their spatially differently running by-pass sections, to their final sections lying laterally far apart at the end of the branching unit, wherein at least one group of transport lanes running at the same level from the initial sections to the final sections and at least one group of transport lanes traversing different levels from the initial sections to the final sections are provided.
3. A plant according to claim I or 2, characterised in that the wafer strip transport station comprises a plurality of conveyor belts in succession in the direction of transport, in which the circulating speed in the direction of transport of increases from conveyor belt to conveyor belt. .
4. A plant according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that in the wafer piece transport station there is provided a branching unit, in which the through-put time of the wafer pieces on the transport lanes running at the same level and on the transport lanes traversing different levels is the same length.

5. A plant according to claim 4, characlerised in dial a group of transport lanes running at the same level and a group of transport lanes traversing different levels are provided in the branching unit, in that the transport lanes of both groups are the same length and are arranged in sections on conveyor belts circulating at substantially the same speed, in that the group of transport lanes running at the same level comprise bypass sections of the same length and lying in a bypass plane and in that the group of transport lanes traversing different levels comprise bypass sections of the same length and following a three-dimensionally extending bypass path.

6. A plant according to claim 4, characterised in that a group of transport lanes running at the same level and a group of transport lanes traversing different levels is provided in the branching unit, in that the two transport lane groups have different Length bypass sections from group to group and in that, for the final sections of at least one of the two transport lane groups, a variable-speed conveyor belt common to all final sections of this group is provided.

7. A plant according to any one of claims ito 6, characterised in that in the wafer piece transport station a branching unit is provided, in which two groups of transport lanes extend from a common input region at the start of the branching unit via a bypass region of the branching unit to two adjacent output regions separated according to groups at the end of the branching unit, wherein the initial sections of the two groups are arranged alternately side by side in the input region and the output region of the group of transport lanes traversing different levels is arranged in extension of the input region, whilst the output region of the group of transport lanes running at the same level is arranged laterally offset with respect to the input region transversely to the direction of transport. 4. 4

8. A plant according to claim 7, characterised in that in the case of the group of transport lanes running at the same level, the initial sections arranged in the input region of the branching unit are connected by bypass sections arranged in a bypass plane in the bypass region of the branching unit and running obliquely to the direction of transport to the final sections, which are arranged in the output region of the branching unit arranged laterally offset with respect to the input region in the direction of transport.

9. A plant according to claim 7, characterised in that, in the case of the group of transport lanes traversing different levels, the respective initial section arranged in the input region of the branching unit is connected by a bypass section arranged in the bypass region of the branching unit and running along a three-dimensionally extending bypass path to the final section arranged in the output region of the branching unit arranged in extension of the input region.

10. A plant according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that, in the wafer piece transport station there is provided a branching unit, in which two groups of transport lanes extend from a common input region on spatially different paths through a bypass region of the branching unit as far as three side by side output regions at the end of the branching unit, wherein the initial sections of both groups are arranged alternately side by side in the input region and the output region of the group of transport lanes traversing different levels is arranged in the middle output region arranged in extension of the input region, whilst the group of transport lanes running at the same level is divided into two subgroups diverging obliquely apart in the bypass region of the branching unit, the final sections of each subgroup each being arranged in a lateral, outer output region arranged laterally offset with respect to the input region transversely to the direction of transport.

11. A plant according to claim 10, characterised in that in the case of the group of transport lanes traversing different levels, the respective initial section arranged in the input region of the branching unit is connected by a bypass section arranged in the bypass region of the branching unit and running along a three-4 S. * 4 dimensionally extending bypass path to the final section arranged in the output region of the branching unit arranged in extension of the input region.

12. A plant according to claim 10, characterised in that, in the case of the group of transport lanes running at the same level divided into two subgroups, the respective initial sections of a subgroup arranged in the input region of the branching unit are connected by bypass sections arranged in the bypass region of the branching unit in a bypass plane and running obliquely to the direction of transport to the final sections of the subgroup arranged in a lateral, outer output region of the branching unit arranged laterally offset with respect to the input region in the direction of transport, and in that the bypass sections of the two subgroups running in each case obliquely to the direction of transport diverge obliquely forwards in the bypass region of the branching unit in the direction of transport.

13. A plant for spreading apart waler pieces from a close formation into a well-spread formation with rectilinear longitudinal rows and transverse rows, characterised in that a branching unit for spreading apart the wafer pieces and a discharge station for the spread-apart waler pieces arranged downstream of the branching unit are provided, in that spatially differently running transport lanes individually associated with the wafer pieces arranged side by side in a wafer piece transverse row are provided in the branching unit, at the ends of which transport lanes the waler pieces of each transverse row arrive simultaneously and are there transferred to a discharge station conveyor belt common to all wafer pieces arranged side by side in a wafer piece transverse row, in that the transport lanes of the branching unit extend from their initial sections lying closely side by side at the start of the branching unit, via spatially differently running by-pass sections running at different levels, as far as their final sections lying laterally far apart at the end of the branching unit, and in that at least one group of transport lanes running at the same level from the initial sections as far as the final sections and at least one group of transport lanes traversing different levels from the initial sections as far as the final sections are provided.

S I

14. A plant according to claim 13, characterised in that a branching unit is provided, in which the through-put time of the wafer pieces on the transport lanes running at the same level and on the transport lanes traversing different levels is the same length.

15. A plant according to claim 14, characterised in that a group of transport lanes running at the same level and a group of transport lanes traversing different levels are provided in the branching unit, in that the transport lanes of both groups are the same length and are arranged in sections on conveyor belts circulating at substantially the same speed, in that the group of transport lanes running at the same level comprise bypass sections of the same length and lying in a bypass plane, and in that the group of transport lanes traversing different levels comprise bypass sections of the same length and following a three-dimensionally extending bypass path.

16. A plant according to claim 14, characterised in that a group of transport lanes running at the same level and a group of transport lanes traversing different levels are provided in the branching unit, in that the two transport lane groups have different length bypass sections from group to group and in that, for the final sections of at least one of the two transport lane groups, a variable-speed conveyor belt common to all final sections of this group is provided.

17. A plant according to any one of claims 13 to 16, characterised in that in the branching unit two groups of transport lanes extend from a common input region at the start of the branching unit via a bypass region of the branching unit as far as two adjacent output regions separated according to groups at the end of the branching unit, wherein the initial sections of the two groups are arranged alternately side by side in the input region and the output region of the group of transport lanes traversing different levels is arranged in extension of the input region, whilst the output region of the group of transport lanes running at the same level is arranged laterally offset with respect to the input region transversely to the direction of transport. S *

18. A plant according to claim 17, characterised in that in the case of the group of transport lanes running at the same level, the initial sections arranged in the input region of the branching unit are connected by bypass sections arranged in a bypass plane in the bypass region of the branching unit and running obliquely to the direction of transport to the final sections, which are arranged in the output region of the branching unit arranged laterally offset with respect to the input region transversely to the direction of transport.

19. A plant according to claim 17, characterised in that in the case of the group of transport lanes traversing different levels, the respective initial section arranged in the input region of the branching unit is connected by a bypass section arranged in the bypass region of the branching unit along a three-dimensionally extending bypass path to the final section arranged in the output region of the branching unit arranged in extension of the input region.

20. A plant according to any one of claims 13 to 16, characterised in that in the case of the branching unit, two groups of transport lanes extend from a common input region on spatially separated paths through a bypass region of the branching unit as far as three parallel output regions at the end of the branching unit, wherein the initial sections of both groups are arranged alternately side by side in the input region and the output region of the group of transport lanes traversing different levels is arranged in the middle output region arranged in extension of the input region, whilst the group of transport lanes running at the same level is divided into two subgroups diverging obliquely apart in the bypass region of the branching unit, the final sections of which subgroups are each arranged in a lateral, outer output region arranged laterally offset with respect to the input region transversely to the direction of transport.

21. A plant according to claim 20, characterised in that in the case of the group of transport lanes traversing different levels, the respective initial section arranged in the input region of the branching unit is connected by a bypass section arranged in the bypass region of the branching unit along a three-dimensionally * ( extending bypass path to the final section arranged in the output region of the branching unit arranged in extension of the input region.

22. A plant according to claim 20, characterised in thai in the case of the group of transport lanes running at the same level divided into two subgroups, the respective initial sections of a subgroup arranged in the input region of the branching unit are connected by bypass sections arranged in the bypass region of the branching unit in a bypass plane and running obliquely to the direction of transport to the final sections of the subgroup arranged in a lateral, outer output region of the branching unit arranged laterally offset with respect to the input region transversely to the direction of transport, and in that the respective bypass sections of the two subgroups running obliquely to the direction of transport diverge obliquely forwards in the bypass region of the branching unit in the direction of transport.