John Bean Technologies Corporation

A conveyance system or method for conveying a crustacean to be injected with an injection treatment solution made from water and emulsified crustacean substrate of the crustacean being treated may include a crustacean stabilizing assembly configured to substantially maintain a position of crustaceans relative to a support surface of the conveyance system before, during, and/or after injection, wherein a first pocket defined by the crustacean stabilizing assembly is positionable beneath a first injector head, the crustacean stabilizing assembly supporting crustaceans in the first pocket during injection by the first injector head, and wherein the first pocket defined by the crustacean stabilizing assembly is positionable beneath a second injector head located downsteam of the first injector head, the crustacean stabilizing assembly supporting crustaceans in the first pocket during injection by the second injector head.

A linear coating apparatus may include a coating assembly configured to apply a layer of coating to the food product as it is moved along a conveyance path. A texturizing assembly for imparting a texture to the layer of coating may include: a selective compression assembly having rotating cylindrical wheels each having a length extending substantially across a width of the conveyor system and spaced horizontally along a length of the conveyor system. The rotating cylindrical wheels are configured to apply a tangential force to the coated food product as it travels by gravity through the selective compression assembly. The tangential forces apply compression to the layer of coating and the food product for creating a texture in the layer of coating. An infeed assembly is configured to deposit the coated food product vertically above an infeed end of the selective compression assembly with a trajectory.

A carcass separation blade may include a body having a first end opposite a second end, wherein at least a portion of the body between the first and second ends is shaped to substantially correspond to a shape of a portion of the first side of the poultry carcass. A carcass separation blade may include a curved upstream edge extending between at least a portion of the first and second ends of the body. A carcass separation blade may include a shearing edge portion defined along at least a portion of the curved upstream edge.

An attachment for a forklift for positioning a load includes a rearward carriage structure that supports a forward carriage structure to which forwardly extending forks are attached. The forward carriage structure is mounted to move side to side relative to the rearward carriage structure. Upright clamp arms are mounted to the forward carriage structure to move side to side toward and away from each other. Upper clamps are carried by the clamp arms to engage the exterior sides of a load being carried when the clamp arms are moved toward each other. Lower clamps are also carried by the clamp arms at a location below the upper clamps to engage the sides of a load positioned beneath load being carried by the forklift when moved toward each other and simultaneously moving the forward carriage structure to a medial (central) position between the clamp arms.

A filter apparatus includes a cylindrical casing defining an inlet for receiving a liquid to be filtered and an outlet for the filtered liquid. A cylindrical filter element is disposed within the casing and is sized to define an annular volume between the exterior for the filter element and the interior of the casing. The annular volume is in fluid flow communication with the inlet. The particulate in the liquid is retained on the exterior of the filter element, while the liquid flows into the interior of the filter element. The filter element has a porous end adjacent the outlet for flow of the filtered liquid out the center of the filter element and through the outlet. Nozzles are disposed within the filter element, to direct a cleaning fluid at the interior surface of the filter element to wash the particulate off the exterior of the filter element.

A computer-implemented method of optimizing machine processing of a workpiece may include receiving, by a computing device, at least one sensor input regarding a workpiece; performing, by a computing device, pre-processing of the at least one sensor input for at least one of efficient transfer to another computing device and optimal use in one or more machine learning models; executing, by a computing device, one or more machine learning models to output requested information regarding the workpiece based on data in the at least one sensor input; processing, by a computing device, the output; and controlling at least one aspect of the machine processing of the workpiece, by a computing device, in response to the processed output.

The residual brine remaining from a brine injection process is collected and filtered by a primary filter system. Thereafter, the filtered brine is routed to a saddle tank from where the brine is routed, as needed, to a secondary filter remove particulates from the brine sufficient to enable the brine then to be routed to an injection head for reuse for injection into the work product. Clean brine is used to clean the primary and secondary filter systems. Thereafter, the spent brine from cleaning the primary and secondary filters is routed to the primary filter system to undergo primary filtration in the same manner as the brine collected after being expelled by the injection process. After this primary filtration, the brine is routed to the saddle tank.

The sanitizer includes an elongated semi-cylindrical tank that houses heated process water and a close-fitting auger to move food products from the inlet end of the tank to the outlet end. Heated process water at a temperature sufficient to sanitize the food product is introduced into the tank at the outlet end of the tank to flow through the tank counter to the direction of flow of the food product. A recirculation and filter system filters out the particulates in the process water. A hood assembly is positioned over the tank to contain the air borne moisture generated during the sanitizing process and route the steam away from the tank. A control system controls the operation of the sanitizer, including, for example, the speed of the auger, the volume of process water in the tank, and the temperature of the process water in the tank.

A thermal processing apparatus includes a conveyor belt for supporting work products during thermal processing that moves along a spiral path moving in a first direction arranged as a first tiered stack and then moves along a spiral path in a second direction arranged as a second tiered stack. A circulation system induces gaseous thermal processing medium from the tiers of the first and second spiral conveyor belt stacks and forces the thermal processing medium through a heat exchanger and then back to the tiers of the spiral conveyor belt stacks. The first tiered stack is divided into a first processing zone and a second processing zone, and the second tiered stack is divided into a third processing zone and fourth processing zone. A source of thermal processing medium is directed at the first processing zone to thermally treat the work product in the first zone by enhanced heat transfer. Optionally, a source of thermal processing medium is directed at the fourth processing zone to complete the thermally treatment the work product.

A method of processing products in a retort having a length includes arranging products in at least one product carrier for movement along at least a portion of the length of the retort and reciprocating the at least one product carrier along at least a portion of the length of retort in a non-sinusoidal pattern of movement.