DEMACO 1,000 lbs-hr Short Goods Pasta Press, 1958

The Demaco extruder is a pasta

extruder Extrusion is a process used to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile by pushing material through a die of the desired cross-section. Its two main advantages over other manufacturing processes are its ability to create very complex ...

built by Demaco in West Melbourne, Florida, United States. It is the first pasta extruder ever built for

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

sanitary food plants. Its design allowed food producers to use an extruder directly in fresh, frozen and canning factories.

History

The extruder evolved from a mechanical pasta press first built in 1914. The mechanical version was replaced by a

hydraulic Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counter ...

version shortly thereafter. Containing an auger screw and mixer, the extruder combined the functions of mixing, kneading and extruding in one machine, operations that formerly required three machines. In the 1960s, the extruder underwent a series of changes that made it easy to sanitize and suitable for USDA food plants. These included a streamlined design with quick disassembly, and stainless steel construction with completely sealed welds.Judson M. Harper. ''Extrusion of Foods: Volume I'' (Boca Raton, Florida:

CRC Press The CRC Press, LLC is an American publishing group that specializes in producing technical books. Many of their books relate to engineering, science and mathematics. Their scope also includes books on business, forensics and information tec ...

), page 150. Demaco engineers also designed a premixer for the extruder, which received a

U.S. patent Under United States law, a patent is a right granted to the inventor of a (1) process, machine, article of manufacture, or composition of matter, (2) that is new, useful, and non-obvious. A patent is the right to exclude others, for a limite ...

in 1975.Ignatius Bontempi and Peter Giemisch. "Pre-Mixer for Alimentary Paste" (Washington, DC:

USPTO The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alex ...

, June 24, 1975). In the 1980s, the Demaco extruder became automated with PLC controls.

Canned goods

An innovative use of the extruder was feeding a can-filling machine for canned products. Demaco extruders also feed

ravioli Ravioli (; singular: ''raviolo'', ) are a type of pasta comprising a filling enveloped in thin pasta dough. Usually served in broth or with a sauce, they originated as a traditional food in Italian cuisine. Ravioli are commonly square, tho ...

machines to make canned ravioli products. The U.S. Chinese-food company Chun King used one for the production of egg rolls.

Notes

{{Commons category, Demaco extruders Machines Pasta industry