Abstract:
Apparatus is presented for physically separating butter, oleomargerine, cheese or like viscous substance from sheet material carrying the viscous substance as individual ''''reddies'''' or equivalent units in order to permit recovery and reprocessing of the substance from improperly formed or packaged reddie units. At least one frustoconical roller drum firmly engages one side of a perforated separator disc and rotates synchronously therewith to squeeze the reddies therebetween and force the butter or like substance through the disc perforations while the sheet material remains on the one side of the disc. The roller removably and adjustably mounts upon a unitary frame carrying the disc into a desired contacting alignment with portions of the disc to create a controlled degree of sliding between the disc and roller for increasing the efficiency of the separating action of the apparatus. A conveyor delivers the reddie units from a collecting hopper to the disc and roller, and substance and sheet material scrapers engage opposite sides of the disc to effect removal of the separated substance and sheet material respectively.