File:Long goods dry pasta line built by Consolidated Macaroni Machine Corporation (circa 1940) 001.jpg

English: Long goods dry pasta line designed and built by Consolidated Macaroni Machine Corporation circa 1940. This machine employed an automatic spreader invented by the company a few years earlier. The spreader automatically placed spaghetti on a long horizontal stick using a rectangular die of similar length as the stick instead of a round die (using a rectangular die was a significant innovation that allowed for the automation of the process since a round die required manual placement of spaghetti on the stick). The machine then automatically transferred the stick of spaghetti to the predryer using chains with hooks. As the stick of spaghetti moved through the drying chamber, the predryer removed water from the product using a process of controlled heat, humidity and airflow. This process extracted water from the product until moisture dropped from 30% upon entry into the dryer to 21% upon exit. After exiting the predryer, the stick of spaghetti was placed on a cart and moved to a room specifically designed for final drying. In the final drying room, water was extracted to the final moisture content of 12%. This was state of the art in the 1940’s and 1950’s, and modern dry pasta lines today still employ a similar, but more automated process for making spaghetti.