Apparatus and method for the slicing of food products

• US 20100307303A1
• Filed: 06/01/2010
• Published: 12/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Weber Maschinenbau GmbH Breidenbach (Weber Food Technology GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Weber Maschinenbau GmbH Breidenbach (Weber Food Technology GmbH)
• Inventors: Weber, Guenther
• Application Number:
  US12/791,182
• Publication Number:
  US 20100307303A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 83/13
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 2210/02 for cutting food products, e.g. food slicers
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/0625 by endless conveyors, e.g. belts
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 15/105 the surface being formed by two or more ropes
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 15/50 Endless load-carriers consisting of a series of parallel ropes or belt strips
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 23/30 Variable-speed gearing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/04 Processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/6475 With means to regulate work-feed speed

Abstract

An apparatus for the slicing of food products has a product feeder which includes a plurality of belt conveyors arranged parallel next to one another. The belt conveyors each include an elastic endless belt serving as a product support for a product to be sliced and they are drivable together in order simultaneously to feed a plurality of products which each lie on one of the belts to a cutting plane in which a cutting blade moves. The belt conveyors have a common drive with a drive shaft. For the setting of an individual single conveying speed for each belt conveyor, a respective setting apparatus is associated with them which is made to individually change the degree of stretching of the belt.

Claims

1. An apparatus for the slicing of food products, in particular a high-performance slicer, comprising

a product feeder (11, 11′

) which includes a plurality of belt conveyors (13) which are arranged parallel to one another, which each include an endless belt (15) serving as a product support for a product (17) to be sliced and which can be driven together in order simultaneously to feed a plurality of products (17) which each lie on one of the belts (15) to a cutting plane (S) in which at least one cutting blade (23) moves, in particular in a rotating and/or circulating manner,

wherein the belt conveyors (13) have a common drive which includes a drive shaft (19) by which the products (17) lying on the belts (15) can be fed to the cutting plane (S) at a common base conveying speed;

wherein the belts (15) are changeable in length by elastic stretching and circulate in a stretched state so that the individual conveying speed of each belt (15) is dependent not only on the speed of the drive shaft (19), but also on the degree of stretching of the belt; and

wherein each belt (15) has a setting apparatus (25) associated with it which is made to individually change the degree of stretching of the belt (15) and thus its individual conveying speed.

2. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that each setting apparatus (25) is made to change the degree of stretching of the belt (15) by decreasing and increasing the running path for the belt (15).

3. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that each setting apparatus (25) includes a clamping apparatus for the belt (25).

4. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the degree of stretching of each belt (15) is changeable during the slicing operation with a circulating belt (15).

5. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that, for each belt (15), its individual setting speed is changeable by means of the setting apparatus (25) in a range whose limits are determined in that the base conveying speed can be decreased and increased by a specific maximum degree.

6. An apparatus in accordance with claim 5, characterized in that the base conveying speed can be decreased by up to 20% and can be increased by up to 20%.

7. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the degree of stretching of each belt (15) can be changed in a stepless manner.

8. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that each belt (15) is in form-fitted engagement with the drive shaft (19) or with a drive roller (20) drivable by the drive shaft (19).

9. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that each belt (15) is made as a toothed belt.

10. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that each belt (15) is in engagement with the drive shaft (19) or with a drive roller (20) drivable by the drive shaft (19) by a pressing device (24), in particular by one or more pressing rollers (24).

11. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that each setting device (25) includes at least one adjustable clamping roller (27), with the clamping roller (27) preferably being adjustable substantially at right angles to a product conveying direction (F).

12. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that each belt (15) has associated an upper belt (31) with it which is made to act on the upper side of the product (17).

13. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that each upper belt (31) is drivable and can be synchronized with a belt (15) serving as a product support.

14. A method for the slicing of food products, wherein

a plurality of products (17) which each lie on a respective belt (15), are simultaneously fed by means of a product feeder (11, 11′

) to a cutting plane (S) in which at least one cutting blade (23) moves, in particular in a rotating and/or circulating manner;

wherein the product feeder includes a plurality of belt conveyors (13) which are arranged parallel to one another and which in each case include an endless belt (15) serving as a product support for a product (17) to be sliced, with the belts (15) being changeable in length by elastic stretching and circulating in a stretched state

the belts (15) are driven by means of a common drive, in particular a drive including a common drive shaft (19) for the belts (15); and

the degree of stretching of each belt (15) and thus its individual conveying speed is individually changed as required to set the thickness of product slices to be cut individually for each product (17).

15. A method in accordance with claim 14, characterized in that the degree of stretching of each belt (15) is changed in dependence on the contour of the product (17), with the contour of the product (17) preferably being determined using a detection device integrated into the apparatus.