Cutting machine for slicing circular articles into wedges

• US 4,554,852 A
• Filed: 07/26/1983
• Issued: 11/26/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Food Equipment Manufacturing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Food Equipment Manufacturing Corporation
• Inventors: Sauer, Robert L., Garbaczik, Stanley J. Sr., Morrissette, Charles G., Garbaczik, Stanley J. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meister, James M.
• Application Number:
  US06/517,467
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 83/35, 83/36, 83/407, 83/409.1, 83/409.2, 83/426, 83/429, 83/409, 83/410, 83/413, 30/114
• US Class Current: 83/407
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 7/035 on which work holders are fixed
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 3/24 to obtain segments other than slices, e.g. cutting pies
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/6489 Slitter station
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/6542 Plural means to constrain plural work pieces
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/6596 With means to effect difference between work speed and tool speed

Abstract

A machine for dividing articles into wedge-shaped portions which includes a conveyor for transporting the articles along a processing path and a series of cutting stations spaced along the path. Individual article carriers, each supported on the conveyor for rotation about an axis perpendicular to the processing path, carry the articles through successive cutting stations. The carriers and associated articles are rotationally indexed between cutting stations by cam surfaces disposed along the processing path to cause the articles to be cut at the cutting stations on angularly displaced lines. The cutting stations include a rotary blade that is power-driven at a speed that approximates the speed of the conveyor to eliminate article handling problems as well as fouling of the apparatus and articles.

Claims

1. A rotary cutting machine comprising:

an endless conveyor;

a product holding carrier adapted to be transported by said conveyor;

a cam track adjacent said conveyor and longitudinally parallel thereto;

a plurality of rotary blade cutting means positioned at stations longitudinally along said conveyor to intercept said carrier as it is sequentially conveyed past said cutting means;

said carrier comprising an outer frame portion drivingly secured to said conveyor and an inner portion rotatable within said frame portion; and

a pair of cam followers secured to said inner portion and adapted to engage said cam track, whereby said inner portion may be angularly turned responsive to the location of said cam followers along said cam track, said cam track alternating between a single track and a double track, and including means to switch said pair of cam followers from said single track to one follower on each track of said double track whereby said inner portion is angularly shifted responsive to the shifting of said cam followers from said single track to said double track, one of said cutting means being positioned to intercept said inner portion after each angular shift, the relative spacing between the tracks of the double track varying at different stations of the cutting means in a manner which causes the product to be cut at angles of less than 90 degrees.

2. Apparatus for slicing a circular article into a plurality of equally sized wedges, comprising a longitudinally extending conveyor, an endless conveyor loop trained over rolls at opposite ends of the conveyor and forming upper and lower reaches, substantially identical carrier means fixed to the loop at spaced intervals, the carrier means each including a generally planar face mounted on the loop in a manner in which it is generally horizontal and faces upwardly when disposed on the path of the upper conveyor reach and is permitted to rotate about a substantially vertical axis, a series of horizontally spaced cutting blades suspended above the upper reach of the conveyor loop, said cutting blades lying in a common vertical plane passing through the vertical axes of the carrier means, and means responsive to horizontal movement of said carrier means between said cutting blades to rotationally index said carrier means about said vertical axes through an angle corresponding to the desired angular wedge size, the cutting blades each depending into the path of articles carried on said carrier means whereby such articles are cut on lines corresponding to the angular displacements of the carrier means induced by said indexing means, said indexing means including stationary cam means disposed along the path of the upper reach of the conveyor, follower means associated with said carrier means sensitive to the configuration of said cam means to produce corresponding rotation of said carrier means, said follower means including a pair of cam follower means diametrally opposite one another with respect to the axis of its associated carrier means, said cam means including a cam track having at least in several regions a pair of transversely spaced slots adapted to receive said follower means, said spaced slots and pair of cam follower means being arranged to rotationally index said carrier means through angles of less than 90 degrees.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said cutting blades are rotary wheels.