Method and device for separating products

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8997614-B2
Application number	US-201313754396-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2013
Priority date	Feb 14, 2012
Publication date	Apr 7, 2015
Grant date	Apr 7, 2015

Abstract

A method and a device for separating food products, including to permit a straight cut at high cycle rates, the food product is conveyed by a conveying device in the direction of transport. The food product is cut through, where a cutting element is moved in the direction of transport and transverse to the direction of transport, wherein the motion of the cutting element transverse to the direction of transport is controlled independently of its motion in the direction of transport and the food product does not rest on the cutting area on the conveying means.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of separating food products, comprising:
transporting the food product in a direction of transport with a conveying device,
cutting through the food product, wherein a cutting element is moved through the food product and moved along with the food product in the direction of transport, wherein
the motion of the cutting element is controlled into a first direction and, independent of this motion, into a second direction, and after the food product has been completely cut through, the cutting element is moved out of the food product and moves faster in the direction of transport than the food product which is moved towards the cutting element, such that the cutting element drives away from the food product in the direction of transport, and
the food product does not rest on a conveying device in the cutting area.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the motion of the cutting element through the food product is controlled independently of its motion in the direction of transport.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein during the separation operation, the cutting element is controlled such that the cutting element moves towards the food product and completely through the food product beyond the outer surface of the food product while the cutting element moves along with the food in the direction of transport.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the conveying device comprises two spaced conveying means between which the cutting area is located, where, when the cutting element moves out of the food product after the food product has been completely cut through, the following applies:
v 1 <v 2 ,
where, seen in the direction of transport, V 1 is the transport speed of the first conveying means and V 2 is the transport speed of the second conveying means.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the conveying device comprises two spaced, conveying means, wherein in the gap between the conveying means the cutting area is provided, and the gap is shifted, during a separation cycle, together with the motion of the cutting element.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the cutting element is moved towards a counter edge and the counter edge.

7. The method according to claim 1 , a closed path of the cutting element can be freely adjusted continuously variably.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the food product is one of the following group: minced meat length, sausage length, coextruded sausage length, food without casing.

9. A device for performing the method according to claim 1 , comprising:
a transport device for transporting the food product in the direction of transport,
a cutting device with a cutting element for cutting through the food product,
a motion mechanism by which the cutting element can be moved through the food product and moved along with the food product in the direction of transport,
the motion mechanism being such that the motion of the cutting element can be independently controlled along two drive axes in two directions and after the food product has been completely cut through, the cutting element being movable out of the food product and being movable faster in the direction of transport than the food product which is moved towards the cutting element, such that the cutting element drives away from the food product in the direction of transport, and
the device being such that in a cutting area in which the cutting element completely cuts through the food product, the food product does not rest on the transport device.

10. The device according to claim 9 , wherein the motion mechanism being designed such that the motion of the cutting element through the food product can be controlled independently of the motion of the cutting element in the direction of transport.

11. The device according to claim 9 , wherein, in the cutting area, no support surface for the food product is provided, or the food product is guided such that in the cutting area, the food product is spaced apart from the support surface.

12. The device according to claim 9 , and a support surface of the conveying device comprises a gap in which the cutting area is provided, wherein either
a) the conveying device comprises two spaced conveying means, wherein the cutting area is provided in the gap between the conveying means, or
b) the conveying means comprises a circulating conveying belt which is deflected in the cutting area such that the gap is formed in the support surface of the conveying belt.

13. The device according to claim 9 , wherein the conveying device comprises a circulating conveying means, wherein the cutting area is upstream of the conveying means.

14. The device according to claim 9 , wherein the cutting device comprises a counter edge for the cutting element which can be moved into and against the direction of transport.

15. The device according to claim 12 , wherein in case a), the conveying means can be controlled independently of each other, and the speed of the two conveying means can be adjusted independently of each other.

16. The device according to claim 12 , wherein in case a), at least one conveying means is designed as pull-back belt.

17. The device according to claim 9 , wherein the conveying device comprises a supply tube as first conveying means by which the food product is supplied to a second conveying means and the cutting area is located in the direction of transport downstream of the tube, such that the product flow does not rest on the conveying device in the cutting area.

18. The device according to claim 9 , wherein the tube can be extended like a telescope.

19. The device according to claim 17 , wherein the tube comprises a beveled end.

20. The method according to claim 4 , and further wherein V cutting element is the speed of the cutting element in the direction of transport.

21. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the two spaced conveying means are circulating.

22. The method according to claim 6 , and further wherein the counter edge is moved along with the motion of the cutting element in the direction of transport, at least when the cutting element and the counter edge strike one another.

23. The method according to claim 7 , and further wherein the speed of the cutting element is variably adjusted on the closed path in the direction of transport.

24. The device according to claim 12 , wherein the two spaced conveying means are circulating.

25. The device according to claim 18 , wherein the extension of the tube is with the motion of the cutting element.

Assignees

• Handtmann Albert Maschf

Inventors

• Baechtle Manfred
• Braig Wolfgang
• Reutter Siegfried
• Romer Bernd
• Schmid Klaus
• Teufel Daniel

Classifications

• B26D7/0625

  by endless conveyors, e.g. belts · CPC title

• B26D1/06

  wherein the cutting member reciprocates (cup or like cutting members B26D1/44) · CPC title

• B26D1/547

  having a wire-like cutting member (endless wire B26D1/46; severing using a heated wire B26F3/12) · CPC title

• B26D5/14

  Crank and pin means · CPC title

• B26D1/22

  coacting with a movable member, e.g. a roller (B26D1/24 takes precedence) · CPC title