Slicing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9862114-B2
Application number	US-201615065127-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2016
Priority date	Mar 12, 2015
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

A slicing apparatus for a continuous slicing of products comprises a slicing unit having a movable cutting blade, a supply apparatus for a multi-track supply of the products to the slicing unit to cut off slices from the products and a removal apparatus for removing portions of cut-off slices along a transport direction. The removal apparatus has a first removal conveyor and a second removal conveyor arranged downstream of the first removal conveyor with respect to the transport direction. The slicing apparatus comprises a slicing apparatus provided between the first removal conveyor and the second removal conveyor for cut-off product parts to be discarded and a track combiner which is configured to take over portions not to be discarded in each case from a number of different conveyor tracks of the first removal conveyor consecutively in time and to combine them in a smaller number of tracks on the second removal conveyor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A slicing apparatus for a continuous slicing of products, the slicing apparatus comprising:
at least one slicing unit having a movable cutting blade;
a two-track supply apparatus for supplying the products to the slicing unit to cut off the products into slices and discarded product parts;
a removal apparatus for removing the slices and the discarded product parts along a transport direction, the removal apparatus provided after the at least one slicing unit along the transport direction;
wherein the removal apparatus has a first removal conveyor and a second removal conveyor arranged downstream of the first removal conveyor with respect to the transport direction;
wherein the at least one slicing unit is provided between the first removal conveyor and the two-track supply apparatus, and wherein the first removal conveyor conveys the discarded product parts to a discarding device provided after the first removal conveyor;
wherein the second removal conveyor is a single track conveyor; and

a track combiner configured to take over the respective slices from the first removal conveyor and transfer and place them on the second removal conveyor;
wherein the track combiner is positioned between the first removal conveyor and the second removal conveyor, and bridges over the discarding device;
wherein the track combiner is a deflection conveyor whose conveying width is smaller than a conveying width of a conveyor track of the first removal conveyor and whose end adjacent to the first removal conveyor is displaceable transversely to the transport direction;
wherein the track combiner comprises a fixed-position roller and a displaceable roller.

2. The slicing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the track combiner is a multi-belt conveyor having a plurality of individual conveyor belts.

3. The slicing apparatus in accordance with claim 2 , wherein the fixed-position roller is a deflection roller and is disposed at an outgoing side adjacent to the second removal conveyor and the displacement roller is a drive roller adjacent to the first removal conveyor and displaceable transversely to the transport direction.

4. The slicing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the discarding device extends, viewed transversely to the transport direction, at least substantially across all conveyor tracks of the first removal conveyor.

5. The slicing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 , wherein a length of the discarding device is greater than a length of the slices with respect to the transport direction.

6. The slicing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the first removal conveyor has two conveyor tracks.

7. A method for the continuous slicing of products, the method comprising the steps of:
providing the slicing apparatus of claim 1 ;
supplying the products on the two-track supply apparatus to convey the products to the at least one slicing unit to cut off the products into slices and discarded product parts;
transferring the slices and the discarded product parts away from the at least one slicing unit by the first removal conveyor;
transferring the discarded product parts to the discarding device located between the first removal conveyor and the second removal conveyor;
taking over the slices on the first removal conveyor consecutively in time by the track combiner; and
transferring and placing the slices on the second removal conveyor by the track combiner.

8. The method in accordance with claim 7 , wherein, during the slicing of a first product on one of the tracks of the two-track supply apparatus, another track is loaded with a second product, with a start end of the second product being cut off before the first product is completely sliced.

9. The method in accordance with claim 8 , wherein the start end of the second product is sliced into discarded product parts by the at least one slicing unit, with the slicing of the start end of the second product being started when the number of remaining slices of the first product equals the number of discarded product parts of the start end of the second product.

Assignees

• Weber Maschb Gmbh

Inventors

• Schmeiser Jörg

Classifications

• B26D7/32

  for conveying or stacking cut product (means for removing cut-out material or waste B26D7/18) · CPC title

• Y10S83/932

  Edible · CPC title

• B26D7/18 Primary

  Means for removing cut-out material or waste · CPC title

• B26D2210/02

  for cutting food products, e.g. food slicers · CPC title

• B26D7/0625

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