System for cutting spiral shaped pieces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9943978-B2
Application number	US-201514868987-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2015
Priority date	Oct 11, 2011
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

A rotary knife fixture configured for use in a water knife cutting system includes a ring, defining an internal aperture, and at least two spaced, angularly offset, parallel groups of parallel helically twisted cutting blades, extending across the aperture. The ring is configured to be placed in fluid communication with a hydraulic feed conduit of the water knife cutting system and for rotary motion about a rotational axis extending through the aperture. The groups of parallel blades are oriented generally perpendicular to the rotational axis. Each cutting blade has a sharpened cutting edge at one side thereof and is twisted generally about a center point thereof to define a pair of cutting edges oriented in opposite-facing circumferential directions. A vegetable product, fed through the aperture at a product speed, and with the rotary knife fixture rotating at a rotational speed, is substantially simultaneously cut into multiple helically twisted pieces.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for cutting products propelled into cutting engagement therewith at a selected speed, comprising:
a blade holder, configured to rotate about a rotational axis, having
a generally ring-shaped aperture, surrounding the rotational axis;
at least two parallel, vertically spaced, angularly offset groups of cutting blades, each group of cutting blades comprising a plurality of generally parallel helically-twisted cutting blades, carried by the blade holder and extending across the aperture, each cutting blade having a sharpened cutting edge at one side thereof and being twisted generally about a center point thereof to define a pair of cutting edges oriented in opposite-facing circumferential directions;

a drive motor, configured to rotatably drive the blade holder at a selected rotational speed; and
a hydraulic feed system, configured to feed products through the aperture at a selected linear speed while the blade holder is rotating, to substantially simultaneously cut the product into multiple helically twisted pieces.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein a spacing of the vertically spaced groups of cutting blades, and the rotational speed of the blade holder, and the linear speed of the hydraulic feed system are selected to produce helically twisted pieces having a helical pitch of about 3 inches.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the spacing of the groups of cutting blades is about 0.5″.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the blade holder comprises a plurality of stackably attached blade holder rings, each group of cutting blades being carried by one of the blade holder rings, opposing ends of each cutting blade being integrally attached to an inner surface of a respective blade holder ring at a selected pitch angle.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein each group of cutting blades comprises exactly five cutting blades.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the groups of cutting blades comprise exactly three groups of cutting blades, whereby the helically twisted pieces are given a triangular cross-sectional shape.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the groups of cutting blades are angularly offset by an angle selected such that at least a subset of the helically twisted pieces are given an equilateral triangular cross-sectional shape.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the groups of cutting blades define a plurality of virtual apertures, whereby the helically twisted pieces are produced in multiple species of shapes that vary in helical radius and orientation of their cross-section.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the groups of cutting blades comprise exactly two groups of cutting blades, oriented at an angular offset selected such that at least some of the helically twisted pieces have a square cross-sectional shape.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the groups of cutting blades comprise exactly two groups of cutting blades, oriented at an angular offset selected such that at least some of the helically twisted pieces have a rhomboid cross-sectional shape.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the cutting blades have a corrugated cutting edge configured to produce crinkle-cut pieces.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the rotational axis of the blade holder extends through a virtual intersection of cutting blades from each group of cutting blades.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the rotational axis of the blade holder extends through a virtual aperture defined by the cutting blades of each group of cutting blades.

14. A helically twisted piece of product produced by the system of claim 1 .

15. The helically twisted piece of product of claim 14 , wherein the product is a vegetable product.

16. The helically twisted piece of product of claim 14 , wherein the vegetable product is a potato.

17. A rotary knife fixture configured for use in a water knife cutting system, comprising:
a ring, defining an internal aperture, configured to be placed in fluid communication with a hydraulic feed conduit of the water knife cutting system and for rotary motion about a rotational axis extending through the aperture; and
at least two vertically spaced, angularly offset, parallel groups of cutting blades, each group of cutting blades comprising a plurality of parallel cutting blades, extending across the aperture generally perpendicular to the rotational axis, each cutting blade having a sharpened cutting edge at one side thereof and being twisted generally about a center point thereof to define a pair of cutting edges oriented in opposite-facing circumferential directions, whereby a vegetable product, fed through the aperture at a product speed, and with the rotary knife fixture rotating at a rotational speed, is substantially simultaneously cut into multiple helically twisted pieces.

18. The rotary knife fixture of claim 17 , comprising exactly three vertically spaced, angularly offset, parallel groups of cutting blades, extending across the aperture, the angular offset selected to produce helically twisted pieces having a triangular cross-section.

19. The rotary knife fixture of claim 17 , comprising exactly two vertically spaced, angularly offset, parallel groups of cutting blades, extending across the aperture, the angular offset selected to produce helically twisted pieces having a square or rhomboid cross-section.

20. The rotary knife fixture of claim 17 , wherein the groups of cutting blades define a plurality of virtual apertures, whereby the helically twisted pieces are produced in multiple species of shapes that vary in helical radius and orientation of their cross-section, depending upon a particular virtual aperture associated with the cutting of a particular helically twisted piece.

21. The rotary knife fixture of claim 20 , wherein the rotational axis of the blade holder extends through one of a virtual intersection of cutting blades from each group of cutting blades, and a virtual aperture defined by the cutting blades of each group of cutting blades.

22. The rotary knife fixture of claim 17 , wherein at least some of the cutting blades have a corrugated cutting edge configured to produce crinkle-cut pieces.

23. The rotary knife fixture of claim 17 , wherein the vegetable product is a potato.

24. A water knife cutting system for cutting potatoes into multiple helically twisted pieces, comprising:
a hydraulic feed system, configured to propel potatoes through a feed conduit at a selected linear speed;
a drive motor; and
a cutting head, having a rotatable blade holder, driven by the drive motor and configured to rotate about a rotational axis, having
a generally ring-shaped aperture, in fluid communication with the feed conduit and surrounding the rotational axis;
at least two parallel, vertically spaced, angularly offset groups of cutting blades, each group of cutting blades comprising a plurality of generally parallel cutting blades, carried by the blade holder and extending across the aperture, each cutting blade having a sharpened cutting edge at one side thereof and being twisted generally about a center point thereof to define a pair of cutting edges oriented in opposite-facing circumferential directions, the groups of cutting blades configured to contact and substantially simultaneously cut potatoes driven thereagainst by the feed system into a plurality of helically twisted pieces.

25. A helically twisted piece of product produced by the system of claim 24 .

Assignees

• Simplot Co J R

Inventors

• Walker David Bruce
• Neel Allen J
• Englar James
• Bokides Dessa

Classifications

• B26D5/20

  with interrelated action between the cutting member and work feed · CPC title

• B26D7/2628 Primary

  Means for adjusting the position of the cutting member · CPC title

• B26D7/2614

  Means for mounting the cutting member · CPC title

• B26D2001/006

  the cutting blade having a special shape, e.g. a special outline, serrations · CPC title

• B26D2001/0073

  having the form of a three dimensional spiral · CPC title