Patent Application
20230330884
This application claims priority to German Patent Application No. DE 102022109293.3 filed on Apr. 14, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated in its entirety by reference herein.
Slicing machines for slicing product pieces of elastic material such as sausage or cheese are mainly used in the food industry.
The material to be sliced may be meat or fish or any other food product.
A distinction must be made between
In order to produce slices of approximately the same volume and thus the same weight, a uniform caliber only has to be advanced by the same feed distance for the slicing of a slice of the same thickness, for which so-called slicers are known, which cuts the slices at a very high cycle frequency.
In the case of non-uniform product pieces, this is achieved in the prior art by first pressing the product piece in a forming tube with a constant internal cross section over its length so that it fills this forming tube cross section as completely as possible, so that the product piece in this pressed state has a cross section that is the same and known over its length, including in its end regions.
Then, by specifying the slice thickness and pushing it forward out of the forming tube and cutting off this protrusion by one such slice thickness in each case, approximately weight-accurate slices can be cut off.
The problem here is that although the product pieces may have similar dimensions within a batch, these dimensions can vary greatly from batch to batch. The dimensions can differ even more depending on the place of origin of the piece of meat on the animal or even the type of animal.
It is therefore known that the forming tube has a cross section that can be varied in at least one transverse direction in order to be able to insert and press product pieces with different cross sections.
In addition to the longitudinal press stamp that can be moved into the circumferentially closed forming tube in the longitudinal direction, the width of the forming tube channel can be changed and/or a cross press stamp that can be moved into the forming tube channel from its open longitudinal side can be used for cross pressing, which of course then requires longitudinal press stamps and/or cross press stamps of different or variable sizes that are kept in the machine, for example in the form of corresponding stamp turrets.
It is also known to provide a forming tube turret with several forming tubes of different sizes and/or shapes in terms of their cross section, which can be used as required, and which, in the case of two identical forming tubes, also allows loading of one of the two identical forming tubes while slices are currently being cut at the other forming tube.
However, pressing not only in the longitudinal direction but also in the transverse direction of the product piece on a forming tube turret with several forming tubes is difficult to realize.
Irrespective of the various embodiments described above, the cutting unit of such slicing machines is often located at working height, and the forming tube extends from there tilted backwards to the top, sometimes even above head height. This makes manual loading of the open forming tube, i.e., the forming tube channel, very difficult.
Adjusting the loaded forming tube on the one hand to the position of the longitudinal press stamp and, if necessary, the cross press stamp, but also relative to the cutting plane in which the blade moves, can then also cause difficulties.
It is therefore the object of the invention to provide a loading device for a generic slicing machine which minimizes the above-mentioned problems despite a simple and inexpensive construction of the loading device, as well as a method for operating such a slicing machine.
A generic slicing machine comprises a base frame as well as a forming tube channel extending in longitudinal direction fixed to the base frame and having an open longitudinal side and a channel cavity open at both ends for receiving a product piece.
The open longitudinal side can be closed by a cross press stamp which can be displaced tightly into the open longitudinal side in a 1st transverse direction, the transverse press direction, to form a circumferentially closed forming tube open at the end face, a longitudinal press stamp being present which can be moved tightly into the rear end of the forming tube cavity in the longitudinal direction for pushing forward and longitudinally pressing the elastic product piece located therein—which consists of a foodstuff—in the feed direction towards the cutting end of the forming tube.
During cross pressing and slicing, the upright longitudinal center plane of the cross press stamp in use must also be centered between the two inner surfaces of the side walls of the forming tube channel so that the cross press stamp is centered and, in particular, tightly seated in the forming tube channel.
The slicing machine further comprises a loading device for loading the forming tube channel through the open longitudinal side, and of course a cutting device with a blade which moves in a transverse direction in a blade plane lying perpendicular to the feeding direction and cuts off the protrusion of the product piece pressed to a uniform caliber protruding from the front end, the cutting end, of the forming tube.
According to the invention, the loading device comprises a transfer device which supports the forming tube channel (1U) and is embodied in such a way that it is able to transfer the forming tube channel (1U) from a loading position further away from the upright longitudinal center plane (10″) of the cross press stamp (5.1-5.6), in particular outside the base frame (12) of the machine, in transverse direction to the feed direction (10) to a slicing position in which the longitudinal center plane (10″) runs between side walls (1U1, 1U2) of the forming tube channel (1U), in particular centrally between their inner surfaces.
Since transferring can be done in particular in a horizontal transverse direction, loading of the forming tube channel is facilitated by the fact that no loading is necessary through the rear end face of the forming tube or forming tube channel, which is very high because of the upright position.
Preferably, the transfer device comprises a base slide which is displaceable in the transfer direction, preferably the second transverse direction—which is perpendicular to the first transverse direction, the transverse pressing direction on the one hand and the longitudinal direction on the other hand—and which also carries the forming tube channel, which is part of the transfer device, in particular the base slide, and can accordingly be transferred from the loading position to the cutting position.
This allows the operator to insert the product piece into the forming tube channel in the easily accessible loading position, and at the same time to check and, if necessary, correct the position of the product piece in the channel, which is not possible if the product piece falls into the open longitudinal side or also an open end side of the forming tube channel only in its cutting position within the machine.
In order to be able to adjust the width of the forming tube channel, the distance between the side walls in the 2nd transverse direction is adjustable, preferably in steps.
This can be achieved either by an additional slide, which carries a first side wall, being arranged on the base slide so as to be movable in the transfer direction, and the other, second side wall being adjustable relative to it, i.e., relative to the additional slide and thus also to the first side wall, in the transfer direction.
Since the adjustment can be made by a simple method and the fixing in a certain transverse position can be done positively by inserting a locking bolt into a locking opening, this results in a very simple construction.
However, during transverse pressing and slicing, i.e., when the cross press stamp is immersed, the two side walls must be symmetrical to the upright longitudinal center plane of the cross press stamp, which is therefore exactly midway between its two longitudinal edges running in the feeding direction. Therefore, for each of the possible predetermined widths of the forming tube channel—for which there is also a transverse press die with this width in each case—on the one hand the additional slide is positioned in relation to the basic slide in the transverse direction, in particular the transfer direction, and fixed by means of a first locking device, and on the other hand likewise the second side wall to the additional slide by means of a second locking device.
Alternatively, a first side wall can be fixed directly to the base slide in the transverse direction and the second side wall can be moved and fixed relative to it in this transverse direction relative to the first side wall, in particular by means of a first locking device. Then, however, there are different cutting positions for the base frame slide in the transverse direction, for example realized by a transverse stop for the base frame slide which is adjustable, preferably in steps, in particular by means of a second latching device, in order to ensure that the longitudinal center plane of the cross press stamp always runs in the center between the inner surfaces of the side walls when the forming tube channel is in the cutting position.
None of this is necessary if the forming tube channel is constructed in such a way that the two side walls can always only be adjusted in counter-synchronism towards or away from this longitudinal plane, which is located in the center between the side walls, regardless of whether this is done continuously or in steps and with fixing in the respective step, in particular positive fixing.
This can be done by means of separate drives, such as synchronized electric motors, or by means of only one drive and a corresponding counter-synchronous mechanism, such as a threaded spindle with two sections with circumferential threads thereon in two sections, one of which is a left-hand thread and the other a right-hand thread, matching corresponding internal circumferential threads in a spindle nut arranged in each of the side walls.
It is also important that when the forming tube channel reaches the cutting position, it is also positioned axially, i.e., relative to the blade plane in which the cutting edge of the blade rotates.
This can be achieved with a guide shoe which, in the transfer direction, runs with very little distance in a corresponding guide rail resting on both sides of the guide shoe, one of these two parts being attached to the base slide or additional slide and the other fixed to the base frame.
In the transfer direction, these two parts are arranged in such a way that they do not come into engagement with one another until towards the end of the movement path in the direction of the cutting position, an insertion slope being present on one of the two parts for easier insertion into one another.
The transfer path up to and also beyond this point can be covered by rollers rolling on rails running in the transfer direction, the rollers preferably being arranged on the base slide and the rails being fixedly fastened to the base frame for this purpose.
In particular, the guides, especially the base guides on which the base slide runs by means of rollers, are dimensioned in such a way that they are quite capable of deflecting when the forming tube channel is loaded in the first transverse direction, in particular by the transverse compression of a product piece located therein.
However, in the unloaded state of the forming tube channel, i.e., when no transverse compression is taking place, there is a support body located on the base frame at a very short distance below the base slide, so that when the forming tube channel is loaded and the base guides bend, the base slide moves in the direction of the support body and rests on it and is supported by it.
This allows the base guides and their attachment to the base frame to be relatively light, reducing the weight of the machine.
If, when the guide rail and the guide shoe run onto each other, there is an offset of the respective slide in the longitudinal direction, then either the roller must be slightly displaceable in this direction relative to the rail on which it runs or ran previously, or the additional slide must be displaceable relative to the base slide or the base slide relative to the rollers with which it runs on the rails, in particular by means of floating positioning.
In this way, the forming tube channel is again positioned axially exactly to the blade plane or cutting plane after each new loading.
For exact positioning in the cutting position in the transfer direction, preferably the 2nd transverse direction, a 3rd locking device is provided to prevent the basic slide from moving out of its cutting position during cutting operation.
This 3rd locking device can be deactivated by the operator and the operator side, in particular by pulling a release rod which releases this locking, whereupon the base slide only moves from the cutting position to the loading position.
In particular, an end position sensor is provided which detects whether the transfer device, in particular the base slide, in particular the forming tube channel, is in the cutting position, because cutting operation must not be started before then.
When the transfer device, in particular the base slide, in particular the forming tube channel is pulled out in the transfer direction from the slitting position to the loading position, the cross punch must no longer be inside the forming tube channel.
Therefore, a cross-stamp sensor is provided which detects whether the cross-stamp is inside or completely outside the forming tube channel and indicates and/or reports this to the control.
In a preferred embodiment, controlled drives are provided for adjusting and in particular positively fixing, in particular latching, the transfer device and/or the base slide in the cutting position and/or the additional slide, in particular the second side wall opposite the base slide and/or the second side wall in transverse direction to the additional slide.
In this way, supplemented by appropriate sensors, the entire loading device can be largely automated.
With regard to the method for slicing a product piece with a slicing machine comprising a forming tube channel for receiving the product piece and feeding it in a feeding direction to the slicing unit, in particular the blade, of the machine, as well as a loading device for the forming tube channel—wherein it can in particular be a slicing machine as described above—the existing object is solved in that that the product piece is transferred from a loading position to a cutting position, the cutting position being closer to or in particular on the longitudinal center plane of the cross press stamp than the loading position.
In this way, it is possible to provide the loading position at a location that is easily accessible to the operator and easily visible into the forming tube channel, which makes it much easier to deposit a product piece in the correct position in the forming tube channel.
Located on the longitudinal center plane is intended to mean that the longitudinal center plane runs between the two side walls of the U-shape located in the cutting position, in particular exactly midway between the two inner surfaces of the two side walls.
Preferably, the product piece is transferred by allowing the forming tube channel itself to be transferable between a loading position or a slitting position and thus allowing the product piece to be inserted into the forming tube channel at the easily visible loading position.
Before the slicing operation begins, the forming tube channel loaded with a new product piece is not only transferred, in particular displaced, to the slicing position, but also locked there, in particular positively locked, since damage to the machine could occur if the forming tube channel were to move away from its slicing position during the slicing operation.
In the longitudinal direction of the forming tube channel, it is finely adjusted relative to the blade plane during transfer to the slitting position or shortly thereafter.
The side walls of the forming tube channel can be fixed in their distance to each other and/or to the longitudinal center plane, in particular positively fixed, in order to correctly maintain the transverse compression.
If the loaded forming tube channel shifts in its position in this first transverse direction when loaded in the transverse pressing direction due to the material elasticity of the machine, it is supported after a short distance by a supporting body of the base frame arranged there.
Exemplary embodiments according to the invention are described in more detail below. The figures show:
A product piece 100 with a cross section that is still irregular along its length is first inserted into a very steep forming tube channel 1U running in longitudinal direction 10, of which primarily the side wall 1U2 is visible in
Subsequently, the open longitudinal side of the forming tube channel 1U is circumferentially closed to form a forming tube 1, e.g., by driving in a cross press stamp 5.1 fitting exactly into it in transverse direction 11.1 to the longitudinal direction 10, the transverse press direction 11.1, by means of a transverse press drive 7 according to
At the same time or subsequently, as shown in
Longitudinal pressing and transverse pressing together cause the irregularly shaped product piece 100 in the forming tube 1 to be deformed into a caliber 100* with a uniform cross section in longitudinal direction 10.
For cutting, this caliber 100* is pushed forward in a controlled manner by the longitudinal press stamp 4.1 beyond the front, lower open end, the cutting end 1a, of the forming tube 1 to a stop plate 14 arranged at a distance in front of it, the stop surface of which defines the stop plane 14′.
By moving the cutting edge 3a of a blade 3 rotating about a blade axis 3′, which runs parallel to the longitudinal direction 10, in a transverse direction to the longitudinal direction 10, here also the transverse pressing direction 11.1, this protrusion of the caliber 100* is cut off as a slice 101, falls onto a discharge conveyor 8 and is conveyed by the latter out of the base frame 12 of the machine.
As best shown in
In this embodiment, the side walls 1U1, 1U2 are always symmetrical to the longitudinal center plane 10″, which is defined by the first transverse direction 11.1 and the longitudinal direction 10 and which runs stationary parallel to the inner surfaces of the side walls 1U1, 1U2 and/or perpendicular to the surface of the bottom 1U3, and to the inner surfaces of the two side walls 1U1, 1U2 of the forming tube channel 1U, which is in the cutting position, at the same distance B/2 on both sides, and/or in particular at the same distance B/2 on both sides to the two lateral longitudinal edges of the cross press stamp 5.1.
The side walls 1U1, 1U2, or more precisely the inner surfaces of the side walls, preferably run parallel to one another so that a cross press stamp 5.1 with a fixed width can be inserted between them with an exact fit.
For this purpose, the side walls 1U1, 1U2 can be moved to certain, fixed cross distances, to each other and thus to the longitudinal center plane 10″, and for each of these defined widths B, i.e., inner free widths, of the molded tube channel 1U, a cross press stamp 5.1 to 5.6 with an analogous width is provided, since the cross press stamps are not variable in width.
For this purpose, the cross press stamps 5.1 to 5.6 are held in a cross press stamp turret 15—as best shown in
Different longitudinal press stamps 4.1 are used in each case for the free inner width of the forming tube 1, which thus changes in steps, and these are held in a longitudinal stamp turret 13, the shift axle 13′ of which runs parallel but offset to the shift axle 15′ of the cross stamp turret 15.
From there, too, the appropriate longitudinal press stamp 4.1 can be automatically selected and attached to the longitudinal press drive 6.
Therefore, in addition to the forming tube 1, the circular disk-shaped blade 3 can already be seen as well as the stop plate 14 arranged next to it, the functional edge of which is convexly curved and runs parallel to the outer circumference of the circumferential edge, the cutting edge 3a of the blade 3, usually at a small radial and usually also axial distance from it.
The selection of the punches to be used for pressing and slitting can be partially or completely automated in that the machine itself analyzes, in particular measures, the still irregular, unpressed product piece 100 to such an extent that the control of the machine can automatically select the correct cross press stamp and longitudinal press stamp, for which the product piece 100 usually first has to be in the machine in order to be analyzed by corresponding sensors.
With this transfer device 17, the U-shape 1U can be moved laterally outside the base frame 12 of the machine, as can be seen in
As can best be seen in
Since the slide rails 27 lie approximately horizontally, the operator can grasp the steeply standing base slide 18 by a handle 18a arranged on its operator side B and pull it out until the forming tube channel 1U is located outside the base frame 12, of which the two side frames or side plates are shown here, as shown in
The forming trough 1U must be in a defined cutting position according to
Since the width of the forming tube channel 1U, i.e., the mutual spacing of the inner surfaces of the two side walls 1U2 and 1U1, is also to be variable in steps, an additional slide 19, which carries one side wall 1U1, is displaceable in the transfer direction 17′ on the base slide 18 and can be positively locked in certain transverse positions relative to the base slide 18 by means of a locking device 21.
Since, depending on the setting, the side wall 1U is at a certain distance from the longitudinal center plane 10″, the other side wall 1U2 must also be set to this new distance on the other side of the longitudinal center plane 10″, which is why this other side wall 1U2 in turn rests on the top of the additional slide 19 and can be latched relative to it in the transfer direction 17′ in various transverse positions, in particular with a second latching device 22.
The latching device 21 consists of a through-hole in the plate-shaped additional slide 19, which is preferably at the same time the bottom 1U3 of the forming tube channel 1U or includes this bottom, but the through-hole is away from the forming tube channel 1U on the operator side in transfer direction 17′.
In the base slide 18, there are recesses, in this case through holes, at predetermined distances from each other, and the through hole in the auxiliary slide 19 can be brought into alignment with each of these recesses in the base slide 18 in the transfer direction 17′, and a detent bolt 21a can be inserted into the base slide 18 through the additional slide 19 with a small radial clearance with respect to the diameters of the holes and recesses.
Similarly, the detent device 21 comprises a through-hole in the plate-shaped extension extending from the lower end of the side wall 1U2 away from the forming tube channel 1U and braced with respect to this side wall to form a supplementary slide 32, but the through-hole is located away from the forming tube channel 1U in the transfer direction 17′.
In the supplementary slide 19 there are recesses, in this case blind holes, at predetermined distances from one another, whereby the through hole in the plate-shaped extension of the supplementary slide 32 can be brought into alignment with each of these recesses in the supplementary slide 19 in the transfer direction 17′ and a locking bolt 22a can be inserted through the plate-shaped extension into the supplementary slide 19, which has a small radial clearance with respect to the diameters of the holes and recesses.
In
If this is not desired, a cover 5* that can be placed over the upper ends of the two side walls 1U1, 1U2 along the open longitudinal side is also sufficient.
The setting and adjustment of the transverse position of the supplementary slide 19 relative to the base frame 18 and also of the supplementary slide 32 is carried out before loading and preferably outside the base frame 12 of the machine in the loading position as shown in
In the cutting position of
For this purpose, a latching projection 28, which in this case projects downwards, is formed on the base frame 12, behind which a latching nose 29, which comes from below and projects upwards, can engage, which latching nose 29 is pivotably fastened to the base slide 18 between a latched and unlatched position. The tilted latching nose 29 can be unlocked by means of a drawbar 31, which extends from the latching device 20 arranged on the anti-operator side under the base slide 18 to the operator side and can be gripped there, in particular outside the base frame 12, by an operator in order to be able to pull the base slide 18 out into the loading position for new loading of the forming tube channel 1U.
For this purpose, of course, no cross press stamp 5.1 may be located inside the forming tube channel 1U, but must have moved out of it against the cross press direction 11.1, which can be checked by means of a sensor or also by means of a latching device not shown.
An end position sensor 26 is provided on the latching device 20, which detects the latched state of the latching nose 29 behind the latching projection 28, preferably without contact, and is connected in terms of signals to the control of the machine, so that no start of the slicing operation is possible without a basic slide 18 in the slicing position.
Not shown is a stop at the lower open end of the forming tube channel 1U, which is very steep, for the inserted product piece 100, which would otherwise slip out of the lower open end of the forming tube channel 1U.
This stop can be mounted stationary on the base frame 12 and extend close to the stop plate 14 in the transverse direction 11.2 shown in
a, b show how the base slide 18 can be adjusted very precisely to the blade plane 3″ in the longitudinal direction 10 in the cutting position:
Whereas the right-hand rollers have a slightly crowned peripheral surface in cross section and roll on a flat support surface of the slide rail 27B, the left-hand rollers 18A have a peripheral groove into which the left-hand slide rail 27A partially dips, the roller 18A bearing against the periphery of the slide rail 27A with both flanks of its groove, i.e., on both sides of the longitudinal center plane 18A″ of this roller 18A, which is transverse to its rotation axis 18′.
As a result, the roller 18A is held positively on the plunging slide rail 27A in the longitudinal direction, the longitudinal pressing direction 10, especially since the base slide 18 has, in addition to each roller resting on the upper side of the respective slide rail 27A, 27B, a respective counter-roller 18A* or 18B* on the opposite side of the respective slide rail 27A, 27B, which is necessary because of the rotational axis 18′ of the rollers 18A, B, which in reality is very steep.
In order to permit temperature expansions of the base slide 18 in the longitudinal press direction 10, only the rollers 18A on one side of the base slide 18 are positively formed with respect to the slide rail 27A as described—regardless of whether they are on the left or the right side of the base slide 18 as viewed in the transfer direction 17′—while the rollers 18B on the other side rest with their circumferential surface, which is convex in cross section, on the running surface of the slide rail 27A, 27B, which is less convex in the longitudinal direction 10, in particular planar, running surface of the slide rail 27B can move in longitudinal direction 10.
In the case of the rollers 18A, the groove could represent a prism and the part of the cross section of the roller 27A facing in the opposite direction could likewise represent a prism.
In the illustrated embodiment, however, the fillet in the roller 18A has, in its outer peripheral region, a peripheral surface 18A1 which is straight in cross section and angled with respect to one another and which corresponds in inclination to a tangent to the circular cross section of the slide rail 27A at that peripheral location of the slide rail against which it thus bears.
The central cross sectional area 18A2 of the fillet has a smaller radius of curvature than the round cross section of the slide rail 27A, and is contiguous with the inner ends of the peripheral surfaces 18A1, and is therefore not in contact with the slide rail 27A.
Axially on both sides away from the fillet, the rollers 18A have an annular cylindrical peripheral surface 18A3 whose diameter corresponds in particular to the largest diameter of the rollers 18B.
The groove of the guide shoe 23 has a lead-in slope at the end from which the guide rail 24 moves in.
Since the guide shoe 23 guides the base slide 18 via the guide rail 24 in the longitudinal pressing direction 10, i.e., in particular relative to the blade plane 3″, more precisely than the form fit between the rollers 18A and the slide rail 27A partially moved into it, the immersion of the guide rails 24 in the groove of the guide shoe 23 can lead to a slight misalignment of the base slide 18 in the longitudinal pressing direction 10, i.e., to a one-sided lifting of the rollers 18A from the slide rail 27A.
In order to avoid this, the slide rail 27A can end with its convex running surface from the position in transfer direction 17′, in which the insertion slope 23a changes into a constant groove width of the groove in the guide shoe 23, and a flat running surface of a slide rail 27A1 can follow it at such a height that the at least foremost roller 18A in the direction of the transverse stop 33 can continue to roll on it with its cylindrical circumferential surfaces 18A3 up to the transverse stop 33 without being displaced in transverse direction 11.1, as shown in
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102022109293.3 | Apr 2022 | DE | national |
