Patent Application
20230321861
This application claims priority to German Patent Application No. DE 102022108508.2 filed on Apr. 8, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated in its entirety by reference herein.
The invention relates to slicing machines, in particular so—called slicers, which are used in the food industry to slice strands of an only slightly compressible product such as sausage or cheese.
Since these strands can be produced with a cross section that retains its shape and dimensions well over its length, i.e., essentially constant, they are called product calibers.
In most cases, several product calibers arranged parallel to each other on individual tracks are cut open at the same time by cutting off one slice at a time from the same blade, which moves in a transverse direction to the longitudinal direction of the product calibers.
The product calibers are pushed forward by a feed conveyor of a cutting unit in the direction of the blade of the cutting unit, usually on an obliquely downwardly directed feed conveyor, and are each guided through the product openings of a plate-shaped, so-called cutting frame, at the front end of which the part of the product caliber projecting beyond it is cut off as a slice by the blade directly in front of the cutting frame.
The slices generally fall onto a first discharge conveyor, the so—called portioning belt, as part of a discharge unit, by means of which the individual separated slices are also collected into shingled or stacked portions on the portioning belt and transported away for further processing.
In such portions, where the slices at least partially overlap, there is the problem that, depending on the material, the slices sometimes adhere to each other so strongly that the customer cannot separate them without additional measures.
In this case, either a so—called interleaver in the form of a sheet of paper or foil is placed between the individual slices as a separation aid when the portion is prepared, or a liquid or powdered separating agent is applied to the contact surface of the slice.
It is therefore the object of the invention to provide a slicing machine, in particular a slicer, which is capable of dealing with the above-mentioned problem and at the same time exhibits a high degree of process reliability.
A generic slicing machine, such as a slicer, for slicing calibers-usually several calibers lying parallel to one another in different tracks-into slices and depositing them in shingled or stacked portions typically comprises
In order to minimize adhesion of the slices within the portions and to make it easier for the consumer to remove individual slices, a liquid or powdery anticaking agent is applied between the slices of a portion either before the next slice is placed on the upper side of the preceding slice and/or before the next slice hits its lower side.
For this purpose, the slicing machine may, as is known, have a spray unit with at least one spray opening for dispensing the anticaking agent.
The spray unit is usually located at an angle between the obliquely overhanging front surface of the cutting frame—which generally forms part of the feed unit—or the cutting plane in which the cutting edge of the blade moves, and the portioning belt.
The spray unit is preferably arranged and embodied in such a way that the at least one spray opening applies anticaking agent in the direction of one, in particular only one, main surface of an existing slice or a slice still to be produced.
In this context, the two main surfaces of a slice are understood to be the surfaces of the slice which lie opposite one another, run approximately parallel to one another and are each substantially larger than its circumferential surface.
A slice still to be produced is the beginning of the caliber, i.e., its front face, which, after the slice has been cut off, represents one of the two main faces of the slice.
Spray unit and spray opening are understood to mean any unit or nozzle by means of which an anticaking agent can be applied, irrespective of whether this is a nozzle in the classical sense with a narrowing passage opening and irrespective of whether the anticaking agent is applied under pressure. Thus, a simple, pressureless trickling of a powdered or liquid anticaking agent, e.g., onto the upper side of the last deposited slice, can also be effected by such a spray unit, but in practice the anticaking agent must be moved against the slice at a considerable speed—much higher than the falling speed from a low elevation of at most 30 cm—since the time available for the application of the anticaking agent is very short.
In the case of pressurized application, the anticaking agent—whether liquid or powder—is often finely atomized with the aid of compressed air or another pressurized medium with the aid of the spray nozzle, for which purpose the spray opening must be supplied not only with the anticaking agent itself but also with this pressurized medium—referred to below as compressed air irrespective of the type of pressurized medium—via a corresponding supply line.
The basic idea of the invention is, in the case of a generic slicing machine—hereinafter referred to only as a slicer, without limiting the invention thereto—to include, in addition to the usual assemblies such as a
Although the spray opening is used to apply the anticaking agent specifically in the direction of the main surface of the slice to be coated, in particular by spraying in this direction with overpressure, part of the anticaking agent flies past the main surface and is deposited on the surrounding parts of the machine, some of which are far away from the spray point due to the air movements, and has to be removed from there.
The slice on which the anticaking agent is to be applied can be an already existing slice on which the anticaking agent is applied either if it is already lying on the discharge conveyor—then on the upward—facing and accessible main surface of the slice—or in its fall path from the cutting unit in the direction of the discharge conveyor—then on the downward—facing main surface which has already been accessible since the start of the cutting process—or also a virtual slice which is still part of the caliber or at least still connected to it, since it has not yet been completely separated from the caliber. In this case, the main surface to be coated is the front face of the caliber projecting from the cutting frame.
In a slicing machine according to the invention, the spray unit and the control system controlling it are embodied in such a way that the main surfaces of the slices can be coated as completely as possible with anticaking agent, but as little anticaking agent as possible passes the main surface and thus as few parts of the machine away from the slices as possible are exposed to anticaking agent.
For this purpose, the at least one spray opening is preferably positioned in its spray direction and/or in its spray distance from the application point, i.e., the main surface of the slice to be coated—in relation to the machine parts to the cutting plane, in particular the front side of the product opening in the cutting frame—and/or the support surface on the discharge conveyor on which the slice is deposited—can be automatically adjusted, preferably also during the slicing operation of the machine, in particular during the slicing of the at least one caliber.
A separate spray opening is provided for each main surface to be coated, i.e., in the case of the usually multi-track slicers, a spray opening is provided in the spray unit for each track in order to be able to align its spray cone with the desired main surface of the slice.
As a rule, the main surface is round or square, in which case it is usually nearly square, in which case a spray opening, in particular a spray nozzle, is generally used which emits a spray cone with a round cross section. However, in the case of strongly elongated, approximately oblong-rectangular, cross sections of the main surface, slit-shaped spray openings or spray nozzles can also be used, which emit a spray cone with an approximately elliptical cross section.
In general, the spray opening or spray nozzle is selected and dimensioned so that the cross section of its spray cone is matched as closely as possible to the cross sectional relations of the main surface to be coated.
If the slice already lying on the discharge conveyor is to be coated on its upward— facing main surface, the spray unit, and in particular the spray opening, is located above the deposit surface on the discharge conveyor. The main surfaces of a slice are the largest surfaces of a slice which are approximately parallel to one another. In a discharge unit with usually three discharge conveyors arranged one behind the other in the transport direction, of which the rear—most conveyor in the transport direction is embodied as a portioning belt for forming portions, the spray cone must be directed at the deposit surface of this portioning belt, because the slices are arranged there partly lying on top of one another in portions, and in this case that excessive adhesion of the slices to one another is to be avoided.
Since there is hardly any space available exactly above this because of the overhanging cutting plane and cutting wedge, the spray unit with the one or more spray openings will be positioned offset in the transport direction in the direction of the next discharge conveyor with a spray direction obliquely downwards against the passage direction through machine.
If, on the other hand, the front, downward—facing main surface of the slice is to be coated already in the fall path or still in the state in which it is at least partially a constituent part of the caliber, the at least one spray opening is arranged with a spray direction obliquely upward and directed against the passage direction in front of the cutting plane and the cutting frame, usually above the second discharge conveyor of the discharge unit in the passage direction.
In order to coat as far as possible only the desired main surface and to effect this by means of automatic adjustment, there is preferably a detection unit which is capable of detecting the interface area produced by the at least one spray opening on the main surface of the slice, i.e., the interface image, with respect to its size and position on the main surface.
Usually this will be a camera, which must be embodied to distinguish the part of the main surface that is coated by anticaking agent from a part that is not coated.
This is the case if the anticaking agent differs from the non-coated surface of the slice, for example in its color, its reflective behavior or another optically detectable parameter.
On the other hand, the anticaking agent should be as undetectable as possible to the customer.
In order to achieve both goals at the same time, for example, in the case of an anticaking agent in powder form, the anticaking agent can only be distinguished from the surface of the slice by its color or other optical parameter as long as it has not yet been absorbed by the—usually somewhat moist—slice, i.e., immediately after application. Then the detection unit must capture the actual release image on the slide in exactly this time window.
The situation is similar with a liquid anticaking agent:
The liquid layer initially lying on the slice has a significantly different reflection behavior than the non-coated surface of the slice, and can therefore be detected optically until it is absorbed by the slice.
Another possibility is that the anticaking agent contains substances—permissible under food law—that are not visible to the human eye, but can be detected by means of a camera or other sensor operating by means of an electromagnetic frequency tuned to it.
Preferably, the control is then able to adjust the spray direction and/or the spray distance of the spray opening by comparing the determined actual interface image with a predetermined target interface image in such a way that the actual state of the interface image corresponds to the target state, which requires constant checking and readjustment and does not have to be achieved in one step.
For example, if the determined interface image is centered on the main surface, but is smaller than main surface, the control will leave the spray direction unchanged, but move the spray opening to a greater distance from the surface to be coated, opposite to the spray direction.
If anticaking agent is also detected away from the surface to be coated, for example on the deposit surface of the discharge conveyor, when the desired surface is completely coated, the procedure is reversed, i.e., the distance of the spray opening along the spray direction to the spray point is reduced to the surface to be coated.
If the interface surface coated with anticaking agent is eccentrically located on the surface to be coated, in particular the main surface of the bearing, the spray direction is changed—if necessary additionally—so that a centric position is achieved.
A further object to be mastered by the control is to coat a main surface with anticaking agent only once and not several times, and/or to apply anticaking agent by means of the anticaking agent opening only—which is usually done in batches, i.e., with only one burst per main surface—if a slice with a main surface not yet coated with anticaking agent is located at the point of impact for the anticaking agent.
If coating is to take place with a slice lying on the discharge conveyor, there may be no slice at the point of impact for the anticaking agent at the moment, for example because an empty cut has just been made, and then the control should also not apply any anticaking agent.
For the same reason, the front face of the caliber pointing in the direction of the discharge conveyor unit may be present in the cutting frame—with protrusion to the front—but may already have been coated with anticaking agent by means of the previous discharge stroke. Even then, no recoating and no shot of anticaking agent through the discharge opening is necessary and must be prevented by the control system.
For simple assembly and easy cleaning, the spray unit is preferably arranged in or on a spray bar passing through all tracks in the transverse direction, in particular inside a hollow, tightly closable spray bar, and this spray bar is preferably fixed in an automatically controlled adjustable manner to a holding device opposite the base frame of the machine.
The holding device itself can be rod-shaped and be fastened at one end to the base frame and at the other end section carry the spray bar, which then preferably projects at an angle, approximately at right angles, with its direction of extension relative to the main direction of extension of the rod-shaped holding device.
The spray bar should then preferably be automatically pivotable in a controlled manner about its longitudinal direction, which is in particular the transverse direction of the machine, relative to the holding device and/or be automatically adjustable in a controlled manner along the main direction of extension, the longitudinal direction, of the holding device.
This means that—particularly if the longitudinal extension of the rod-shaped holding device or at least a part thereof is aligned in the spray direction—the spray distance can be changed by displacement along the holding device and the spray direction can be changed by pivoting the spray bar.
To enable the spray distance to be changed along the spray direction, the holding device preferably comprises a main arm, which is attached to the base frame of the machine, and a pivoting arm, which is attached to the free end section of the main arm and in whose free end section the spray bar is located.
By pivoting the pivoting arm relative to the main arm about an axis running in the transverse direction, the pivoting arm can be adjusted with its direction of travel parallel to the spray direction, whereby the latter usually does not necessarily have to be controlled automatically, but can also be carried out manually once before the start of a cutting order.
To change the spray distance, the preferably rod-shaped holding device, in particular its pivoting arm, can be embodied to be adjustable in length, in particular telescopic, to make it easier to set the spray bar in the correct basic position relative to the application surface for the anticaking agent.
For this purpose, the main arm can in turn consist of a base part fixed to the base frame and a support part adjustable relative to the base part, in particular in the longitudinal direction.
This adjustment can, but does not necessarily have to, be carried out automatically in a controlled manner; a manual adjustment option is also sufficient here, which is then carried out before the start of the slicing operation.
For good accessibility into the machine, the spray bar can be attached to the holding device at only one point along its length, in particular in one of its end sections, i.e., cantilevered from the latter on one side, the holding device preferably being located on the operator side of the machine when the basic position of the spray bar is set manually.
The necessary contacts of the spray unit for anticaking agent and/or electrical signals and/or electrical current and/or compressed air—which is mostly used as transport medium for the anticaking agent—are then present in particular in this mounting section, in particular this end section of the spray bar, in particular in an end face of the spray bar.
Preferably, the spray direction of each individual spray opening is also adjustable and adjustable relative to the spray bar, in particular from the outside of the spray bar, which however is preferably not done automatically, but manually, in order to be able to carry out an initial basic adjustment of the spray unit easily.
In order to be able to carry out the basic setting as well as possible and as accurately as possible with regard to the spray direction, the spray bar, in particular assigned to each of its spray openings, can each comprise a non-contact pointing device, such as a laser pointer, which indicates to the operator the point of impact of the spray direction on the application point with an optically recognizable beam.
With regard to the method, this object is solved in that in a generic slicer with spray unit, in particular the slicer described above, the main surface of the slice to be coated is coated as completely as possible with anticaking agent and/or as little anticaking agent as possible is delivered away from the slices.
In particular, for this purpose the spray direction and/or the spray distance of the at least one spray opening is automatically adjusted accordingly by the control, preferably during slicing operation of the machine, in particular during slicing of a caliber or also in the slicing pause during loading of the machine with new calibers.
This adjustment is preferably carried out on the basis of a comparison of the control of the existing actual slice image on the desired application point, in particular a main surface of the slice, with a predetermined target slice image.
For this purpose, the current actual application image is determined with the aid of the control or corresponding sensor system, in particular during the slicing operation of the machine and in the machine.
Preferably, the presence of a main surface of a slice—not yet coated with anticaking agent—is checked at the application position prior to dispensing anticaking agent, and anticaking agent is applied to the main surface only in the positive case.
The application of anticaking agent is preferably carried out in batches, whereby the batch or shot of anticaking agent is only applied if the main surface concerned is also located at the application position for anticaking agent, which is particularly important if the anticaking agent is applied to the slice during its fall path from the cutting plane to the discharge conveyor.
When the anticaking agent is applied to the face of the caliber, due to the short time between two cuts of the blade, the delivery of anticaking agent from the spray opening, i.e., the anticaking agent shot, must already be started, while the blade cutting off the previous slice still covers the newly created face of the caliber completely or partially.
Preferably, when changing over to a new product and/or changing the number of tracks and/or the distance between the tracks, the spray unit, in particular a spray bar in which the spray unit is housed, is completely changed or the basic setting of the spray unit, in particular of the spray bar, is manually adapted to the new job.
In particular, the corresponding setting values for the spray unit, including the relative position of the spray bar to the base frame and thus the settings on its holding device, are stored in the control system for each work order in order to be able to display them at least to the operator if this basic setting is carried out manually, and of course even more so if this basic setting is also carried out automatically and controlled by means of correspondingly available controlled drives.
Embodiments according to the invention are described in more detail below by way of example. They show:
It can be seen that the basic structure of a slicer 1 according to the state of the art is that a cutting unit 7 with blades 3 rotating about a blade axis 3′, such as a sickle blade 3, is provided with several, in this case four, blades, product calibers K, in this case four, lying side by side transversely to the feeding direction 10 on a feed conveyor 4 with spacers 15 of the feed conveyor 4 between them are fed by this feed unit 20, from the front ends of which the rotating blade 3 cuts off a slice S with its cutting edge 3a in each case in one operation, i.e., almost simultaneously. The feed or feeding direction 10 may also be considered a transport direction of the slicer 1, in particular a transport direction of the feed unit 20.
For the cutting of the product calibers K, the feed conveyor 4 is in the cutting position shown in
The rear end of each caliber K lying in the feed unit 20 is held positively by a gripper 14a-d with the aid of gripper claws 16 as shown in
Both the feed of the gripper slide 13 and of the feed conveyor 4 can be driven in a controlled manner, but the actual feed speed of the calibers K is effected by a so—called upper and lower product guide 8, 9, which are also driven in a controlled manner and engage on the upper side and lower side of the calibers K to be cut open in their front end sections near the cutting unit 7.
The front ends of the calibers K are each guided through a so—called slit opening 6a-d of a plate-shaped cutting frame 5, the cutting plane 3″ running immediately in front of the front, obliquely downward—pointing end face of the cutting frame 5, in which cutting plane the blade 3 rotates with its cutting edge 3a and thus cuts off the protrusion of the calibers K from the cutting frame 5 as a slice S. The cutting plane 3″ runs perpendicular to the upper run of the feed conveyor 4 and/or is spanned by the two transverse directions 11, 12 to the feeding direction 10.
The inner circumference of the eyeglass openings 6a-d of the cutting edge 3a of the blade 3 serves as a counter cutting edge.
Since both product guides 8, 9 can be driven in a controlled manner, in particular independently of one another and/or possibly separately for each track SP1 to SP4, they determine the—continuous or clocked—feed speed of the calibers K through the cutting frame 5.
The upper product guide 8 is displaceable in the 2. transverse direction 12—which is perpendicular to the surface of the upper run of the infeed conveyor 4—for adaptation to the height H of the caliber K in this direction. Furthermore, at least one of the product guides 8, 9 can be embodied to be pivotable about one of its deflecting rollers in order to be able to change the direction of the strand of its guide belt lying against the caliber K to a limited extent.
Below the feed conveyor unit 20 there is usually an approximately horizontally running residue conveyor 21, which starts with its front end below the cutting frame 5 and directly below or behind the discharge conveyor unit 17 and with its upper run thereon—by means of the drive of one of the discharge conveyors 17 against the passage direction 10*— transports away falling residues to the rear.
The slices S standing at an angle in space during separation fall onto a discharge unit 17 starting below the cutting frame 5 and running in passage direction 10*, which in this case consists of several discharge conveyors 17a, b, c arranged one behind the other with their upper runs approximately in alignment in passage direction 10*, of which the first discharge conveyor 17a in passage direction 10* can be embodied as a portioning belt 17a and/or one can also be embodied as a weighing unit.
The slices S can hit the discharge conveyor 17 individually and at a distance from each other in the passage direction 10* or, by appropriate control of the portioning belt 17a of the discharge unit 17—the movement of which, like almost all moving parts, is controlled by the control 1*— form shingled or stacked portions P, by stepwise forward movement of the portioning belt 17a.
In the two side views of
According to
In this process, an anticaking agent T is to be applied over as large an area as possible to the upward—facing main side S1 of each slice S immediately after it strikes the portioning belt 17a, preferably before the latter moves forward one step with the new slice S, and of course before the next slice strikes.
Accordingly, the predetermined target anticaking agent image Bsoll is a circular area coated with anticaking agent T on this main surface S1, which corresponds essentially to the entire upwardly facing main surface S1 of the slice S.
The spray unit 22 with the at least one spray opening 24.1 in the direction of view of
Because of the overhanging cutting plane 3″ and cutting frame 5, the spray unit 22 is not arranged in the longitudinal area above the portioning belt 17a, but slightly offset in the transport direction 10 above the start of the next discharge conveyor 17b.
After the spray unit 22 has been set, usually manually, before the start of a job, for example a batch of calibers K to be cut, an approximately circular area, the actual anticaking agent image Bist, should be coated with anticaking agent T on the main surface S1 of the slice S at the start of the cutting operation by means of one shot or burst of anticaking agent T delivered.
By means of a detection unit 27, such as a camera 27, the control 1* can check whether or not the actual anticaking agent image Bist already corresponds—within a predetermined tolerance—to the target anticaking agent image Bsoll in terms of position and size.
The latter is the case here, because according to
This is detected by the control 1*, which automatically moves the spray unit 22 further away from the application point on the portioning belt 17a, the slice S, in the opposite direction to the spray direction 24′ in order to enlarge the area on which there is target anticaking agent T, i.e., the target anticaking agent image Bist, to the size of the target anticaking agent image Bsoll.
The fact that this reduces the amount of anticaking agent per unit area within the last area—at least if the application time of anticaking agent remains the same—can usually be accepted or compensated for by extending the application time, i.e., the impact.
In order to arrange the anticaking agent image Bist centrally therein, the spray unit 22, which can be pivoted about a pivot axis running in the transverse direction 11, is automatically pivoted accordingly about this pivot axis by the control system.
In addition, there is an inspection unit 28, for example also a camera—which can also be functionally combined with the detection unit 27—which, before the spray unit 22 dispenses the anticaking agent T, checks whether there is a slice S at all on the intended application point, in this case on the impact point of a slice S on the portioning belt 17a, which slice S is also not yet coated with anticaking agent on its upper side.
Only when this is the case and is reported to the control 1*, does the control 1* cause the spray unit 22 to dispense anticaking agent T. The spray unit 22 can also be used to dispense anticaking agent.
The spray unit 22 can be embodied as a spray bar 23, in particular with several spray openings 24.1-24.4 distributed in the transverse direction 11, which is shown separately in
The spray bar 23 of the spray unit 22 extending in transverse direction 11 is in
In
As can be seen more clearly from the perspective view in
According to
The holding device 30 is thus fastened to the base frame 2 with its rear end section 30A in the passage direction 10* and carries on its other end section 30B, which is located further forward and further up in the assembled state, the spray bar 23, which is fastened to the end section 30B of the holding device 30 in a cantilevered manner on one side, namely with its end section 23A, and extends from there with its longitudinal direction 23′ in the transverse direction 11, preferably over all tracks SP1 to SP4 of the slicing machine 1.
As shown in
In one of the two wider, here the upwardly directed, peripheral walls 23b of the rectangular periphery there is a large-area opening which extends substantially over the entire length and which, as can be seen in
In the adjacent narrower peripheral wall 23a, which in the assembled state is directed against the direction of flow 10*, the nozzle units 25.1-25.4 with their spray openings 24.1 to 24.4 are mounted in corresponding passages, the, e.g., approximately cylindrical part of the nozzle units 25.1-25.4 extending from the passage into the interior of the spray bar 23.
In order to be able to re-produce the swivel position of the spray bar 23 about its longitudinal direction 23′, an arc-shaped scale 35.3 is arranged on the operator-side end face of the spray bar 23 and a pointer 36.3 is arranged on the tilting arm 30.2, which points to the markings of the scale 35.3.
The corresponding tilting position between tilting arm 30.2 and spray bar 23 is fixed by tightening a handwheel 37.3, with which the spray bar 23 can be clamped in the set rotational position relative to the tilting arm 30.2.
Irrespective of the presence of the tilting arm 30.2, the support device 30, in particular its main arm 30.1, can consist in the longitudinal direction 30′1 the greatest direction of extension of the beam-shaped holding device 30—of two parts which can be displaced relative to one another and thus telescoped, in this case a base part 30.1a, on which the clamping device 33 for fixing to the base frame 2 is located, and a support part 30.1b, on which either the tilting arm 30.2 or directly the spray bar 23 is fixed.
The extent to which the support part 30.1b is pulled out of the base part 30.1a is again indicated by means of a linear scale 35.1 and a pointer 36.1 referring thereto, one of which is fixed to the base part 30.1a and the other to the support part 30.1b. The set extension position is again fixed by means of a handwheel 37.1, by means of which a clamping screw connected thereto in a rotationally fixed manner is actuated, which clamps the two parts against each other.
In the released state of this clamping device, the relative longitudinal movement from base part 30.1a to support part 30.1b can be effected by means of a threaded spindle, the drive journal 38.1 of which is in the form of an external hexagon, which in this case projects from the front end face of the main part 30.1a facing the spray bar 23.
In addition, the holding device 30, in this case the main part 30.1, in particular its base part 30.1a, can be adjusted relative to the clamping device 33 in a transverse direction to the longitudinal direction 30′ of the holding device 30 or of its main part 30.1, the adjustment direction of which is also transverse to the transverse direction 11, the longitudinal direction 23′ of the spray bar 23.
There, too, a scale 35.2, linear in this case, and a pointer 36.2 pointing to it are provided for indicating the transverse adjustment, one part of which is fixed to the clamping device 33 and the other to the holding device 30, in particular its main part 30.1.
The set transverse adjustment can also be fixed here by a clamping device not shown. In the released state of this clamping device, this transverse adjustment can be effected by means of a threaded spindle whose drive journal 38.2 in the form of an external hexagon in this case projects from the upper side of the main part 30.1a.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102022108508.2 | Apr 2022 | DE | national |
