EP1055492A2 - Machine for cutting strips of foodstuff, in particular for cutting vegetables - Google Patents

Abstract

The shredding or chopping machine has at least two disk cutter sets (4, 5) one behind the other in the feed direction of the cut-off slices. The rotation axes of these seta run parallel to each other. The disk cutters (20) of the second set are offset perpendicular to the feed direction relative to those (19) of the first set.

Description

The invention relates to a machine for cutting food, in particular of vegetables, in strips with a drum rotating in a machine frame, whose jacket has at least one opening through which the inside of the Drum material to be sliced and rotatable with it due to the centrifugal force radially emerges to the outside, with the material to be cut by means of a Machine frame connected knife disks can be cut by means of of a circular knife set, which drives a plurality of rotatably on a common shaft arranged, disc-shaped circular knives, in strips are cuttable.

Such machines are generally known and are used in particular for cutting of potatoes, carrots, celery, radishes, onions and other vegetables, but also used to cut frozen meat. The drum acts as Centrifuge, on the inside of which a plurality of axially extending Driver ribs are arranged, which ensure that this in the drum the material being cut follows the rotation of the drum without slippage. Furthermore the driving ribs have the task of cutting the slices exert the necessary counterforce on the material to be cut.

The material to be cut is usually fed via a hopper, from which the material to be cut is fed is directed to a central opening in an end face of the drum. The opposite Front of the drum, whose axis of rotation is usually horizontal is closed, so that the material to be cut with the drum rotating can only emerge through the openings in the drum shell.

To get cubes instead of strips of the material to be cut, the machines have according to the state of the art, one often follows the circular knife set further cutting device, which is designed in the form of a so-called chopping roller. With this chopper roller, with several arranged around its circumference bar-shaped knives and with their axis of rotation parallel to the circular knife set is aligned, the emerging from the circular knife set and divided into cubes or cuboids over a strip of counter-jute.

A disadvantage of the known machines is that they are particularly sensitive Cuts when passing through the circular knife set with a large pressure load are exposed. This stems from the fact that in the cut slices penetrating circular knives inevitably cause material to be cut, which results in compression of the material to be cut. Especially with pressure sensitive and juicy cutting goods, such as onions therefore to an undesirably large juicing, which is a clear lack of quality the cut strips or cubes can be viewed. Aspirations, the pressure load by reducing the thickness of the circular knives are reduced by a Minimum material thickness, which should not be undercut, sets very narrow limits.

The invention has for its object to propose a cutting machine with which is also sensitive and juicy cutting goods without quality reduction in strips or cubes can be cut.

Starting from a machine of the type described above, this task solved according to the invention in that in the conveying direction of the cut slices at least two sets of circular knives are arranged one behind the other, their shafts run parallel to one another, the circular knives of the second set of circular knives perpendicular to the direction of conveyance to the circular knives of the first circular knife set are staggered.

In the machine according to the invention, the pressure load on the material to be cut is, for example when using two circular knife sets arranged one behind the other halved, because in each of the two stages connected in series only the Half of the total circular knives available on both knife sets with the Product are engaged. This way the juice loss can be reduced in this regard sensitive cutting goods can be significantly reduced.

Even if the load on the material to be cut is reduced by the series connection can be further reduced by more than two circular knife sets this is due to the increasing construction costs and the growing space requirements for the machine only in exceptional cases, i.e. for very sensitive cutting goods or very high demands on product quality or juice maintenance, justified his. The use of two sets of circular knives is usually the best Compromise between sufficient minimization of the load on the material to be cut as well Avoid unnecessarily large production costs.

In this respect, it is particularly advantageous if there are two sets of circular knives, whose circular knife in the axial direction equidistant to each other with identical Division are arranged, the offset between the circular knives of the half Division corresponds to in this way after the material to be cut leaves the second Circular knife set all strips of identical width are available.

According to an embodiment of the machine according to the invention, it is proposed that that the circular knives of the first set of circular knives fit into the spaces between extend the circular knives of the second circular knife set, the distance the axes of rotation is dimensioned approximately so that the in a plane parallel to contour lines of the circular knives of the two circular knife sets projected onto the circular knives in a tangential plane to the outer surface of the two waves cut the circular knife sets.

With such a design it is achieved that in no greater distance Direction of conveyance the circular knives of both sets of circular knives are simultaneously engaged. Rather, the area of engagement of the second set of circular knives essentially begins only where the circular knives of the first set of circular knives contain the material to be cut have already left again.

While reducing the distance between the axes of rotation of the two circular knives well below the distance defined above for an undesirable increase the pressure load leads to an increase in the distance above the aforementioned Dimensionally not advantageous, because this makes the machine's space unnecessary would increase and on the other hand the leadership of the first circular knife set already cut strips between the two sets of circular knives would be difficult. With the rotation axis distance selected as described above there is always a safe lateral guidance of the material to be cut, as the engagement areas of the two sets of circular knives immediately adjoin each other.

A further development of the invention is finally that Circular knife sets a slotted plate is provided, which the cross section of the conveyor Axes of rotation of the circular knife sets limited and by the circular knives of the Circular knife sets in slots, which are adapted in length and width to the circular knife are permeated. In this way, an unwanted intrusion can occur from cutting material in areas between the shafts of the circular knife sets prevented and thus consistent product management can be achieved.

A particularly simple adjustment of the height of the conveyor cross-section - depending on from the set thickness of the cut slices - can then realize when the slotted plate is integrally formed.

Fig. 1

eine perspektivische Ansicht einer Schneidmaschine in schematischer Darstellung;

Fig. 2

einen Querschnitt durch die Maschine gemäß Fig. 1;

Fig. 3

eine vergrößerte Darstellung eines Ausschnitts aus Fig. 2 und

Fig. 4

einen Schnitt entlang der aus Fig. 3 ersichtlichen Linie IV - IV.

The invention is explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment of a cutting machine, which is shown in the drawing. It shows:

Fig. 1

a perspective view of a cutting machine in a schematic representation;

Fig. 2

a cross section through the machine of FIG. 1;

Fig. 3

an enlarged view of a section of Fig. 2 and

Fig. 4

a section along the line shown in Fig. 3 IV - IV.

The machine 1 shown in Fig. 1 for cutting vegetables in particular Cube has a drum 2 with a horizontal axis of rotation on a funnel 3, in an opening, not shown, within an end face of the drum 2 opens, can be equipped with material to be cut. That due to the centrifugal force radially through Breakthroughs in the drum 2 emerging cutting material is fixed with the help of a knife sliced with a machine frame. This Disks are then using two circular knife sets 4 and 5, whose Axes of rotation run parallel to the axis of rotation of the drum 2, cut into strips. Subsequently, these strips are not covered with a cover 6 visible chopper divided into cubes. The cubes leave the machine 1 through the outlet cross section of an ejection chute formed by the cover 6.

As can be seen from the sectional view in FIG. 2, the drum 2 has four driver ribs 7 provided, which cause the axially introduced material to be cut in the edge regions of the drum cross section approximately in synchronism with the drum 2 emotional. In an area to the side of the drum 2 are at an angle to one another the two circular knife sets 4 and 5. The nascent disks, the - starting from the cutting edge 8 of the fixed knife 9 - the Leave drum 2 in the tangential direction, are successively by the Circular knife sets 4 and 5, the outer contours of which are not shown to scale in FIG. 2 are cut into strips. Following the circular knife sets 4 and 5 there is a chopper 10 with five distributed in the circumferential direction and parallel mutually arranged cutter bars 11, which with the rear edge 12 of the Knife 9 work together in the form of a shear bar. In dependence of the speed of the chopper roller 10 are those emerging from the second circular knife set 5 Stripes divided into cubes or cuboids.

3, a cylinder 13 surrounding the drum 2 is in an exit area 14 which is fixed in the direction of rotation (arrow 15) of the drum 2 Knife 9 is upstream, expanded spirally. This is done after controlled passage of the material to be cut through the respective opening in the drum 2 cutting a disk of thickness 16. As a result of the centrifugal force the material to be cut is always in the outlet area on the inner wall 17 of the cylinder 13, which is increasingly moving away from the axis of rotation of the drum 2. With help an adjusting device 18, the thickness 16 of the slices can be varied.

The cut slices then pass through two sets of circular knives 4 and 5, whose axes of rotation are parallel to one another and to the axis of rotation of the drum 2 are aligned. Each circular knife set 4, 5 has a plurality of parallel to each other arranged, disc-shaped circular knives 19 and 20.

These circular knives 19 and 20 penetrate to a small amount of their diameter in adapted trough-shaped troughs 21 in the knife 9, which is why a safe Cutting the slices into strips is ensured.

The conveyor cross section of the strips is in the direction of the axes of rotation of the circular knife sets 4 and 5 delimited by a slotted plate 22, in the slots of which Penetrate circular knives 19 and 20. The slotted plate 22 prevents the cut Streaks due to friction on the flanks of circular knives 19 and 20 from the knife 19 is lifted and on a circular path in areas between the waves of the circular knife sets 4, 5 or behind the wave of the second Circular knife set 5 are moved.

As shown in FIG. 3, but also in FIG. 4, the circular knives 19 extend of the first set of circular knives 4 in the spaces between the circular knives 20 of the second circular knife set 5 or vice versa. This overlap of the Circular knives 19 and 20 in one connecting the axes of rotation of the circular knife sets 4 and 5 Level is achieved that the material to be cut after an exit from the Circular knife set 4 immediately enters the circular knife set 5. Because the conveyor cross section with respect to the aforementioned connection plane between the axes of rotation the circular knife sets 4 and 5 are arranged offset, is within the conveying cross section with the exception of the area of the gusset 23, there is no overlap of the circular knives 19 and 20 are present, so that essentially only the circular knife 19 of the first circular knife set 4 or the circular knife 20 of the second Circular knife set 5 are in engagement with the slices to be cut. The Pressure load on the material to be cut is only due to the displacement by the circular knife 19 or only by the circular knife 20 compared to Machines with a single circular knife set, which is twice the number of circular knives has, thereby approximately halved.

After leaving the second set of circular knives 5, the strips are made using a Chopping roller 24 rotating about a parallel axis of rotation is divided into cubes. The chopper 24 has five over the circumference of a roller body which is star-shaped in cross section 25 distributed bar knives 26, which at a close distance pass rear edge 27 of the slotted plate 22 and after with its front edge 28 Traversing the conveying cross section with the rear edge 29 of the knife 9 in Interact with the shape of a shear bar. A pressure load on the material to be cut does not take place due to the chopper roller because of the large free length of the Knife bar 26 in connection with the height of the ribs 30 of the roller body 25 there is enough space for the cubes to fall off.

Claims (4)

Machine for cutting food, especially vegetables, in Strip, with a rotatable drum, the jacket of which has at least one opening has, by the inside of the drum and with this rotatable material to be cut radially outwards due to the centrifugal force, whereby of the material to be cut by means of one connected to the machine frame Knives can be cut off by means of at least one set of circular knives, of which a plurality of can be driven in rotation on a common shaft arranged, disc-shaped circular knives, can be cut into strips are characterized in that the cut in the conveying direction Disks at least two circular knife sets (4, 5) arranged one behind the other are whose axes of rotation run parallel to each other, the circular knife (20) of the second circular knife set (5) perpendicular to the conveying direction to the Circular knives (19) of the first set of circular knives (4) are arranged offset. Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that two sets of circular knives (4, 5) are present, the circular knife (19, 20) in the axial direction are arranged equidistant to each other with identical division, whereby the offset between the circular knives (19, 20) corresponds to half the division. Machine according to claim 2, characterized in that the circular knives (19) of the first set of circular knives (4) in the spaces between the circular knives (20) of the second circular knife set (5), the distance the axes of rotation is approximately such that the parallel in one plane contour lines of the circular knives (19, 20) projected to the circular knives (19, 20) of the two circular knife sets (4, 5) in a tangential plane to the outer Cut the outer surfaces of the two shafts of the circular knife sets (4, 5). Machine according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by at least a slotted plate (22), the cross section of the conveyor to the axes of rotation Circular knife sets (4, 5) limited and by the circular knives (19, 20) Circular knife sets (4, 5) in slots that match the length and width of the Circular knives (19, 20) are adapted, is penetrated.

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