EP1819489B1 - Portioning device and method - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a device and a method for weight-accurate portioning.

II. Technical background

Wholesalers and bulk consumers in the food sector, especially commercial kitchens, catering services, restaurant chains and similar wish that especially the expensive foods such as fish and meat, that the provided therefrom discs or multi-disc portions always have the same weight, possibly only a weight tolerance of ± 3% is allowed, eg. For example, for fresh meat for sale in self-service retail with 500g target weight.

The separation of a disc with a certain predetermined target weight from a large muscle strand of fish or meat, which on the one hand has an inhomogeneous consistency and on the other hand a different shape and size, prepares especially in automated operation, in which the production of e.g. 200 slices per minute is required, significant problems.

Are known for this purpose Portioniervorrichtungen and corresponding methods in which it is assumed that matching volumes of the same piece of meat or fish piece also have approximately the same weight. Based on this, with the cut material, which is indeed deformable at least in moderation is completely filled a portioning chamber with predetermined dimensions and volume and then separated by a separating cut directly on the open side of the blind-hole-shaped portioning chamber a disc from the material to be cut.

To automate this process, the strand-like material to be cut in a front open and closed at the rear by a longitudinally movable ram forming tube, which has a constant cross-section in the longitudinal direction, inserted and pressed by pushing forward of the ram so that it is a shorter strand with constant cross section corresponding to the cross section of the forming tube is created.

From this forming tube, the strand of material to be cut is displaced out of the front end into the usually immediately adjoining portioning chamber, a slice is cut off by means of the press ram, and so forth.

There are still a variety of problems that prevent or complicate a fully accurate compliance with the actual weight, but which is sought by the meat or fish processors to minimize their use of goods and to secure the profit margins.

One problem is that within a material to be cut it is assumed that the weight is always the same, which is manually specified or stored for the individual types of cutgut, that is, for example, different muscle strands of different slaughter animals.

However, depending on the pressure prevalent during the portioning process in the slice to be separated and the composition of fat or water or porosity or proportion of muscle fiber types, this is not always the case.

Furthermore, in practice, it is not always possible to ensure 100% filling of the portioning chamber with material to be cut, especially not in the desired short filling time, and despite the already known negative pressure application in eg the portioning chamber, which in turn raises problems due to contamination of the vacuum lines with items to be cut, etc.

Furthermore, the pressure and friction conditions between material to be cut and the surrounding component differ considerably from one another, if the front end of the forming tube or the portioning chamber on the one hand with the rear end of the forming tube, where the material to be cut by means of the press ram for pre-deformation or pre-compression and for advancing in the portioning chamber is compared.

The process speed, which is of great importance for the processor, is also not optimal when using the same portioning chamber in succession by filling, separating, emptying and refilling. This was tried to improve by changing chambers, which then had the disadvantage of a non-variable volume.

In this context, first of the French patent FR 1271402 a pressing device is known in which a piece of meat can be pressed in both a longitudinal and in a transverse direction in a mold.

Furthermore, cutting devices are known in which a pre-compressed piece of meat is additionally cut into slices or cubes.

So is from the US patent US 6045071 a cutting device is known in which the circumferentially closed or trough-shaped open mold tube is longitudinally compressed and pushed forward and are separated by a knife at the front end slices that break into cubes due to an upstream knife gate for generating the longitudinal strands.

Behind the knife the dice fall down loosely.

Furthermore, from the PCT application WO 03 / 064123A1 a cutting device is known in which the separated slices of the meat piece are received in a forming tube with respect to the knife portioner whose bottom is formed by a counterpressure to the longitudinal plunger counterstamp, which is gradually withdrawn, so that at the end of the slicing the entire cut piece of meat in this portioning tube is located.

As a well-known prior art shows the US patent application US 2004/0156965 a cutting device in which each separated slice after removal is removed by pivoting away the portioning chamber in which it is located. On the side of the molded tube, the piece of meat is pressed both in the longitudinal and in the transverse direction. From this document, the features of the preamble of claims 1 and 12 are known.

From the European patent application EP 0306012 A2 It is known that in the ram, which presses on the rear end of the piece of meat, a pressure switch is integrated, which measures the pressure applied to the rear end of the piece of meat to be sliced.

III. Presentation of the invention a) Technical task

It is therefore the object of the invention to provide a method and a device which, despite high process speed and low susceptibility to failure, keeps the deviation of the target weight of the slices or slices from the actual weight as low as possible.

b) Solution of the task

This object is solved by the claims 1 and 12. Advantageous embodiments will be apparent from the dependent claims.

In particular, the two-part design of the forming tube as gutter and retractable side punch on the one hand facilitates the insertion of the material to be cut into the forming tube, on the other hand, the cross section of the forming tube could be largely approximated to the cross section of the material to be cut before the material to be pre-pressed in the longitudinal direction in the forming tube by means of the press ram becomes. As a result, the transverse deformation of the material to be cut is minimized, so that the material to be cut is protected, and thus improves both the weight stability and the dimensional stability of the slices to be separated.

Since the cross-sectional contour of the ram must match the free cross section in the forming tube, which is to close it, defined, stepped transverse positions are given for the side punch, which he can approach exclusively, and for the resulting free cross sections in the forming tube are specific, different sizes Press stamp provided or a customizable in its contour punch.

It must be provided in accordance with the applied free cross-section in the forming tube and thus the cross section of the ram in Portioniermodul a Portionier chamber with a corresponding cross section and possibly corresponding cutting tube available, as usually the cross section of the portioning chamber identical to that of Form pipe must be.

In the following, however, the presence and use of a portioning chamber into which the front end of the material to be sliced, and their volume completely filled by the material to be cut predetermines the slice to be separated, are assumed, unless stated otherwise.

However, it is only possible to optimize the weight of the subsequently produced slice as a function of the determined actual weight of the preceding slices if, according to the invention, the pressure in or close to the part of the sliced product can be changed during processing for this purpose, for example by changing the Pressing force of the press stamp, but above all by changing the volume of the portioning chamber and thus of the disc to be produced:

For this purpose, the bottom of the portioning chamber is movable in the feed direction as a counter punch, which closes the portioning chamber, and formed controllable, over a distance which corresponds in particular to a multiple of the target thickness of a disc.

The latter allows the additional advantage to be able to separate several slices one after the other, without having to immediately remove them from the portioning chamber. So it is the already separated slices by means of the whole cutting material gradually shifted further into the portioning chamber and separated, and gradually retracted to the same extent the counter punch to create the necessary volume for this purpose. This is possible over a whole number of slices, in particular over the entire sliced product, since the effect that different elastic areas, ie muscle fiber types, are present within a material to be cut, and accordingly behave and expand differently after the separation, only over the Number of discs totaled adversely affect the newly separated disc can.

Especially if, as mentioned, the entire slices are sliced successively sliced into slices in the Portionierkammer, so that there finally cut the entire sliced present in the Portionierkammer, can thus create a particularly simple and inexpensive machine by no device part is needed, the immediately after the separation of a disc, these are displaced out of the cutting area with the aid of the portioning chamber and removed, and a new empty portioning chamber is provided at the cutting position.

This device part must be very fast and work very precisely, which makes a high mechanical effort and thus a high cost share of the overall device.

This can be dispensed with if the emptying of the portioning chamber only has to be done once after cutting the entire material to be cut.

So that this does not necessarily have to take place in a very short time, two portioning chambers and thus portioning tubes and preferably two forming tubes are preferably present per machine, which can be moved back and forth between two positions, namely the cutting position for cutting the material to be cut and a discharge position spaced therefrom. especially back and forth, are.

This makes it possible to spend the filled portioning chamber, which is only a portioning gutter in training with a side punch from removing the side punch, from the working position to the loading position to empty them there either manually or by means of an axially acting slider ,

Relatively much time is available for this, because in the meantime the other empty portioning chamber is brought into working position, and a renewed cutting cycle begins.

Likewise, during the cutting of the material to be cut, which is located in a first forming tube, a second forming tube located next to it in the ejection position can already be filled with new material to be cut.

When within the time window, which is required for the slicing of a material to be cut, the new loading of the second forming tube or the unloading of the second Portionierrohres done, can be selected by the operator, so that a time buffer is given for other activities, and for example several such machines can be operated by a single operator.

The sliced food can be transported on a conveyor belt or stored in trays and then portioned manually and semi-automatically or fully automatically and further processed.

Such a machine is then particularly inexpensive to produce, if the corresponding individual parts such as mold tube and Portionierkammer, forming tube gutter and Portionier gutter, the respective transverse punches and / or ram and counter punch are identical, so that a machine with two or even more pairs of molded tube and Portionierrohr can be constructed from the same individual parts.

However, due to the possible fine positioning of the counter punch, it is now also possible to readjust the volume of the portioning chamber for each new slice to be separated, depending on how the deviation from the nominal weight has been shown in the previously measured actual weights of the separated slices ,

In particular, it is also possible in this way not only to strictly adhere to the target weight of individual slices, but also to the target weight of portions which are to comprise several slices, since in this case the target / Add actual deviations of the individual slices, but specifically shortly before the end of the completion of the portion by weighing eg the individual slices the difference of the actual weight of the target weight in the sum is known and can be compensated by the one or more last slices or controlled in the desired manner, for example by approaching the actual weight of the total portion at the lower limit the permissible tolerance range.

This is particularly easy if one of z. B. 6 slices existing portion whose target weight is given to two partial portions, for example, 2 x 3 slices or 1 x 5 slices and 1 x 1 slice, divided by the partial portions with several slices separated by succession, but record one behind the other in the portioning chamber, and after determination of the actual weight of the first partial portion, the last partial portion is given correspondingly exactly with regard to the desired weight and thus also the actual weight can be by means of appropriate adjustment of the longitudinal position of the counter punch.

It is recommended that a parallelogram-shaped cross-sectional contour of the mold cavity, in particular with rounded corners, and a large corner angle of 120 ° - 150 °.

This offers on the one hand the advantage that the volume can be changed by means of a channel and transverse traversable transverse punch, in that the transverse punch forms one of the sides of the parallelogram and is displaced in the direction of the two adjacent parallelogram sides.

On the other hand, this offers the advantage that in this cross-sectional shape, the typical cutting material in the form of a pig's salmon can still be pressed to this cross-sectional shape, and yet there is a form in which the cutting of uniform cube-shaped body is possible.

Preferably, for this process, the control of the ram and the counter ram will allow a precisely synchronous movement of these two rams, or even a mechanical coupling of the two rams, preferably decoupled, can be provided.

In particular, it can be withdrawn by means of the control of the ram in each case after the separation of a disc and thus the material to be cut are relieved of the pressure in the forward direction before the separated disc is removed, for example, by moving away the Portionierkammer to a undesirable at this time leakage of the material after front out of the mold cavity to avoid.

A fourth advantage of the longitudinally movable counter punch is to move both forward over the target thickness by a small distance when pushing forward the meat strand and analog backward movement of the counter punch for the purpose of filling the Portionier chamber both together and then counter punch and cutting material, possibly also the ram, back against the feed direction to move back so far until the counter punch has reached the desired position in the portioning cavity. This can help to set a predetermined pressure for the portioning chamber defined by the counter punch, since despite significant incompressibility of the material to be cut, the pressure at the front end of the material to be cut may deviate greatly from the pressure applied by the ram due to the friction occurring therebetween between material to be cut and shaped tube etc.

For these and other purposes, a pressure measurement in the portioning cavity can be provided, for example by measuring the pressure or the pressing force of the counter punch.

On the one hand, the correlation between the volume and the weight absorbed therein depends on the specific weight of the material to be cut, and although this is slightly but not completely insignificant, on the pressure prevailing in the material to be cut. On the other hand, the pressure in the portioning chamber should be between predefined limits before or during portioning, that is to say cutting off of the slice, since too low a pressure in the material to be cut can lead to incomplete filling of the portioning chamber and too high an internal pressure Structure of the material to be cut can damage.

In order not to increase the pressure prevailing in the cutting material during the cutting process by the penetrating blade and its volume displacement before the beginning of the cutting process, but also not to lower, and thereby reduce the shape accuracy and weight accuracy of the disc to be separated, the goal is to this before beginning the cutting process prevailing pressure to keep as constant as possible during the cutting process.

In order to achieve this, the volume displacement effected by the penetrating portioning knife is compensated for by the same degree, ie in particular increasingly and not abruptly, retracted counter punch, which allows the constant pressure as at the beginning of the cutting process.

Especially in the pre-pressing of the starting material to a defined shaped strand in the forming tube not this plate-shaped portioning knife to absorb the pressure in the longitudinal direction by the material to be cut, generated by the ram, is preferably in the feed direction upstream of the portioning knife a transversely in the feed path einbringbare, stable pre-pressing, which also closes the mold cavity close to the front, provided.

After preforming and pre-compression of the material to be cut, which at a higher pressure than in the subsequent advancing and portioning, namely with usually 1.0 bar to 6.0 bar against a pressure in the portioning chamber when portioning only 0.2 bar to 1.0 bar, the pre-press plate is moved out of the feed path in the transverse direction and moves the material to be cut in the feed direction for portioning.

Compression punches and / or counter punches are usually driven by a conventional punch drive, such as a hydraulic cylinder or an electric drive or the like, preferably only in alignment with the feed path such a drive unit, with multiple present on a turret or a transverse displacement unit Portionier plates or molding tubes.

Additionally or alternatively, the counter punch can also be actuated by means of spring bias and / or be acted upon in spite of its adjustability in the longitudinal direction on its back with compressed air, which can then be used for ejecting the separated disc from the portioning chamber.

In order to additionally facilitate the ejection of the separated slice from the portioning chamber, several possibilities are provided.

On the one compressed air outlets in the pressing surface of the counter punch, possibly also an annular gap between the outer periphery of the article and the inner peripheral surface of the Portionier chamber to cause the detachment of the separated disc from the Portionier chamber.

In this case, the axial moving out of the disc from the portioning chamber is generally effected by pushing the counter-punch forwardly in the direction and preferably to the opening of the portioning chamber. There, the movement of the counter punch is stopped as suddenly as possible to assist the detachment of the disc by their kinetic energy, which can be further promoted by opening compressed air outlets in z. B. the pressing surface of the counter punch for detaching the discs just before reaching this position.

By the fine adjustment of the target weight of the disc, z. B. by the fine adjustment of the position of the counter punch, also minimizing the less usable remnants of a meat strand etc. after portioning is possible:

By weighing, in particular automatically weighing, the starting material to be cut before or after being introduced into the forming tube, the nominal weight of the individual discs or portions can be permitted within the scope of their permissible, preferably by means of a computer integrated in the control for the entire machine Tolerance values are changed so that, taking into account the initial weight and possibly taking into account known as shrinkage known by experience in the form of contamination by the knife or the Portionier plate discharged meat fibers, etc. is determined so that of the initial cut material weight a possible low , no more portionable residual weight remains.

This thus previously known residual weight can be used, for example, to - distributed on a bleed disk and a residual disk or completely without residue - to create a clean start and end area for the remaining, usable, dimensional portions.

c) embodiments

Fig. 1:

die gesamte Vorrichtung geschnitten entlang der Vorschubrichtung sowie betrachtet von oben in Vorschubrichtung,

Fig. 2:

Detaildarstellungen des Formrohres und des Messers,

Fig. 3:

eine Detaildarstellung des Portioniermoduls,

Fig. 4:

den Ablauf beim Portionieren,

Fig. 5:

eine zweite Bauform der Vorrichtung geschnitten entlang der Vorschubrichtung 10,

Fig. 6:

das aus Rinne und Querstempel bestehende Formrohr bzw. Portionierrohr im Querschnitt in verschiedenen Zuständen, und

Fig. 7:

eine vergrößerte Detaildarstellung aus Fig. 5 mit Schneidgut.

Embodiments according to the invention are described in more detail below by way of example. Show it:

Fig. 1:

the entire device cut along the feed direction and viewed from above in the feed direction,

Fig. 2:

Detailed representations of the forming tube and the knife,

3:

a detailed representation of the portioning module,

4:

the process of portioning,

Fig. 5:

a second design of the device cut along the feed direction 10,

Fig. 6:

consisting of gutter and transverse punch form tube or Portionierrohr in cross section in different states, and

Fig. 7:

an enlarged detail Fig. 5 with cutting material.

FIG. 1a shows along the feed path 10 ', the functional interaction of the individual components, namely located in this case down feed module 100 and the portioning module 1 arranged above and the portioning knife 4 located therebetween, each of which is shown in longitudinal section through the centers, for reasons of clarity without Filling, so without cutting material.

Instead of an exactly vertical arrangement as in FIG. 1a shown, the arrangement can also be chosen inclined.

The feed module 100 comprises the upwardly and downwardly open forming tube 101, which in the feed direction 10 has the same internal cross-section and is closed at the rear, in particular lower, rear end of a matching ram 102, by means of a ram drive 108 in the longitudinal direction, ie in and against the feed direction, is movable in the forming tube 101 and can change the internal volume.

In the direction of advance 10 thereafter, that is to say upwards, in this case, a cutting tube 25 adjoins, as far as possible, without gap (for example pressed by a pressure cylinder) on the forming tube 101, which tube has the same internal cross section.

The cutting tube 25 serves to guide each other in the cross, running in transverse directions 11, 11 'knife guards 23 a, b, each consisting of several parallel juxtaposed knives to lead by the individual Knife pass through slots of the opposite walls of the cutting tube 25 and thereby extend over the entire inner cross section of the cutting tube 25, where they are indeed reciprocated in their longitudinal extent for dividing the initially still strand-like material to be cut into individual in the feed direction 10 extending strip.

Immediately before, so in this case below the knife gate 23 a, b is a pre-pressing plate 22 transversely with respect to the feed direction 10 in respective slots of the cutting tube 25 transverse, and can close or release the inner cross section by means of existing in the pre-pressing 22 hole with the same Inner cross-section as the cutting tube 25th

This pre-pressing plate 22 is used in the inserted, the cross-section closing state to support the inserted into the forming tube 101 in its original form strand of material to be cut during pre-forming and pre-pressing according to the remaining inner contour of the forming tube in the direction of the front end without thereby significantly less stable knife the knife gate 23 a, b to charge. If the knife guards 23a, b are missing, the pre-pressing plate 22 is not necessary, because then directly against the portioning module 1, e.g. against the countermark, is pre-pressed.

The portioning module 1 comprises a blind-hole-shaped portioning plate 5, whose bottom surface is opposite the feed module 100, formed by an inner cross-section of the blind-hole portioning chamber 7 counter-punch 12 which in the longitudinal direction, ie in and against the feed direction 10, by means of a counter punch drive 13 is movable. The inner cross section of the portioning chamber 7 corresponds to that of the cutting tube 25 and the forming tube 101 and is aligned therewith.

The from the forming tube 101 by means of the punch 102 forward, so in the direction of feed 10 up, pushed strand of cutting material is pushed forward, thereby cut by the knives of the two cutting gates in the longitudinal direction strips, and further advancing to the plant pushed to the counter punch 12, and thus fill with its front-side front end and the portioning chamber 7 in the portioning plate 5. Before that takes place after the pre-forming in the forming tube, in which no unfilled with cut material cavities in the mold tube cavity 101 a may remain after removing the pre-pressing plate 22 from the inner cross section.

In this state, the portioning knife 4 is then introduced in the transverse direction in the inner cross section and thereby severed the strand of cutting material and thus cuts its front end, namely the volume received in the portioning chamber 7 in the form of a disc 2, as in the remaining figures shown.

The ram drive 108 and / or counter punch drive 13 must be fast and accurate to move, especially the exact mobility is difficult by a pneumatic drive. Instead, mechanical drives, for example by means of a threaded spindle or ball-roll spindle, are preferred which combine speed and precise positioning. The two drives can be controlled separately, but also - electrically or mechanically - be synchronized.

In FIG. 1a Furthermore, the transport device 50 is shown in the form of a conveyor belt for transporting the portioned slices or cubes, as well as the turret drives 6a and 106a for rotating the portioning turret 6, in which the portioning plates are 5, as well as the feed turret 106, on which the forming tubes 101 are located, and for positioning these revolvers in the desired rotational position.

In this case, the direction of movement of the side punch 104 into the forming tube groove 103 also obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the contour of the mold cavity 101 a done, which has the advantage that length and width of the mold cavity 101 a are changed simultaneously.

Various portioning knives 4 are in FIG. 2b shown. The portioning knife 4 is flat with an area which is large enough, the cross-section of the forming tube cavity 101 a and thus to cut and cover the entire material to be cut 3 after the disc 2 is cut off, which is especially for the subsequent Querverlagem the portioning plate 5 filled with the disc 2 is important.

The cutting edge 4b can be straight, in particular obliquely to the direction of movement of the knife, namely the transverse direction 11, run, or even V-shaped or contoured differently. However, it is important that the portioning knife 4 is tensioned in its running direction 4 ', ie transversely to its direction of movement, in tension, for example between the freely ending legs of a portioning knife 4, e.g. U-shaped knife bracket 24.

Due to this bias, the blade despite sufficient inherent stability in the untensioned state, ie when produced from a very thin steel plate, sufficiently stable and displaced during cutting still little volume.

FIG. 2a shows in cross-section the formation of the forming tube 101 of two parts, namely the U-shaped forming tube groove 103 with mutually parallel inner edges, and the precisely fitting side punch 104, which is movable in the transverse direction 11 and thereby the remaining mold tube cavity 101 a This serves to adapt to the initial cross-section of the cavity 101 a before pressing the cross-sectional contour of the starting material to be cut 3. For this purpose, the side punch 104 can be completely moved out of the forming tube channel 103, and thereby the cutting material 3 to be introduced into the forming tube channel 103 can be facilitated.

Since the starting material to be cut 3, regardless of whether meat strand or fish body, usually no round, even more angular, but rather has an oval cross section, the inner cross section of the forming tube channel 103 is designed analogously, Thus, the forming tube groove 103 provided with a bottom, for example, semicircular and / or rounded cross-section, and the end face of the side punch 104 concave analog, so that the two together have the contour of a rounded rectangle or an elongated hole.

Here are in Figure 2c on a quadruple turret each two identical mold tubes 101, 101 'are arranged, of which thus - for example when using the one size 101 - the one can be used for portioning, while the other can be cleaned simultaneously and / or filled with new material to be cut 3 ,

Figure 2d on the other hand shows only a double-turret, which has two equally sized forming tubes 101.

Since this variable cross-section must be closable by means of corresponding press dies 102 a, b ..., the side punch 104 can approach preferably defined transverse positions 105 a, b ... within the mold tube channel 103, for the analogous shaped press dies 102 a, b. .. are available or the ram is infinitely adjustable in its surface.

After inserting the starting material to be cut 3, the side punch 104 will thus have such a transverse position, e.g. 105a, approach, in which the starting material to be cut 3 is already deformed and pre-pressed in the transverse direction so far that it fills the remaining inner cross-section as far as possible or completely.

Subsequently, with the appropriate punch, e.g. 102a pushed the material to be cut 3 in the feed direction 10 against the pre-pressing plate 22 and also pressed so far in the longitudinal direction that then no cavities between 3 Schneidgut and inner contour of the forming tube cavity 101 a remain.

Instead of the two-part, variable forming tube 101 of forming tube groove 103 and side punch 104 and one-piece molding tubes 101 a, b can be used with different sized inner cross-section.

In FIGS. 2c and 2d Such forming tubes 101, 101 'are arranged on a feed turret 106, the axis of rotation 110 of which lies parallel to and away from the feed path 10', so that the desired forming tube 101, 101 'with the matching and already guided ram 102 a, b ... can be screwed into the feed path 10 '.

The same applies on the side of the portioning module 1 for different sized portioning chambers 7 a, b in corresponding portioning plates 5 a, b, which in turn on a portioning turret 6 analogous to the feed turret 106, but possibly with mutually offset axes of rotation in FIG. 1 a are shown arranged.

Press punch drive 108 and counter punch drive 103 are preferably only simple, namely fixedly arranged on the feed path 10 ', available.

If a cutting tube 25 is present, this must also be changed together with the forming tube 101 a, b or arranged with the portioning plate 5 together on a revolver.

Especially on the side of the portioning module 1, the training in turret construction can be used as follows:

FIGS. 1b and 1c show in the top view according to FIG. 1a such a portioning turret 6 and forming tube turret 106. On the portioning turret 6 can be in this case two, are also conceivable three or more, different, but in their contour and size equal sized portioning plates 5 with corresponding, also equally sized and identically contoured portioning chamber 7a, b .. are located.

This can be used to continue to rotate the portioning turret 6 after separating a disc 2 in the cutting position S of the revolver and bring the next chamber, eg 7b to cutting position and immediately after retraction of the knife 4 again by advancing the cutting material 3 to fill.

The just-filled portioning chamber 7a is further rotated together with the separated disc 2 still located therein, e.g. in the immediately subsequent ejection position A, and only there ejected the disc 2 from the portioning chamber 7a or 7b and on e.g. a transport device 50 stored.

The possibly still remaining two rotational positions of the portioning turret 6 can serve, for example, for cleaning the portioning chamber 7 or serve a rotational position of the feed turret 106 and for filling the mold cavity 101a, by another transport device 50 'in this position, the next cutting material 3 transported, optionally with automatic weighing by means of a in this transport device 50 'integrated direct balance 107th

Of course, also on the side of the portioning chamber 7, the cross section of the chamber can be changed, e.g. by two-part design of the portioning plate 5 by means of trough 103 and side punches, as has already been described analogously in the case of a multi-part forming tube 101, with the result that even then the side punch, e.g. can reach defined transverse positions for which corresponding counter punches 12 must be available.

This makes it possible, despite the arrangement of several equally large Portionier-chambers 7a, b ... on a portioning turret 6 time-saving cutting and ejecting at different rotational positions and thus simultaneously perform, and still the advantage of adjusting the sizes of Portionier chambers 7 on the entire portioning revolver 6 to keep.

In an analogous manner, on the side of the feed turret 106, such a distribution of the functions to a plurality of rotational positions can serve to refill the next forming tube 101 with cutting material 3 while advancing and portioning a material 3 on the feed path 10 'in another rotational position already in the transverse direction 11 by means of the side punch To press 104 to clean the mold tube to disinfect with UV light and the like.

It shows FIG. 3 in a partial sectional view through the Portioniermodul 1 and its portioning turret 6, as the ejection process, which is already facilitated in principle by the fact that the portioning chambers 7 are downwardly open by the arrangement of the portioning plates 5 above the forming tubes 101 and thus the Ejecting the discs 2 is already promoted by their gravity.

FIG. 3 shows in this case the recording not only a separated slice 2 in the portioning chamber 7, but the possibility created by the longitudinally movable counter punch 12, several slices 2, even different target thickness D and also actual thickness, to separate one behind the other, and together first in the still located in cutting position S portioning chamber 7a and leave until the desired number of slices, which may represent about a portion or partial portion is reached, and only then this chamber 5 from the cutting position S in the ejection position A according to left half of the picture FIG. 3 to spend what saves time in the workflow. The ejection position A may be located diametrically opposite the cutting position S, as in FIG FIG. 3 represented, or at any intermediate angle.

In FIG. 3 in the right half of the situation when separating a second disc 2 is shown, while a first separated disc 2 is already in the Portionier chamber 7 at cutting position S, and the counter punch 12 is thus at an axial position corresponding to twice the slice thickness D. ,

In the left half of the picture, the two now separated slices 2 are still outside the portioning chamber 7 still adhering to the counter punch 12, and will be ejected from this in this ejection position A underneath transport device 50, in which a portioning scale 14 installed as a direct balance is that immediately weighs the portion falling, in this case consisting of two slices 2, and the weighing result to the in the FIGS. 1 indicated control 20 for all movable components of the overall machine weitergeibt to adjust the setting, especially the position of the counter punch 12 for the subsequent cutting operations.

As in FIG. 3 it can be seen on the back of the counter punch 12, so between the solid bottom of the portioning plate 5, which may be the portioning turret 6 directly, and the back of the counter punch 12 as a pressure chamber 16 usable, lockable interior available.

The interior 16 is acted upon by closable valves 18a, b with lines for venting and / or compressed air and / or negative pressure, and thus can be completed pressure-tight by closing all valves.

Thus, for the ejection of the pressure chamber 16 with pressure, so compressed air, are acted upon, and thereby the counter punch 12 against the feed direction 10 are moved downward, preferably until the pressing surface of the counter punch 12 with the opening, so the bottom of the portioning plate 5 is aligned, or shortly before, which is realized by means of a preferably positive end stop.

The ram 102 stands - at least as long as the corresponding portioning plate 5 is in the cutting position S - under a corresponding pressure, which is arranged by a pressure sensor 15, either between the counter punch 12 and the counter punch drive 13 acting on it or directly in the pressing surface of the counter punch 12, as in FIG. 1 is shown, or is determined by measuring the current consumption in the drive 108, or it is mechanically locked in the corresponding longitudinal position.

In FIG. 3 can in the ejection position A of the counter punch 12 by a drive 13 ', preferably a drive analogous to the drive at the cutting position S, be displaced in the longitudinal direction 10. Preferably, however, this should be omitted.

As described, the counter punch 12 can be moved downwards, thereby mechanically ejecting the disks 2 from the portioning chamber 7, which preferably ends when the pressing surface of the punch 12 has reached the opening of the portioning chamber 7.

This pressurization of compressed air has the further advantage that it can also be used to detach the first disc 2 adhering to the counter punch 12:

For this purpose - as in Fig. 3 The stop member 19 has a forwardly directed stop 19a, with which the movement at the front end position relative to a fixedly connected to the portioning plate 5 component is reached.

The stamp plate 12 'provided with its own stamp on the back is mounted in the hollow punch of the stop member 19 and the stop member 19 is biased by a spring 30 in the retracted position relative to the fixed bottom of the plate 5.

The pressing plate 12 'is penetrated by rearwardly expanding air openings 8a into which the forwardly facing extensions of the stop member 19 fit, which can close the air openings 8a.

When ejecting the counter punch 12 at the end of Auswerfposition, so preferably before alignment of the pressure plate 12 'in front of the front end of the portioning chamber 7a, abruptly stopped by the end stop 19a to support a detachment of the discs 2a, b by their kinetic energy , At the latest in this state, the spring 30 presses against this downward movement of the counter-punch 12 against a corresponding shoulder of the stop member 19 upwards and thereby prevents the projections at the lower end of the stop member 19, the air openings 8a close.

The compressed air, with which the pressure chamber 16 is acted, thus flows through the air openings 8a on the front of the pressure plate 12 'and thus between the pressure plate 12' and there adhering first disc 2, and dissolves them. A supporting effect can be achieved if there are further air openings between the outer circumference of the pressing plate 12 'and the inner circumference of the portioning chamber 7, for example in the form of a circumferential annular gap.

After repelling the discs 2, the corresponding press plate 5 can be used again for portioning, and is brought back to the cutting position S at the appropriate time. There then presses to apply a corresponding counterforce of the counter punch drive 13 from above, ie opposite to the feed direction, on the rear end faces of both the stop member 19 and the counter punch 12 until the rear end faces are aligned, whereby a relative position of these two parts is reached each other in which the projections at the front, lower end of the stop member 19 open up the stamp plate 12 'of the counter punch 12 penetrating air openings.

The FIGS. 4 show the individual states of motion using the example of a portioning chamber 7 until the two separated slices 2a, b are located one behind the other in the portioning chamber 7, and in addition not in disc form, but the slices divided into individual cubes or cuboids.

FIG. 1 shows the basic situation at the transition between forming tube 101, cutting tube 25 and portioning plate 5, as in FIG. 1 on the feed path 10 'can be seen. In this case, the pre-pressing plate 22 is still in the mold cavity 101 a closing position, but the cutting material 3 is so far pre-compressed in the longitudinal and transverse directions, that in the mold cavity 101 a no longer cavities are present, which would not be filled with material to be cut 3.

After removal of the pre-pressing plate 22, the material to be cut 3 is pushed forward by means of the press ram 102 until it touches the counter-punch 12 which closes the opening of the portioning chamber 7 with its pressing surface, as in FIG. 4a represented, wherein the cutting material 3 is already cut into strips by passing through the two knife gates 23a, b. Subsequently, according to FIG. 4b the cutting material 3 together with the counter punch 12 moved into the portioning chamber 7, in particular together due to synchronous movement of the ram 102nd

This is continued until the counter punch 12 and thus the material to be cut 3 reaches the desired depth, as a rule corresponding to the desired thickness D of the slice 2 to be produced ( Figure 4c ).

After stopped in this position, the counter punch 12, preferably mechanically fixed, is, the portioning knife 4 is retracted in the transverse direction into the mold cavity until it has completely severed the cutting material 3 in the transverse direction 11 and a first disc 2, possibly divided z , B. in cuboid, is separated from the strand.

Subsequently, the portioning knife 4 is withdrawn from the inner cross section, cutting material 3 including the separated disc 2 and together with the counter punch 12, where it bears under pretension, moves further in the feed direction 10, preferably in turn together with the synchronously moving ram 102, to the counter punch 12 has reached the next defined axial position, preferably corresponding to a depth of twice the target thickness D of the disks 2 in the portioning chamber 7.

In this position, in turn, the stopping and preferably fixing of the counter punch 12 in this longitudinal position, and again the retraction of the portioning knife 4 ( FIG. 4d ) From the outside in the inner cross-section until in turn a next disc 2b is completely separated.

In this way, the corresponding number of slices can be produced in succession, without ejection from the portioning chamber 7a, which as before with reference to FIG. 3 described, and thus time required only once per portion and not every time per slice, is performed.

The Figures 5 and 7 show in longitudinal section, that is cut along the feed direction 10, a second design of the device, wherein in Fig. 5 the representation of the feed module 100 with the corresponding representation in Fig. 1a matches except for the absence of the revolver lever 106a, since in this case the two forming tubes 101 are not on a feed turret, but on a feed cross slide 106 ', with the aid - as better with reference to Fig. 7 to recognize - the two mutually parallel forming tubes 101, 101 'transverse to the feed direction 10 from the cutting position S, in which the blades are located in an adjacent discharge position A, which is double on opposite sides to the cutting position S, and back again can be moved.

In addition, different Fig. 5 from Fig. 1 in that, on the opposite side of the portioning blade 4, the essentially identical unit is again present in a mirror image to a plane parallel to the portioning blade 4, but this time with the function of portioning tubes 5 ', 5 ", like the forming tubes 101 and 101 '- Preferably are arranged together in a base body, are also arranged transversely displaceable as a cross slide for moving between the cutting position S and the ejection position A.

Correspondingly, the axial length of the mold cavities 101a, 101a 'is the same as that of the portioning chamber 7, 7', so that the starting cut material 3 can be received completely sliced into slices or cubes in the portioning chamber 7 above the portioning knife 4, ie the material to be cut 3 completely cut into slices or cubes in the portioning chamber 7 takes place, without emptying them before, as in principle already based on the Fig. 3 mentioned.

The main advantage of such a design of the machine is that those device parts of the solution according to Fig. 1 necessary for a quick and accurate emptying of the portioning chamber 7 after each individual slice cut are, as well as the subsequent equally precise and fast removal to a downstream automatic packaging unit, which must work just as fast, is not needed.

This reduces the construction costs and maintenance costs compared to the machine Fig. 1 Nevertheless, the operator still has a semi-automatic operation, since the cutting process itself is automatic, but the filling and emptying of the material to be cut need not necessarily be automated, especially if there is not only a pairing of forming tube 101 and portioning tube 5 '. but two such pairs next to each other, as based on the Figures 5 and 7 which allows the following advantageous procedure:

After inserting the material to be cut in the mold cavity 101 a, which is in the cutting position S, this is pre-compressed to 3 cut material by means of the press ram 102 and possibly by means of a cross bar 104. Subsequently, according to Fig. 7 the material to be cut 3 by means of the ram 102 gradually pushed forward in the direction of portioning knife 4, with simultaneous investment and synchronous movement of the counter punch 12 at the front end face of the cut material 3, while slice by slice the cut material 3 by means of Portioniermessers sliced, or - if Messergatter 23 is present - in cube-shaped pieces until the cut slices 3 is completely in the Portionierkammer 7.

In the meantime, the operator can reload a new starting material 3 'in the other mold cavity 101 a', which is the ejection position.

After the end of the described cutting process, the cross slide 106 'with the forming tubes 101, 101' so shifted that the new material to be cut is in the cutting position, and also the cutting tube cross slide 106 "moves in the transverse direction, that the filled portioning chamber 7 - In this case to the right - moved to the ejection position, and there, for example by means of an axial slide 109 is later completely pushed out of this portioning chamber 7 to prepare them for reuse.

In the meantime, however, the other portioning chamber 7 'is already at the cutting position S, and the next cutting operation is already taking place during this time.

Since the addition of a new Ausgangsschneidgutes 3 'and the removal of the cut material to be cut from the Portionierkammer 7 - especially if it is also done automatically or semi-automatically - less time than the cutting of a whole cut material 3, the operator has a time window available, within he can do this work so that an operator can operate several such machines simultaneously.

As Fig. 7 shows, the machine also cheaper by the fact that ram 102 and / or counter punch 12 and the corresponding drives 108, 13 only once, namely at cutting position S, are present.

Another special feature is the formation of the countermark 12:

As next to the portioning knife 4 in a short cutting tube 25 and a cutting plate 25 intersecting knife 23a, 23b a knife gate 23 form for dicing, but which can be completely disabled by lateral retraction of the insert and replacement by a filling tube, has the counter punch 12 introduced in its free end face, intersecting slots, which have different depth depending on the direction, and serve to receive the blades 23 a, b of the knife gate 23.

As a result, while saving a pre-pressing plate, as in example Fig. 3 has been explained, the counter punch 12 from the beginning, even in the pre-compression, are in direct contact with the front surface of the cut material 3, by taking the knife 23a, b in its matching slots can be moved up to the axial position of the front edge of the foremost knife 23.

The molding tubes 101, 101 'and the Portionierrohre 5', 5 "may be formed as over the circumference integrally continuous tubes or as already explained from two parts, namely a groove and a retractable from the open side of the channel from the transverse punch z. 104, as based on the FIGS. 6 shown as a cross section at an arbitrary longitudinal position of the forming tube 101, as well as the transverse punch 104 with its drive is preferably present only at the cutting position S in the forming tube, and analogously such a counter punch only at the cutting position S once at the portioning module. 1

Fig. 6 further shows a different mold tube cavity 101a than with reference to FIG Figures 2 explains:

The cross section of the mold cavity is parallelogram-shaped, and the one side of the parallelogram forming transverse punch 104 is displaceable in the direction of the other two sides of the parallelogram between the free leg.

This cross-sectional shape of the cavity allows - with the arrangement of a knife gate - the arrangement of the directions of the blades 23a and 23b respectively parallel to the outer surfaces of the parallelogram cross-section, so that although no cubes, but small parallelograms, cut, but all about the have the same volume.

This cross-sectional shape allows the adaptation of a z. As pig salmon by way of pre-compression without too much deformation, so that in this cross-sectional shape without changing the forming tube both slicing and cutting cubic body is made possible.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

apportioning

2

disc

3

be cut

4

Portioning knife

4 '

running direction

5

Portioning plate

5 '

Portioning tube

6

Portioning Revolver

6 '

Turret axis

6a

Revolver drive

7

Portioning chamber

8th

air opening

9

input unit

10

feed direction

10 '

feed path

11

transversely

12

counterpunch

13, 13 '

Counterpunch drive

14

Portioning scales

15

pressure sensor

16

pressure chamber

17

piston rod

18 a, b, c

Valve

19

Eject pin

20

control

21

flow channel

22

Vorpressplatte

23 a, b

knife gate

24

knife bracket

25

cutting tube

25 a

Cutting tube cavity

30

feather

50, 50 '

transport device

100

feed module

101

forming tube

101 a

Form tube-cavity

102

press die

103

Forming tube-shaped channel

103a

opening

104, 104 '

page stamp

105 a, b

transverse position

106

Feed turret

106 '

Feed-cross slide

106 '

Cutting pipe cross slide

106a

Revolver drive

107

Direct scale

108

Press punch drive

109

axial slide

110

axis of rotation

D

thickness

A

Ejection position

S

Cutting position

Claims (19)

1. A device for cutting off weight precise slices (2) or sliced portions from a semi form stable cutting material (3), in particular meat or fish comprising:

   - a portioning module (1) for cutting and placing slices (2) which includes a portioning blade (4) and at least two portioning chambers (7a, b) and

   - a feed module (100) for performing and feeding cutting material (3) to the portioning module (1) in feed direction (10), wherein

   - the feed module (100) includes a shaped tube (101) extending in feed direction (10) whose rear open end is closed by a press plunger (102) that is moveable in feed direction (10) in the shaped tube (101) for pre-forming and moving the cutting material (3), and

   - wherein a base of the portioning chambers (7a, b) is formed by at least one
   opposite plunger (12a, b) that is moveable in and against feed direction (10), characterized in that
   at least one pressure sensor (15) is arranged in the press surface of the opposite plunger (12a, b) or the pressure is measureable through force measuring at an opposite plunger drive (13) which is connected with a control (20) for the opposite plunger (12a, b) for keeping the pressure that impacts the slice (2) also constant while the portioning blade (4) penetrates.
2. The device according to claim 1,
   characterized in that

   - the form tube (101) is configured in two components with a laterally open form tube groove (103) and a side stamp (104) that is insertable transversally into its opening (103a),

   - the feed module (100) includes plural press stamps (102a, b) with different cross sectional surfaces or one press stamp with a variable cross sectional surface that are moveable in feed direction (10) according to the transversal positions (105 a, b...).
3. The device according to claim 2,
   characterized in that
   the side plunger (104) can only approach defined transversal positions (105 a, b) relative to the form tube groove (103).
4. The device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein in case of plural portioning chambers (7a,b) in a portioning plate 95) the opposite plungers (12a,b) of the particular portioning chambers (7a, b) are only loadable in the receiving position thus along the movement path (10') by an opposite plunger drive (13).
5. The device according to one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   the portioning chamber (7a) corresponds to the form tube cavity (101 a) with respect to axial length and is configured for receiving the entire output cutting material (3) in a portioning tube (5) and is configured identical to the form tube cavity (101 a) in particular with respect to the form tube (101) and the press plunger (102)
6. The device according to one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   the device includes two pairs including a feed module (100) including the form tube (101) and a portioning module (101) with a portioning tube (5') which can be moved in an alternating manner in particular moved in a transversal manner from a cutting position (S) for cutting the cutting material where the press plunger and the opposite plunger drive are located into an ejection position A outside of the cutting position S.
7. The device according to claim 6,
   wherein a axial slide (109) is provided in the ejection position A, wherein the axial slide moves the cut up cutting material (3) in axial direction out of the portioning tube, in particular after removing the lateral plunger from its portioning groove.
8. The device according to one of the preceding claims 6 or 7, characterized in that
   only one common pair of side plungers (104, 104') is provided for the at least two pairs of feed module (100) and portioning module (1), wherein the one common pair of side plungers (104, 104') is associated with the cutting position (S).
9. The device according to one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   the opposite plunger drive (13) operates electrically, pneumatically, mechanically for example through a threaded spindle and/or with spring preload in feed direction (10).
10. The device according to one of the preceding claims,
    characterized in that
    the opposite plunger (12a, b) is moveable by fractions of the target thickness (D) of a slice (2) and also by a multiple of the thickness (D) of a slice (2).
11. The device according to one of the preceding claims,
    characterized in that
    the opposite plunger (12a, b) is moveable synchronously or asynchronously with the press plunger (102) and/or synchronously with the movement of the portioning blade.
12. A method for cutting off weight precise slices (2) or slice portions from a semi form stable cutting material (3), in particular fish or meat

    - wherein the cutting material (3) is pressed with its forward face into a dead hole shaped portioning chamber (7a) with a defined depth until it completely fills the dead hole shaped portioning chamber before the cutting material is cut off,

    - wherein a slice (2) is cut off from the cutting material (3) directly behind the forward open end of a form tube (101) through a portioning blade (4) that is stationary in feed direction (10) and,

    - wherein the slice (2) is stored in the portioning chamber (7a) whose base is configured as an opposite plunger (12) that is moveable in feed direction (10) and wherein the slice is moved away from the cutting material (3),

    - wherein a pressure in the portion of the cutting material (3) that is to be cut off or the pressure close to the portion that is to be cut off is monitored and controlled directly before cutting the slice (2) off, wherein a loading force of the opposite plunger (12) in longitudinal direction is measured through an opposite plunger drive (13) or its pressing force against the cutting material (3) is directly measured.
13. The method according to claim 12,
    characterized in that
    the pressure is taken off from the cutting material by moving the axially moveable press plunger (102) back after cutting off the slice (2) and before moving the slice (2) away.
14. The method according to one of the preceding claims 12 or 13, characterized in that
    the portioning chamber (7a, b) is bleed during insertion of the cutting material or loaded with vacuum in order to facilitate complete filling of the portioning chamber (7).
15. The method according to one of the preceding claims 12 or 14, characterized in that
    the opposite plunger (12) is pulled further back during insertion of the cutting material into the portioning chamber (7a) than the corresponding to the desired thickness of the subsequent slice (2) and the opposite plunger (12) is moved in opposite direction against the cutting material (3) up to the target thickness (D) in particular with a defined force only during or after moving the cutting material (3) forward through a press plunger (102) from the rear end which is performed by a defined distance.
16. The method according to one of the preceding claims 12 through 15, characterized in that
    plural slices (2a, b c...) are cut off in sequence wherein the already cut off slices (2a, b...) remain in the portioning chamber (7a) under stepped backward movement of the opposite plunger (12) and ejection and in particular extraction of the slice portions, in particular of the entire cut up initial cutting material (3) only after reaching a desired number of slices.
17. The method according to one of the preceding claims 12 - 16, characterized in that
    replenishing new cutting material (3) into a second form tube (101) is performed remote from the cutting position S for cutting the cutting material, in particular while cutting up another cutting material (3') as well as removing the already cut up cutting material in a second portioning tube remote form the cutting position (S).
18. The method according to one of the preceding claims 12 - 17, characterized in that
    weight precise production of a target portion including plural slices is achieved by production and automated weight determination of plural, in particular two partial portions which respectively each include plural slices (2a, b...) and controlling the target weight for the last, in particular the second partial portion as a function of a difference between actual weight and target weight of the prior partial portions.
19. The method according to one of the preceding claims 12 - 18, characterized in that
    the opposite plunger (12) is moved as a function of the movement of the press plunger (102) in particular synchronously or asynchronously therewith during introduction of the cutting material (3) into the portioning chamber (7).

Images