GB2070419A

GB2070419A - Slicing machines

Info

Publication number: GB2070419A
Application number: GB8100869A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Maatschappij Van Berkels Patent BV
Current assignee: Maatschappij Van Berkels Patent BV
Priority date: 1980-02-06
Filing date: 1981-01-13
Publication date: 1981-09-09

Abstract

A slicing machine with a variable speed rotatory knife blade 12 for comestible products comprises a reciprocable table for holding the product to be sliced, a rotary knife blade (12) with respect to which the table is reciprocated during use, a fence plate for regulating the thickness of cut product slices and a tray for receiving the cut slices. Blade (12) is rotatably driven by a variable speed drive mechanism (20) having a speed selector (21) positioned on housing of the machine for manual operation by a machine user. In one form Fig. 2 mechanism (20) comprises an electronically variable speed motor (19, 24) connected to the knife blade via a fixed transmission (25) and in another form, Fig. 3, mechanism (20) comprises a constant speed motor (19) connected to knife blade (12) via a variable transmission (28). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Slicing machines This invention relates to slicing machines for comestible products.

Slicing machines for comestible products are well known and comprise a reciprocable table for holding the product to be sliced, a rotary knife blade past which the table is reciprocated during use, a guard or fence plate for regulating the slice thickness and a tray for receiving the cut slices.

The knife blade, in the known machines, is driven either by a belt drive or a mechanical gear drive from an electric motor such that the blade rotates at constant or nearly constant velocity, and optionally a further drive may be provided from the motor to the reciprocable table.

For many years these slicing machines have been used for slicing bacon and ham products but more recently a much wider variety of meat products, cheeses and other comestible products have been available to the retailer and have been sliced on a slicing machine. Due to this variety of comestible products it is desirable to drive the knife blade at such a speed that provides optimal slicing for each product but an analysis of opinions has led to the discovery that for any particular product each user of the slicing machine attributes different qualities as being required of optimal slicing. In consequence it is not possible to specify in advance that Ayrshire bacon, for example, is optimally sliced at a knife blade speed of X revolutions per minute.

The present invention has as its object the provision of a slicing machine which can be set by the user to provide optimal slicing of various comestible products.

According to the present invention there is provided a slicing machine for comestible products comprising a reciprocable table for holding the product to be sliced, a rotary knife blade past which the table is reciprocated during use, a fence plate for regulating slice thickness, and a tray for receiving cut slices; and wherein the knife blade is rotatably driven by a variable-speed drive mechanism having a speed selector positioned for manual operation by a user of the machine.

The speed selector may be in the form of a knob or a lever or a keyboard and the variablespeed drive mechanism may be a single phase A.C. or D.C. electric motor with an electronic speed control, the motor being connected to the knife blade by means of mechanical gearing, or the drive mechanism may be a single phase A.C.

or D.C. electric motor operating at a constant speed and connected ot the knife blade by means of a variable transmission such as a belt drive incorporating a variable-diameter pulley.

Conveniently the range of knife speeds is between 100 and 800 revolutions per minute with the speed selector adjustable to provide any intermediate speed or any one of a number of preselected intermediate speeds, for example, in steps of 50 revs/min.

The speed selector is positioned for manual operation by a user of the machine in the same sense as is the conventional control knob for setting the fence plate to provide a predetermined thickness of cut slice, that is to say, when the machine is in normal every-day use the speed selector is mounted on or projecting from the machine housing in a convenient-to-use location.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which; Fig. 1 illustrates a slicing machine according to the present invention, Fig. 2 schematically illustrates one form of variable-speed drive mechanism; and Fig. 3 schematically illustrates a further form of variable-speed drive mechanism.

The slicing machine 10 shown in the drawings is of the gravity feed type comprising a table 11, a rotary knife 12, a gauge or fence plate 13 and a tray 14. The table 11 is reciprocably movable in the direction of arrow A and the position of the fence plate 13 is adjustably controlled, in known manner, by control knob 1 5 in order to determine the thickness of the cut slices. Mounted on the table 11 there is a weighted pusher 1 6 which assists in biassing the product towards the knife 12. The pusher 1 6 is mounted by means of a pivotal arm 1 7 on the table 11.

The knife 12 is mounted on one end of a drive shaft (not shown) which projects into a housing 1 8 accommodating an electric motor 1 9 which forms part of a variable-speed drive mechanism 20 (see Figs. 2 and 3) for the knife 12. The mechanism 20 includes a speed selector which is in the form of a hand-operable knob 21 projecting from the housing 1 8. It will be evident that knob 21 is accessible to the user of the machine as is the knob 15.

One form of the variable-speed drive mechanism 20 is shown in Fig. 2. It comprises an electronic speed control circuit 24 with which the selector knob 21 is coupled, the output of circuit 24 feeding the single phase A.C. or D.C. electric motor 1 9 which in turn has a fixed transmission 25 to the knife 12. The transmission 25 may simply be a rack and pinion or some other convenient form of mechanical gearing or it may be a belt transmission with fixed pulleys. The circuit 24 may take any of the known forms applicable to the type of motor 1 9. One example is a thyrister circuit.

Another form of the mechanism 20 is shown in Fig. 2 and comprises a fixed-speed A.C. or D.C.

electric motor 19 coupled through a variable transmission 28 to the knife 12. The transmission 28 is preferably a belt transmission having a variable-diameter pulley since the torque characteristic is good at low speeds.

It will now be appreciated that we have disclosed a slicing machine for comestible products in which the knife speed is adjustable at the instance of the user so that the user is able to adjust the knife speed to that which the user considers optimal cutting speed for any particular product. Although we have described a gravityfeed machine it will be appreciated that the invention can equally be applied to a push-feed machine.

Claims

1. A slicing machine for comestible products comprising a reciprocable table for holding the product to be sliced, a rotary knife blade past which the table is reciprocated during use, a fence plate for regulating slice thickness, and a tray for receiving cut slices; and wherein the knife blade is rotatably driven by a variable-speed drive mechanism having a speed selector positioned for manual operation by a user of the machine.

2. A slicing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the variable speed drive mechanism comprises an electric motor with an electronic speed control, the motor being connected to the knife blade by mechanical gearing.

3. A slicing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the variable speed drive mechanism comprises a constant speed electric motor connected to the knife blade by a variable transmission.

4. A slicing machine as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the machine has a housing and the speed selector comprises a control knob projecting from the housing.

5. A slicing machine as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the speed selector is operable to limit the rotational speed of the knife blade to within the range 100--800 revolutions per minute.

6. A slicing machine for comestible products substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to either of the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawing.