GB2578465A - A sausage cutting apparatus and method - Google Patents

A sausage cutting apparatus and method Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2578465A
GB2578465A GB1817608.1A GB201817608A GB2578465A GB 2578465 A GB2578465 A GB 2578465A GB 201817608 A GB201817608 A GB 201817608A GB 2578465 A GB2578465 A GB 2578465A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
cutting
sausage
infeed
rope
guide system
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB1817608.1A
Other versions
GB201817608D0 (en
Inventor
Lawrence Thring Tom
August Schultz Hermann
Fritz Heindrich
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Freddy Hirsch Group AG
Freddy Hirsch Group Pty Ltd
Original Assignee
Freddy Hirsch Group AG
Freddy Hirsch Group Pty Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Freddy Hirsch Group AG, Freddy Hirsch Group Pty Ltd filed Critical Freddy Hirsch Group AG
Priority to GB1817608.1A priority Critical patent/GB2578465A/en
Publication of GB201817608D0 publication Critical patent/GB201817608D0/en
Priority to PCT/IB2019/058581 priority patent/WO2020089714A1/en
Publication of GB2578465A publication Critical patent/GB2578465A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A22—BUTCHERING; MEAT TREATMENT; PROCESSING POULTRY OR FISH
    • A22C—PROCESSING MEAT, POULTRY, OR FISH
    • A22C11/00—Sausage making ; Apparatus for handling or conveying sausage products during manufacture
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A22—BUTCHERING; MEAT TREATMENT; PROCESSING POULTRY OR FISH
    • A22C—PROCESSING MEAT, POULTRY, OR FISH
    • A22C11/00—Sausage making ; Apparatus for handling or conveying sausage products during manufacture
    • A22C11/006—Separating linked sausages
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A22—BUTCHERING; MEAT TREATMENT; PROCESSING POULTRY OR FISH
    • A22C—PROCESSING MEAT, POULTRY, OR FISH
    • A22C11/00—Sausage making ; Apparatus for handling or conveying sausage products during manufacture
    • A22C11/008—Conveying sausages in horizontal position
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A22—BUTCHERING; MEAT TREATMENT; PROCESSING POULTRY OR FISH
    • A22C—PROCESSING MEAT, POULTRY, OR FISH
    • A22C11/00—Sausage making ; Apparatus for handling or conveying sausage products during manufacture
    • A22C11/10—Apparatus for twisting or linking sausages
    • A22C11/107—A string passing between two rotary members comprising dividing elements cooperating with each other
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B26—HAND CUTTING TOOLS; CUTTING; SEVERING
    • B26D—CUTTING; DETAILS COMMON TO MACHINES FOR PERFORATING, PUNCHING, CUTTING-OUT, STAMPING-OUT OR SEVERING
    • B26D1/00—Cutting through work characterised by the nature or movement of the cutting member or particular materials not otherwise provided for; Apparatus or machines therefor; Cutting members therefor
    • B26D1/56—Cutting through work characterised by the nature or movement of the cutting member or particular materials not otherwise provided for; Apparatus or machines therefor; Cutting members therefor involving a cutting member which travels with the work otherwise than in the direction of the cut, i.e. flying cutter
    • B26D1/60—Cutting through work characterised by the nature or movement of the cutting member or particular materials not otherwise provided for; Apparatus or machines therefor; Cutting members therefor involving a cutting member which travels with the work otherwise than in the direction of the cut, i.e. flying cutter and is mounted on a movable carriage
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G2201/00—Indexing codes relating to handling devices, e.g. conveyors, characterised by the type of product or load being conveyed or handled
    • B65G2201/02—Articles
    • B65G2201/0202—Agricultural and processed food products

Landscapes

  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Zoology (AREA)
  • Food Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Forests & Forestry (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Processing Of Meat And Fish (AREA)

Abstract

A sausage cutting apparatus for cutting a sausage rope comprises a cutting head 27 including a first cutting assembly 28 having a plurality of cutting devices 30 and an identical second cutting assembly 32 having a plurality of cutting devices 30; an infeed guide system 33 for guiding displacement of the sausage rope between the cutting assemblies for cutting the sausage rope, an outfeed system 23 for conveying cut sausage portions from the cutting head and a transfer support formation 60 disposed between the cutting head and the infeed guide system for supporting the sausage rope as it is transferred to the cutting head from the infeed guide system. The apparatus 10 includes a height adjustment mechanism 64 for adjusting the height of the formation 60 so as to optimally align the sausage rope with the cutting devices 30. Also disclosed is the corresponding method of cutting a sausage rope using this apparatus.

Description

A SAUSAGE CUTTING APPARATUS AND METHOD
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to a sausage cutting apparatus. The invention relates also to a method of cutting a sausage rope.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
According to the invention there is provided a sausage cutting apparatus including: a support structure; a cutting head having an infeed end and an outfeed end and including first and second cutting assemblies which are mounted to the support structure and which are each located at an opposite side of a cutting feed path defined between the cutting assemblies along which a sausage rope to be cut is displaced for cutting the sausage rope into smaller sausage portions, each cutting assembly including an elongate continuous carrier member and a plurality of longitudinally-spaced cutting devices which are connected to the carrier member, the cutting devices of the cutting assemblies being displaceable along cutter paths wherein the cutting devices of the first and second cutting assemblies are displaced repeatedly inwardly towards one another for cutting the sausage rope and away from one another so as to permit release of cut sausage portions; an infeed guide system for guiding displacement of the sausage rope along a rectilinear infeed path towards the cutting head; the sausage cutting apparatus being characterized in that the sausage cutting apparatus includes a transfer support formation which is disposed between the infeed guide system and the infeed end of the cutting head for supporting the sausage rope as it is transferred from the infeed guide system to the cutting head, the sausage cutting apparatus including a height adjustment mechanism for adjusting a height of the transfer support formation for ensuring that the sausage rope is optimally aligned with the cutting devices of the cutting assemblies of the cutting head.
The infeed guide system may include a pair of spaced driven infeed belts for supporting and conveying the sausage rope to the cutting head, the infeed belts comprising an elongate upper infeed belt and an elongate lower infeed belt which frictionally engage upper and lower sides of the sausage rope, the upper and lower infeed belts being disposed parallel to a longitudinal axis defined along a length of a sausage rope when the sausage rope is located between the infeed belts.
The transfer support formation may be in the form of an elongate rigid channel formation defining an upper support surface along which the sausage rope is slidably displaceable.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of cutting a sausage rope into smaller sausage portions, the method including: providing a cutting head having an infeed end and an outfeed end and including first and second cutting assemblies which define a feed path between them along which the sausage rope is displaced and which each include a carrier member to which a plurality of cutting devices are connected, the cutting devices being displaceable repeatedly inwardly towards one another for cutting the sausage rope and away from one another so as to permit release of cut sausage portions; providing an infeed guide system for guiding displacement of the sausage rope to the cutting head; providing a transfer support formation which is disposed between the infeed guide system and the infeed end of the cutting head; adjusting a height of the transfer support formation relative to the cutting devices of the cutting head, as required, thereby to optimally align the sausage rope with the cutting devices; displacing the sausage rope along the infeed guide system and across an upper side of the transfer support formation; and displacing the cutting devices of the cutting assemblies repeatedly towards and away from one another so as to cut the sausage rope into smaller sausage portions.
The method may be implemented by the sausage cutting apparatus in accordance with the first aspect of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Further features of the invention are described hereinafter by way of a non-limiting example of the invention, with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying diagrammatic drawings. In the drawings: Figure 1 shows a three-dimensional view of sausage processing equipment including a sausage cutting apparatus in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 shows a side view of the sausage processing equipment of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a top plan view of the sausage processing equipment of Figure 1; and Figure 4 shows a fragmentary three-dimensional view of the cutting assemblies, transfer support formation and infeed guide system of the sausage cutting apparatus of Figure 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
With reference to the drawings, a sausage cutting apparatus in accordance with the invention, is designated generally by the reference numeral 10. The sausage cutting apparatus is adapted for severing a sausage which is provided in an elongate continuous sausage rope 11, into separate sausage portions.
The sausage cutting apparatus forms part of sausage processing equipment 12 which includes a support structure in the form of a stand 14 and a top processing structure 16 mounted on the stand. The processing structure includes an extrusion nozzle 18 for co-extruding a sausage filler emulsion which is fed into the extrusion nozzle via an emulsion feed pipe 19 together with a sausage casing gel composition which is supplied to the extrusion head along gel feed pipe 20. The casing gel composition is initially provided in a flowable form but after extrusion, sets around the filler under the action of a suitable chemical agent to form a sausage casing. A gear pump 21 is provided for pumping the gel composition to the extrusion nozzle. After co-extrusion, the extruded sausage rope 11 is conveyed along a rectilinear path, where it is guided and supported towards a cutting head for cutting the extruded sausage rope into smaller portions. The sausage processing equipment includes a flume 25 for carrying the cut sausage portions to a cooker or other processing equipment.
The sausage cutting apparatus 10 comprises, broadly, a support structure 26, a cutting head 27 including a first cutting assembly 28 including a plurality of cutting devices 30 and a second cutting assembly 32 including a plurality of cutting devices 30, an outfeed conveyor 23 for guiding displacement of cut sausage portions from the cutting head to the flume 25; an infeed guide system 33 for guiding displacement of the sausage rope 11 between the cutting devices during a sausage cutting operation; and a transfer support formation 60 for transferring the sausage rope from the infeed guide system 33 to the cutting head. The cutting head 27 has an infeed end 29 and an outfeed end 31.
The support structure 26 defines a rectilinear feed path 36 between the cutting assemblies along which a sausage rope to be cut, is supported and displaced.
The cutting devices 30 of the first and second cutting assemblies have identical configurations. The first cutting assembly 28 is mounted to the stand 14 and located at one side of the feed path 36 while the second cutting assembly 32 is located at an opposite side of the feed path with the sausage rope 11 being displaced along the feed path between the first and second cutting assemblies. The first cutting assembly 28 includes an elongate continuous carrier member in the form of a flexible toothed belt 38 to which the cutting devices 30 are fixedly connected in an arrangement wherein the cutting devices are spaced along the length of the belt. More specifically, the cutting devices 30 are fixedly mounted to an external side of the belt 38.
Each of the cutting assemblies has a top cover plate 41, an underside of which defines a guide rail along which the cutting devices are displaced. The sausage cutting apparatus further includes a bottom cover plate 43, the upper side of which defines part of a support base along which the sausage rope and cut sausage portions are displaced. An upper side of the bottom cover plate defines a pair of guide rails along which the cutting devices of the cutting assemblies 28 and 30, respectively, are displaced.
The second cutting assembly 32 is identical to the first cutting assembly 28. The second cutting assembly 32 is mounted to the stand 14 and includes an elongate continuous carrier member in the form of a flexible toothed belt 38 to which the cutting devices 30 are connected in an arrangement wherein the cutting devices are spaced along the length of the belt. The belt 38 has a plurality of teeth defined on an inner side thereof. More specifically, the cutting devices 30 are fixedly mounted to the belt 38.
The sausage cutting apparatus includes a drive system for synchronously driving the belts 38 of the cutting assemblies 28, 32. The drive system synchronously drives the belts 38 in a controlled manner wherein the cutting devices are sequentially displaced into and out of meshing engagement with one another for severing the sausage rope 11 into sausage portions.
Each of the cutting devices 30 has a cutting blade. Each cutting device of the first cutting assembly is associated with a particular one of the cutting devices of the second cutting assembly, with the cutting blades of each of the associated cutting devices sliding past one another in a shearing action for cutting the sausage. The cutting devices are displaced along arcuate cutter paths during meshing engagement of the cutting blades wherein cutting faces of opposing pairs of cutting blades mesh.
The infeed guide system 33 includes a pair of spaced driven elongate infeed belts 45 for supporting and conveying the sausage to the cutting head 27. The infeed belts comprise a continuous upper infeed belt 45.1 and a continuous lower infeed belt 45.2 which frictionally engage upper and lower sides, respectively, of the sausage rope 11.
The upper and lower infeed belts are disposed parallel to a longitudinal axis defined along the length of the sausage rope 11 when the sausage rope is supported and conveyed by the infeed belts.
The infeed guide system includes drive pulleys 48 on which the infeed belts 45.1 and 45.2 are mounted. The drive pulleys 48 are synchronously driven at the same velocity by an electric motor 52 via drive belts 50. The infeed guide system further includes follower pulleys 54 on which the infeed belts 45.1 and 45.2 are mounted.
The transfer support formation 60 is in the form of an elongate rigid channel formation defining a smooth upper surface 62 along which the sausage rope 11 is slidably displaceable. The channel formation 60 is configured to support the sausage rope as it is transferred from the infeed guide system 33 to the infeed end 29 of the cutting head 27.
The sausage cutting apparatus includes a height adjustment mechanism 64 for adjusting a height of the channel formation 60 thereby to ensure that the sausage rope 11 is optimally aligned and centred with cutting blades of the cutting devices 30 of the cutting assemblies.
Vertical adjustment of the channel formation relative to the cutting devices 30 of the cutting assemblies allows for changes in calibre (diameter) of sausage ropes. As such, for a relatively larger calibre sausage rope, the channel formation 60 is lowered whereas for a relatively smaller calibre sausage rope the channel formation 60 is raised so as to ensure optimal alignment with the cutting devices.
When used in this specification and claims, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" and variations thereof mean that the specified features, steps or integers are included. The terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.
The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.
Although certain example embodiments of the invention have been described, the scope of the appended claims is not intended to be limited solely to these embodiments. The claims are to be construed literally, purposively, and/or to encompass equivalents.

Claims (4)

  1. CLAIMS: 1. A sausage cutting apparatus including: a support structure; a cutting head having an infeed end and an outfeed end and including first and second cutting assemblies which are mounted to the support structure and which are each located at an opposite side of a cutting feed path defined between the cutting assemblies along which a sausage rope to be cut is displaced for cutting the sausage rope into smaller sausage portions, each cutting assembly including an elongate continuous carrier member and a plurality of longitudinally-spaced cutting devices which are connected to the carrier member, the cutting devices of the cutting assemblies being displaceable along cutter paths wherein the cutting devices of the first and second cutting assemblies are displaced repeatedly inwardly towards one another for cutting the sausage rope and away from one another so as to permit release of cut sausage portions; an infeed guide system for guiding displacement of the sausage rope along a rectilinear infeed path towards the cutting head; the sausage cutting apparatus being characterized in that the sausage cutting apparatus includes a transfer support formation which is disposed between the infeed guide system and the infeed end of the cutting head for supporting the sausage rope as it is transferred from the infeed guide system to the cutting head, the sausage cutting apparatus including a height adjustment mechanism for adjusting a height of the transfer support formation for ensuring that the sausage rope is optimally aligned with the cutting devices of the cutting assemblies of the cutting head.
  2. 2. A sausage cutting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the infeed guide system includes a pair of spaced driven infeed belts for supporting and conveying the sausage rope to the cutting head, the infeed belts comprising an elongate upper infeed belt and an elongate lower infeed belt which frictionally engage upper and lower sides of the sausage rope, the upper and lower infeed belts being disposed parallel to a longitudinal axis defined along a length of a sausage rope when the sausage rope is located between the infeed belts.
  3. 3. A sausage cutting apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the transfer support formation is in the form of an elongate rigid channel formation defining an upper support surface along which the sausage rope is slidably displaceable.4. A method of cutting a sausage rope into smaller sausage portions, the method including: providing a cutting head having an infeed end and an outfeed end and including first and second cutting assemblies which define a feed path between them along which the sausage rope is displaced and which each include a carrier member to which a plurality of cutting devices are connected, the cutting devices being displaceable repeatedly inwardly towards one another for cutting the sausage rope and away from one another so as to permit release of cut sausage portions; providing an infeed guide system for guiding displacement of the sausage rope to the cutting head; providing a transfer support formation which is disposed between the infeed guide system and the infeed end of the cutting head; adjusting a height of the transfer support formation relative to the cutting devices of the cutting head, as required, thereby to optimally align the sausage rope with the cutting devices; displacing the sausage rope along the infeed guide system and across an upper side of the transfer support formation; and displacing the cutting devices of the cutting assemblies repeatedly towards and away from one another so as to cut the sausage rope into smaller sausage portions.
  4. 4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the method is implemented by the sausage cutting apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2.
GB1817608.1A 2018-10-29 2018-10-29 A sausage cutting apparatus and method Withdrawn GB2578465A (en)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB1817608.1A GB2578465A (en) 2018-10-29 2018-10-29 A sausage cutting apparatus and method
PCT/IB2019/058581 WO2020089714A1 (en) 2018-10-29 2019-10-09 A sausage cutting apparatus and method

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB1817608.1A GB2578465A (en) 2018-10-29 2018-10-29 A sausage cutting apparatus and method

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB201817608D0 GB201817608D0 (en) 2018-12-12
GB2578465A true GB2578465A (en) 2020-05-13

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ID=64560513

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB1817608.1A Withdrawn GB2578465A (en) 2018-10-29 2018-10-29 A sausage cutting apparatus and method

Country Status (2)

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GB (1) GB2578465A (en)
WO (1) WO2020089714A1 (en)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
ZA202004816B (en) * 2020-08-04 2021-08-25 Freddy Hirsch Group Pty Limited A sausage cutting apparatus

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2299742A (en) * 1995-03-22 1996-10-16 Hitec Co Ltd Making sausages
EP1112691A1 (en) * 1999-12-31 2001-07-04 Giovanni Battista Righele Feeding, seperation and cutting device for machine for the production of sausages with twisted casing
GB2560560A (en) * 2017-03-15 2018-09-19 Freddy Hirsch Group Pty Limited A sausage cutting apparatus

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5816903A (en) * 1996-05-16 1998-10-06 Idziak; Peter Apparatus for separating sausages
US9615589B2 (en) * 2014-10-01 2017-04-11 Poly-Clip System Gmbh & Co. Kg Decoupled drive units for gathering and over-spreading

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2299742A (en) * 1995-03-22 1996-10-16 Hitec Co Ltd Making sausages
EP1112691A1 (en) * 1999-12-31 2001-07-04 Giovanni Battista Righele Feeding, seperation and cutting device for machine for the production of sausages with twisted casing
GB2560560A (en) * 2017-03-15 2018-09-19 Freddy Hirsch Group Pty Limited A sausage cutting apparatus

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB201817608D0 (en) 2018-12-12
WO2020089714A1 (en) 2020-05-07

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WAP Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1)