GB266819A - Improvements in or relating to bacon slicing machines and the like - Google Patents

Abstract

266,819. Perrett, I. G., and Lambert, F. T. Dec. 5, 1925. Cutting slices in succession. - In a slicing- machine, means are provided for imparting an angular correcting movement of the member carrying the bacon so that convergence of the two ends of the piece may be compensated for by a taper in the slices. The correcting movement may be imparted by the feed mechanism, by a reciprocating part or otherwise. As shown in Fig. 1, the meat plate g is pivotally mounted on the feed table c, e.g. by mounting one of the clamp guides h on the table c to form a pivot for the plate g, or by mounting both guides h on the plate g and extending one guide downwardly to journal in a socket in the table c. The relative correcting movement between the plate g and table c is effected by a link i pivoted to the plate g and having rack teeth k to engage a pinion l slidably keyed on a shaft m parallel to the feed screw e and geared thereto at n. The rack portion of the link j has lateral flanges to embrace the pinion l whereby, since the link is maintained parallel to the cutting plane by linkage j<1>, j<2>, the pinion is constrained to move along the shaft m. The feed movement of the plate g is thus combined with an angular correcting movement which latter may be stopped automatically when the edge of the plate g becomes parallel with the cutting plane. This may be effected by provided the rack k or the pinion l with mutilated teeth, or by driving the gearing n through a friction clutch which slips when the plate abuts against stops. If it is desired to permit a correcting movement in both directions, the rack k is slotted and provided with two sets of teeth, one on each side of the pinion l which is, together with the shaft m, carried on swinging arms whereby the pinion is engageable with either set of rack teeth. To stop the correcting movement, the pinion is brought to the neutral position. The gearing n may be replaced by ratchet mechanism operated by a cam or eccentric on the feed screw, in which case the amount of taper in the slice may be controlled by altering the strode of the ratchet. Fig. 4 shows a modification where the last slice holder q is pivoted to a cross head p carried on the clamp guides h, the holder q being pivoted to one or two links s slidable in a guide or guides t. The friction in the guide is adjusted by screw and spring means, and the feed motion of the table c produces a correcting movement of the holder q until it, becoming parallel with the cutting plane, abuts against a stop u which is transferable to the other side of the pivot when the correcting motion is in the other direction. In a. modification, the correcting movement of the holder q is effected by a ratchet mechanism, the ratchet lever abutting against a stop during the reciprocation of the under table, and the operating pawl being centered automatically to check the movement when parallelism is achieved. In a further modification, the plate g is connected by a link s and guide t as in the case of the holderq. As shown in Fig. 8, the plate g has a guide surface g<1> which contacts with a roller stop b<1> which restores the plate to parallelism. The method may be used in conjunction with a ratchet correcting-mechanism.