GB977832A - Machine for skinning bananas - Google Patents

Abstract

977,832. Skinning bananas. VICKERS-ARMSTRONGS (ENGINEERS) Ltd. Aug. 26, 1963 [Aug. 27, 1962], No. 32889/62. Heading A4C. [Also in Division B8] In a machine for skinning bananas, the latter are fed in succession to a cutting station 36 at which they are cut transversely into halves which are then fed endwise with the cut ends trailing to a skinning station having two gripping elements, such as rollers 44, which grip the uncut ends and draw the skin but not the fruit through a gap between the elements. Bananas from a conveyer 1 are fed via an oscillating chute 3 along inclined plates 4 and 13 to be carried and washed in a water stream from nozzles 20 and a pipe 17 between two of a plurality of guide plates 13A and to be then carried on fingers 29 upstanding from a conveyer 23 having two open-mesh belts 25 along the upper run 23B on which they are dried by a blower 31. The bananas are transferred from the end of the conveyer 23 to a first feeding means comprising a plurality of side-byside lower conveyer belts 33 carrying banana engaging lugs 34 and a corresponding series of upper conveyer belts 35. The rollers 33A, 35A carrying the belts 33, 35 and mounted respectively on common shafts but each roller 33A, 35A is independently spring urged to cater for varying thickness of bananas carried between the belts 33, 35. Between each adjacent pair of belts 33, 35 is mounted a cutter blade 36 which cuts into halves bananas fed transversely thereto. The cut halves are re-orientated through 90 degrees by diverters 37 aligned with the cutters 36 and transferred in channels defined between the diverters 37 and guide plates 38 to a second feeding means comprising a conveyer 39 formed of a plurality of spaced belts connected by groups of cross wires 43. Banana halves carried on the conveyer 39 have their skins cut longitudinally on opposite sides by knives located within the guide channels. Each banana half after being cut longitudinally is fed by the conveyer 39 to have its uncut end gripped between and drawn by one of a plurality of pairs of contra-rotating rollers 44 whereby the skin passes between the rollers 44 to be discharged on to a conveyer 45 and the fruit is squeezed out of the skin to pass through a gap between groups of wires 43 and on to a conveyer 46. Bananas inadvertently adhered to the conveyer 39 are removed from the lower arm by a stripper 47 and the lower run is cleaned by a brush 48. In an alternative arrangement the washing part of the apparatus is omitted and bananas are fed from a hopper to a separating device which delivers the bananas in spaced rows to the lower conveyer belts 33.