Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1~14815
The present invention relates to a slicing machine provided
with circular blades ~otating in planetary fashion. The machine is used in
particular for preparing cold cuts or, in the fish industry, for slicing
salmon.
The prior art comprises a number of devices, by means of which
attempts have been made to carry out the slicing in an automatic fashion.
German Gbm 1 831 114, for example, discloses a slicing machine providing a
set of circular blades, adapted to rotate in a vertical plana in planetary
fashion. That machine comprises receptacles for holding the material to be
sliced which is pressed at a right angle against the cutting edge of the
circular blades. However, a machine of that kind is not suitable for
providing the bias cut across a side of salmon which is particularly desir-
able. Moreover, the cleaning and sharpening of the blades involves a loss
of time by disassembling and reassembling.
It has further been attempted, according to German OS 1 632 120,
to repeatedly pass a rotating circular blade in a pivotal movement past a
receptacle for the material to be sliced which is pressed against the blade
at a right angle to the cutting plane. This likewise fails to permit the
carrying out of a bias cut.
It is ~he object of the present invention to construct a slicing
machine of the above kind in such a manner that the bias cutting, in partic-
ular of sides of salmon, can be carried out without a problem. Salmon
should be sliced especially carefully and at uniform thickness. At the
same time, the sharpening of the circular blades necessary for a continously
proper cut is to be carried out in a simple manner.
For the slicing of salmon, a number of peculiarities and problems
have to be borne in mind which are absent from the slicing of sausages and
other foodstuffs.
Salmon is soft; it should nevertheless be sliced uniformly and
s -1- ~ :``
101~815
as thinly as possible.
According to the present invention it has been suggested that
salmon be sliced by means of a machine which is provided with circular
blades adapted to rotate in planetary fashion about a sun wheel and provided
with abutments adapted to rotate with the blades and at the same time being
adjustable relative to their cutting plane. The slicing machine is charac-
terized by supports provided in the blades. A salmon-slicing machine accord-
ing to the present invention comprises circular blades adapted to rotate in
a planetary fashion about a stationary sun wheel as well as adjustable
abutment plates adapted to rotate simultaneously with the circular blades
relative to their cutting surface. The present invention is characterized
in that there is a circular support provided with reinforcing fins covering
the surface of the rotating circular blades. This support rotates together
with the abutment plates in a horizontally stationary position. These
supports provide for the salmon to be sliced with a firm abutment immediate-
ly behind the cutting edge so that each slice will be ef uniform thickness
across its surface. Moreover, the support member prevents the salmon be-
coming deformed into a wedge shape by the rotation of the blades.
According to the present invention, the rotating blades are adapt-
ed to rotate together with an abutment plate, whereas a supply means for the
material to be sliced is provided so as to form an acute angle to the
rotational plane of the blades. According to a preferred embodiment of the
present invention, the sun wheel of the planetary gear is rigidly connected
to the frame of the ma~h~ne~ The support for the blades is preferably
provided with bores, through which extend pins affixed to the driving cam.
The supply means for the material to be sliced may be rigidly affixed to a
cover which is hinged to the frame. The angle formed between the supply
means and the slicing plane of the blades will preferably be from 18 to 20 .
The thickness of each slice can be determined by adjusting the height of
--2--
~84815
the abutment plates which, together with the circular blade-protecting
members, or the supporting members disposed on the blades, are preferably
provided with rotary reinforcing fins.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be dRs-
cribed with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:-
Figure 1 is a vertical cross-section of the slicing machine ac~
cording to the present invention,
Figure 2 is a plan view of the machine without its cover,
Figure 3 is a plan view of the slicing machine according to the
present invention, to which a blade-sharpening device has been attached, and
Figure 4 is a side elevation of the blade-sharpening device on a
substantially larger scale than Figure 3.
Onto the machine frame 1 a supporting plate 2 is affixed wh~-ch
bears a drive motor 3 for the slicing machine and a transmission 4. A
drive shaft 5 of the transmission extends through a sun wheel 6 of a plane-
tary gear which is rigidly affixed to a support plate 2.
The drive shaft 5 is connected with a cam 6' which is provided
with four upwardly extending cam pins 7. The cams extend through bores in
a support 8 for blades 9.
The support 8 forms the cross-piece for a planetary gear which
comprises the aforenamed sun wheel 6 as well as rotatably planet wheels 10.
Shafts 11 of the planet wheels are disposed at right angles ~o the support 8.
Ball bearings 12 are provided which are supported by the support 8. Blades
12 are attached at the upper ends of the shafts 11. In a preferred embodi-
ment of this invention only two blades are provided. There may, however, be
four or more circular blades held in place by the support. On the blades 9,
there is a circular reinforced supporting portion 29 provided which can be
removed for cleaning of the machine when a shift stop 28 disposed on the
centre axle is taken off.
--3--
1al~48~5
The supporting portion 29 is supported against the rotating
blade by means of a ball bearing, or the like. By means of a connection to
the shift stop 28 this supporting portion is stationarily disposed relative
to tracks 27.
Directly bel~w the cutting plane of the circular blades 9 extends
a cutting edge 13 which is height-adjustable by means of adjusting member
14 for setting the thickness of a slice. This adjusting member is supported
on the support 8.
Below the supporting plate 2 there are hydraulic cylinders 15 af-
fixed which are connected with a controllable pressure means that has not
been shown in detail. Piston rods 16, adapted to be actuated by the hydrau-
lic device, extend through the sun wheel 6 and are provided at their respect-
ive upper ends with forked bearings 17, each which is adapted to receive
supporting rollers 18. On each supporting roller rests one support 8.
The slicing machine is provided on its top with a cover 19 which
is connected to the supporting plate 2 by means of a hinge 20. Whenever
the cover 19 is pivoted upward, the blades and the drive are accessible.
A supply means 21 for the material to be sliced is provided within
the cover 19. This means, together with the cutting plane, forms an acute
angle which is preferably between 15 and 35 and terminates in the circum-
ferential area of the blade 9. W~thin the supply means 21 a guide 22 for a
clamp 23 is provided which is adapted to hold the material to be sliced in
its place. The guide may pass the material toward the cutting edge of the
blade by exerting hydraulic pressure.
Below the supply means 21 for the material to be sliced extends a
conveyor belt 24 for removing the prepared slices. A bearing block 25 for a
roller 26 associated with the conveyor belt is attached to the supporting
plate 2.
When the slicing machine is in operation, the motor 3 rotates the
-4-
1~84815
drive shaft 5 which rotates the sun wheel 6 forming by means of the pins 7
a force-locking connection with the support 8. The transmission 4 is
adapted to reduce the rotational speed. The support 8 acts as the cross-
piece for the planetary gear and places the planet wheels 10, together with
their shafts 11 and the circular blades 9, into rotation about the sun wheel
6. This effects the rotation of the circular blades about their respective
axes.
The thickness of a slice is effected by means of lifting or lower-
ing the cutting edge together with the abutment plates. In order to reduce
friction between the material to be sliced and the abutment plates, as well
as the blade-protecting plates, the latter are provided with circular rein-
forcing fins. The material to be sliced is continously passed across the
supply means 21 toward the blade 9, whereupon each prepared slice is placed
on the continously moving conveyor b~lt 24. This belt moves at a relatively
low speed so that the slices are deposited in the customary overlapping
fashion.
The hori7ontal posi~ioning of the blades, and the placing of the
conveyor belt a short distance therebelow, results in the slices being de-
posited with the proper side up. This represents a contrast with the operat-
ing technique of all other machines. In particular in the case of salmon, it
is of the essence that the sliced and reassembled fish retains the appearance
of a coherent piece.
The machine may be cleaned and the blades sharpened when the cover
2 has been opened by pivoting about a hinge 20. In that position a non-
illustra~ed valve provides the hydraulic cylinders 12 with pressure causing
the piston rods 16 to move upward. The supporting rollers 18, which carry
the support 8, push it, together with the blades 9, in an upward direction.
The pins affixed on the cam 6' leave their bores in the support 8, whereby
the blade drive is placed out of engagement. This feature considerably adds
5-
s
to the safety during the cleaning or sharpening operation of the blades, in
case the turn-on switch for the motor should accidentally be touched. The
machine is readied for operation in an equally simple manner. The control
~alve is switched, whereby the pressure means is drawn from the hydraulic
cylinders 15, and piston rods 16, together with the support 8 and the blades
9 are lowered. The pins 7 of the cam 6' reengage the bores in the support
8. When the cover 19 is lowered, the machine is in operating condition.
Figures 3 and 4 illustrate a blade-sharpening device. It com-
prises a centre mounting 106 and is adapted to be affixed on the shaft 5.
This is accomplished by means of a locking screw 107. On either side of the
centre mounting 106 are provided opposite one another, holders for two axle
bearings 105. Each axle bearing 105, on one side, attached by means of an
axle 102 to a rocker arm 108 and bears at its opposite end conical grinding
discs 101. ~etween the arms and the grinding discs~ or between the axle
bearing 105 and the rocker arm 108 are disposed pressure springs 103.
The blades 9 are sharpened by first opening the cover 19 of the
slicing machine and removing the shift stop 28, ~ogether with the supporting
portions 29 which are attached thereto. The centre mounting 106 may then be
pushed onto the shaft 5 in such a rotational pOSIti~n that the grinding discs
101 will not be placed in contact with the blades 9. The centre mounting 106
is then pivoted in such a fashion that one grinding disc 101 each is disposed
above the blade and its cooperating disc 101 is disposed below the blade. In
this position the centre mounting 106 is affixed to the shaft 5 by tightening
the locking screw 107. The motor of the machine is started and the blades
9 are sharpened between the conical discs 101 while the motor is kept run-
ning. After sharpening has been completed, the grinding device may be re-
moved from the slicing machine in any desired manner.
-.~ ~v.
