A food slicer

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of food slicing, and particularly relates to a food slicing machine, which comprises a base, a filling cylinder arranged at the output end of a reciprocating mechanism, a cutting blade arranged in parallel with the discharge end of the filling cylinder, a counterweight pressing block vertically slidingly assembled inside the filling cylinder along the cylinder body, the counterweight pressing block extruding the meat blocks in the cylinder downward by gravity to realize continuous feeding, an adhesion mechanism connected to the adjusting output end of a slicing thickness adjusting mechanism, the adhesion mechanism comprising a conveyor belt with a food-grade slightly sticky surface on the surface, the upper side of the conveyor belt being opposite to the discharge side of the cutting blade, and the downwardly overturned end of the conveyor belt being in the same vertical plane as the discharge end of the cutting blade, a transmission member assembled between the reciprocating mechanism and the adhesion mechanism, and the transmission member enabling the reciprocating mechanism to drive the conveyor belt to move synchronously and reciprocatingly. Through the cooperation of the above structure, the production efficiency of fresh meat slicing can be improved, and the freshness of fresh meat can be prevented from being damaged by low temperature.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of food slicing technology, specifically a food slicing machine. Background Technology

[0002] Meat slicers are core equipment in meat processing, catering pre-preparation, and fresh food retail. Currently, the slicing technology for frozen and semi-frozen meat is relatively mature in the industry, but there are still many technical pain points that are difficult to eradicate when slicing room temperature fresh meat: Fresh meat is soft and elastic. When using traditional slicing equipment, the high-speed rotating cutting blade is prone to slapping, squeezing and lateral pulling on the meat when it first comes into contact with the fresh meat. This causes the surface fibers of the fresh meat to tear and tissue fluid to seep out. Defects such as rough edges, stringiness and thin skin appear on the slice edges. At the same time, soft meat pieces are prone to slipping and shifting during the feeding process, which further leads to uneven slice thickness and a high breakage rate of finished products.

[0003] To improve the quality of sliced ​​fresh meat at room temperature, the current industry practice is to pre-cool the meat at low temperatures to enhance its firmness and structural rigidity. For example, a Chinese invention patent (CN118077738A) discloses a food cutting device that uses a cooling support device and annular cooling nozzles to directionally spray cold air onto the meat column during slicing. The cooling gas flows along the surface of the meat column due to the wall effect, achieving rapid pre-freezing of the surface layer. However, this technology has significant drawbacks: firstly, cooling fresh meat requires a long pre-treatment time, increasing production steps and waiting periods, reducing overall production efficiency, and failing to meet the flexible production needs of on-the-spot cutting and small-batch, multi-batch production; secondly, the low-temperature environment damages the original cell structure of fresh meat, causing a decrease in freshness, a dry texture, and impairing the product's edible quality.

[0004] Therefore, the present invention provides a food slicer. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, at least one technical problem raised in the background art is solved.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve its technical problem is as follows: A food slicing machine according to this invention includes a base, a cutting motor mounted on the base, a reciprocating mechanism, and a slicing thickness adjustment mechanism. A cutting blade is mounted on the main shaft of the cutting motor. A filling cylinder is provided at the output end of the reciprocating mechanism. The cutting blade and the discharge end of the filling cylinder are arranged parallel to each other. A counterweight block is vertically slidably mounted inside the filling cylinder, and the counterweight block uses its own weight to press the meat pieces inside the cylinder downwards to achieve continuous feeding. The adjustment output end of the slicing thickness adjustment mechanism is connected to an adhesion mechanism, allowing the adhesion mechanism to be adjusted vertically. The adhesion mechanism includes a conveyor belt with a food-grade micro-adhesive surface. The upper side of the conveyor belt is opposite to the discharge side of the cutting blade, and the downward-turning end of the conveyor belt is on the same vertical plane as the discharge end of the cutting blade. A transmission component is assembled between the reciprocating mechanism and the adhesion mechanism, causing the reciprocating mechanism to drive the conveyor belt to move synchronously back and forth.

[0007] Furthermore, the discharge end of the packing cylinder is provided with an annular micro-pressure ring, the inner diameter of which is smaller than the inner diameter of the packing cylinder.

[0008] Furthermore, the cutting blade has a cutting angle of 5° to 10°, and the upper side of the cutting blade's cutting edge is horizontally parallel to the lower end face of the annular micro-pressure ring.

[0009] Furthermore, the adhesion mechanism also includes a mounting bracket and rollers. The mounting bracket is located at the output end of the slice thickness adjustment mechanism. Rollers are rotatably mounted on both ends of the upper part of the mounting bracket, and the conveyor belt is wound around the outside of the two rollers.

[0010] Furthermore, the mounting bracket is composed of an integrally formed horizontal support section and an inclined support section. Rollers are rotatably installed at the nodes of the mounting bracket, so that the conveyor belt and the cutting surface under the blade of the cutting blade form an inclined angle of 2° to 3°.

[0011] Furthermore, a scraper is installed below the mounting bracket, and the scraper is in contact with the lower side of the conveyor belt.

[0012] Furthermore, the transmission component includes a gear, a telescopic connecting rod, and a rack. The gear is fixedly sleeved on the end of one of the rollers, and the pitch circle diameter of the gear is equal to the outer diameter of the roller. A telescopic connecting rod is fixedly connected to one side of the reciprocating mechanism, and a rack is connected to the lower end of the telescopic connecting rod, and the rack meshes with the gear for transmission.

[0013] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: The food slicing machine of this invention employs a self-weight feeding structure with a packing cylinder and a counterweight block. Combined with a ring-shaped micro-pressure ring at the discharge end, it radially encircles and compresses the fresh meat, rapidly increasing its structural firmness. This completely eliminates the need for low-temperature pre-cooling, shortens the processing time, and improves the production efficiency of room-temperature fresh meat slicing. Simultaneously, it avoids low-temperature damage to fresh meat cells, fully preserving the original freshness and taste of the meat. Furthermore, it uses a conveyor belt with a food-grade micro-adhesive surface instead of a traditional rigid pallet, allowing the cut meat slices to immediately adhere to the conveyor belt surface. The downward-turning end of the conveyor belt is coplanar with the blade discharge end, and the meat slices are simultaneously dragged downwards along with the conveyor belt during the instant of cutting and separation, creating a cutting gap between the meat slices and the original meat. This fundamentally eliminates problems such as sticking to the blade, blade brittleness, and slice breakage. Attached Figure Description

[0014] The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0015] Figure 1 This is the front view of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a perspective sectional view of the present invention from another angle; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the adhesion mechanism in this invention; Figure 5 This is another structural schematic diagram of the adhesion mechanism in this invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the positions of the cutting blade and the conveyor belt in this invention.

[0016] In the diagram: 1. Base; 2. Cutting blade; 3. Reciprocating mechanism; 4. Slice thickness adjustment mechanism; 5. Packing cylinder; 6. Counterweight block; 7. Adhesion mechanism; 8. Annular micro-pressure ring; 9. Gear; 10. Telescopic connecting rod; 11. Rack; 12. Scraper; 70. Mounting bracket; 71. Roller; 72. Conveyor belt. Detailed Implementation

[0017] To make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects of this invention easier to understand, the invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0018] Example 1: As Figures 1 to 2As shown, a food slicer according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a base 1, a cutting motor, a reciprocating mechanism 3, and a slice thickness adjustment mechanism 4 mounted on the base 1. A cutting blade 2 is mounted on the main shaft of the cutting motor. A filling cylinder 5 is provided at the output end of the reciprocating mechanism 3. The cutting blade 2 is arranged parallel to the discharge end of the filling cylinder 5. A counterweight block 6 is vertically slidably mounted inside the filling cylinder 5. The counterweight block 6 uses its own weight to press the meat block inside the filling cylinder 5 downward to achieve continuous feeding. During the downward pressure process of the counterweight block 6, the cylinder wall of the filling cylinder 5 forms a circumferential limit on the meat block, squeezing and tightening the meat block, so that the fresh meat at the cutting station has sufficient support strength and is not easily deformed during the cutting process.

[0019] like Figure 4 As shown, the adjustment output end of the slicing thickness adjustment mechanism 4 is connected to an adhesion mechanism 7. The adhesion mechanism 7 includes a conveyor belt 72 with a food-grade micro-adhesive surface. The upper side of the conveyor belt 72 is opposite to the discharge side of the cutting blade 2, and the downward flipping end of the conveyor belt 72 is on the same vertical plane as the discharge end of the cutting blade 2. The adhesion mechanism 7 also includes a mounting bracket 70 and rollers 71. The mounting bracket 70 is set at the output end of the slicing thickness adjustment mechanism 4. Rollers 71 are rotatably mounted on both ends of the upper part of the mounting bracket 70. The conveyor belt 72 is wrapped around the outside of the two rollers 71, so that the lower end of the fresh meat is supported by the conveyor belt 72. At the same time, the meat slices will flip downward synchronously with the conveyor belt 72, so that the meat slices are separated from the cutting blade 2.

[0020] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the mounting bracket 70 consists of an integrally formed horizontal support section and an inclined support section. Rollers 71 are rotatably mounted at the nodes of the mounting bracket 70, so that the conveyor belt 72 and the cutting surface of the cutting blade 2 form an inclined angle α2 within the range of 2° to 3°, so that the cut meat slices move downward along the inclined conveyor belt 72. The conveyor belt 72 applies a continuous downward dragging force to the meat slices, and a cutting gap is formed between the meat slices and the remaining meat pieces, so as to completely avoid the lower surface of the cutting blade 2 from sticking to the meat slices and causing adhesion.

[0021] like Figure 4 As shown, a scraper 12 is installed below the mounting bracket 70. The scraper 12 is in contact with the lower side of the conveyor belt 72, so that when the conveyor belt 72 rotates in a cycle, the scraper 12 can scrape off the meat pieces adhering to the surface of the conveyor belt 72, and automatically complete the discharge.

[0022] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, a transmission component is assembled between the reciprocating mechanism 3 and the adhesion mechanism 7. The transmission component causes the reciprocating mechanism 3 to drive the conveyor belt 72 to move back and forth synchronously. The transmission component includes a gear 9, a telescopic connecting rod 10, and a rack 11. The gear 9 is fixedly sleeved on the end of one of the rollers 71. The pitch circle diameter of the gear 9 is equal to the outer diameter of the roller 71. The telescopic connecting rod 10 is fixedly connected to one side of the reciprocating mechanism 3. The lower end of the telescopic connecting rod 10 is connected to the rack 11, and the rack 11 meshes with the gear 9 to drive the transmission. When the reciprocating mechanism 3 feeds horizontally, it synchronously drives the rack 11 to push and pull the gear 9 to rotate. The feeding speed of the conveyor belt 72 is completely synchronized with the moving speed of the filling cylinder 5. There is no relative slippage between the bottom of the meat block and the conveyor belt 72, and the material position is stable during the cutting process.

[0023] The outlet end of the packing cylinder 5 is equipped with an annular micro-pressure ring 8. The inner diameter of the annular micro-pressure ring 8 is smaller than the inner diameter of the packing cylinder 5, so that the meat pieces are subjected to uniform radial extrusion force when passing through the annular micro-pressure ring 8, which improves the firmness of the fresh meat in a short time and can be sliced ​​stably without low-temperature cooling.

[0024] like Figure 6 As shown, the cutting blade 2 has a blade angle α1 of 5° to 10°. The upper side of the cutting blade 2 is kept horizontally parallel to the lower end face of the annular micro-pressure ring 8, so that the blade applies a downward pushing force to the separated meat slices during the cutting process, preventing the meat slices from wrapping and sticking to the blade.

[0025] The working principle is as follows: Loading and gravity constant pressure feeding The fresh meat chunks to be cut are vertically placed into the packing cylinder 5, and then a counterweight block 6 is placed inside the packing cylinder 5. The counterweight block 6 continuously presses the meat chunks vertically down along the cylinder body by its own weight. Without the need for an additional power pushing structure, it can provide stable and uniform downward feeding pressure for the meat chunks, achieving continuous and uniform material feeding. At the same time, the downward pressure of the counterweight block 6 will press the lower end of the meat chunks into close contact with the upper side of the conveyor belt 72, so that the cutting surface of the meat chunks is in close contact with the conveyor belt 72 in advance, providing a pre-position for the adhesion and separation at the moment of subsequent cutting. The reciprocating mechanism 3 drives the packing cylinder 5 to make a horizontal reciprocating feeding motion in the direction of the cutting blade 2, completing the advancement of the cutting station.

[0026] Radial compaction core process before cutting without precooling The meat chunks are pushed by the counterweight block 6 to the discharge end of the filling cylinder 5 and pass through the annular micro-pressure ring 8. Since the inner diameter of the annular micro-pressure ring 8 is smaller than the inner diameter of the filling cylinder 5, it will apply a uniform radial circumferential squeezing force to the local meat chunks that are about to enter the cutting station, which will temporarily improve the structural compactness of the soft fresh meat, completely replacing the traditional low temperature pre-cooling process, and achieving cutting stability close to that of frozen meat without cooling.

[0027] Adaptive adjustment of slice thickness Adjusting the slice thickness adjustment mechanism 4 according to production needs drives the entire adhesion mechanism 7 to move vertically up and down, changing the vertical distance between the conveyor belt 72 and the cutting blade 2, thus precisely adjusting the slice thickness. The slice thickness adjustment mechanism 4 can be composed of a drive knob, a screw, a guide column, a drive gear, and a driven gear. Manually rotating the drive knob with anti-slip teeth on the outside drives the coaxial drive gear to rotate synchronously. The drive gear meshes with and drives the driven gear at the upper end of the lifting screw to rotate. The lifting screw drives the mounting bracket 70 to move vertically up and down along the guide column through the threaded pair, realizing the synchronous lifting and positioning of the entire adhesion mechanism 7. The guide column can prevent the mounting bracket 70 from shifting horizontally during adjustment, improving the thickness adjustment accuracy.

[0028] Synchronous adhesion and anti-adhesion separation The reciprocating mechanism 3 drives the packing cylinder 5 to feed horizontally, and simultaneously drives the telescopic connecting rod 10 on the side to move synchronously. The rack 11 at the lower end of the telescopic connecting rod 10 meshes with the gear 9 at the end of the roller 71. Since the pitch circle diameter of the gear 9 is equal to the outer diameter of the roller 71, the feeding speed of the reciprocating mechanism 3 and the conveying speed of the conveyor belt 72 can be completely synchronized at a 1:1 ratio. The reciprocating mechanism 3 can be composed of a drive motor, a reciprocating screw, a threaded pair, a sliding support frame, and a guide rod. The drive motor drives the reciprocating screw to rotate continuously. The reciprocating screw drives the sliding support frame to make stable horizontal reciprocating translation along the guide rod through the threaded pair. The packing cylinder 5 is fixedly connected to the sliding support frame and synchronously completes the reciprocating feeding action towards / away from the cutting blade 2 with the sliding support frame.

[0029] The moment the meat slice is cut away from the meat block by the blade, the meat slice will move downward synchronously with the conveyor belt 72 because the lower end of the meat block has been pre-pressed and adhered to the food-grade micro-adhesive surface of the conveyor belt 72. Since the downward flipping end of the conveyor belt 72 and the discharge end of the cutting blade 2 are on the same vertical plane, the conveyor belt 72 applies a downward adhesive drag force to the meat slice, preventing the cut meat slice from sticking to the lower side of the cutting blade 2. This allows the lower end of the meat slice and the meat block to naturally form an angled cutting space, fundamentally preventing the lower side of the cutting blade 2 from sticking to the upper side of the meat slice and causing movement interference, thus completely solving the industry pain point of fresh meat slicing sticking to the blade.

[0030] Automatic leveling and discharge When the conveyor belt 72 carrying meat slices runs to the area below the mounting bracket 70, the scraper 12 below the mounting bracket 70 automatically scrapes off the meat slices adhering to the conveyor belt 72. The meat slices are then stacked flat at the discharge station, eliminating the need for manual sorting and arrangement, and can be directly connected to the subsequent packaging process.

Claims

1. A food slicing machine, comprising a base (1), a cutting motor, a reciprocating mechanism (3), and a slicing thickness adjustment mechanism (4) mounted on the base (1), wherein a cutting blade (2) is mounted on the main shaft of the cutting motor, characterized in that: The output end of the reciprocating mechanism (3) is provided with a packing cylinder (5), and the cutting blade (2) is arranged parallel to the discharge end of the packing cylinder (5). Inside the packing cylinder (5), a counterweight block (6) is slidably mounted along the cylinder body. The counterweight block (6) relies on its own weight to squeeze the meat block inside the cylinder downward to achieve continuous feeding. The adjustment output end of the slice thickness adjustment mechanism (4) is connected to the adhesion mechanism (7), so that the adhesion mechanism (7) can be adjusted vertically. The adhesion mechanism (7) includes a conveyor belt (72) with a food-grade micro-adhesive surface. The upper side of the conveyor belt (72) is opposite to the discharge side of the cutting blade (2), and the downward flipping end of the conveyor belt (72) is in the same vertical plane as the discharge end of the cutting blade (2). A transmission component is assembled between the reciprocating mechanism (3) and the adhesion mechanism (7), which enables the reciprocating mechanism (3) to drive the conveyor belt (72) to move back and forth synchronously.

2. A food slicing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The discharge end of the packing cylinder (5) is provided with an annular micro pressure ring (8), the inner diameter of which is smaller than the inner diameter of the packing cylinder (5).

3. A food slicing machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cutting blade (2) has a cutting angle of 5° to 10°, and the upper side of the cutting blade (2) is horizontally parallel to the lower end face of the annular micro pressure ring (8).

4. A food slicing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adhesion mechanism (7) also includes a mounting bracket (70) and rollers (71). The mounting bracket (70) is located at the output end of the slice thickness adjustment mechanism (4). Rollers (71) are rotatably mounted on both ends of the upper part of the mounting bracket (70). The conveyor belt (72) is wrapped around the outside of the two rollers (71).

5. A food slicing machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The mounting bracket (70) is composed of an integrally formed horizontal support section and an inclined support section. A roller (71) is rotatably installed at the node of the mounting bracket (70), so that the conveyor belt (72) and the cutting surface on the lower side of the blade of the cutting blade (2) form an inclined angle of 2︒~3︒.

6. A food slicing machine according to claim 5, characterized in that: A scraper (12) is installed below the mounting bracket (70), and the scraper (12) is in contact with the lower side of the conveyor belt (72).

7. A food slicing machine according to claim 6, characterized in that: The transmission components include a gear (9), a telescopic connecting rod (10), and a rack (11). The gear (9) is fixedly sleeved on the end of one of the rollers (71). The pitch circle diameter of the gear (9) is equal to the outer diameter of the roller (71). The reciprocating mechanism (3) is fixedly connected to one side of the telescopic connecting rod (10). The lower end of the telescopic connecting rod (10) is connected to the rack (11), and the rack (11) meshes with the gear (9) for transmission.

Images