PROVIDING TRACK-SHAPED INTERFLUE MATERIAL AT A CUTTING AREA

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device and a method for providing web-shaped interleaving sheet material to a cutting area, in which supplied products are cut into slices and interleaving sheets are introduced, which are separated from the provided interleaving sheet material in the cutting area, according to the preamble of claim 1 and claim 14, respectively.

[0002] In the cutting area, slices separated from the products can therefore be provided with the interleavers introduced into the cutting area. For example, interleavers can be inserted between two immediately consecutive slices, or interleavers can be inserted under a slice and thus between this slice and a support surface of this slice. When portions are formed from several slices, for example, there is then an interleaver under the bottom slice of a portion. However, such a function, which is also referred to as an underleaver function, does not rule out the possibility that when portions are formed, an interleaver is not only located under the bottom slice, but that one or more interleavers are also inserted between two consecutive slices within the portion.Regardless of whether an underleaver function is provided or not, an intermediate sheet can generally be inserted within a portion either between each pair of immediately consecutive slices or only between one or more pairs of immediately consecutive slices, e.g. between every n-th pair, where n > 1.

[0003] Such devices are generally known in the field of slicing food products – for example, from EP-A-1 940 685 (= WO 2007 / 050 677 A2) – and are also referred to as interleavers or underleavers. As mentioned above, an interleaver can also perform an underleaver function, and vice versa. The present disclosure therefore applies not only to the interleavers primarily explained here, or the provision of interleaving sheets or interleaving sheet material between two immediately consecutive slices, but also to so-called "underleavers," which serve to place a sheet beneath products. Such an underleaving system ensures that the products, at least with their entire underside, do not rest directly on a support surface, for example, a conveyor device.If only the term "interleaver" is used below, the respective explanations and the respective disclosure also apply—where appropriate—to an "underleaver." As already mentioned, one and the same device for providing interleaver material or interleavers can perform both an interleaver function and an underleaver function, depending on the respective application. That is, an interleaver is simultaneously also an underleaver within the scope of this disclosure, and vice versa.

[0004] The invention also relates to a device for slicing food products, comprising a product feed which feeds products to be sliced ​​to a cutting area in which a cutting blade rotates and / or circulates to cut the supplied products into slices, and comprising an interleaver or underleaver according to the invention.

[0005] Such cutting devices are also referred to as slicers or high-speed slicers, the latter because such machines can be used to slice, for example, bar- or loaf-shaped food products at high cutting speeds of several hundred to several thousand slices per minute. In many applications, stacked or shingled portions are formed from the separated slices that fall onto a depositing surface, such as that formed by a portioning belt. An interleaver, for example, is used to insert interleaves between immediately consecutive slices of a portion so that the slices can be separated more easily later. The interleaves can be made of paper or plastic film, for example.

[0006] In line with advances in cutting machine development, particularly in terms of speed, accuracy, and versatility, increasingly stringent demands are also being placed on interleavers and underleavers. Familiar interleaver and underleaver concepts, which generally deliver satisfactory results, often no longer meet these increased requirements.

[0007] There is therefore a need for improved interleaver and underleaver technology, particularly in the field of slicing food products using high-speed slicers. Multi-lane and lane-specific interleaver and underleaver operation is becoming increasingly important.

[0008] One problem with conventional interleavers and underleavers is that ejecting the material web into the cutting area is a highly dynamic process, which becomes increasingly difficult to manage the higher the cutting speed. The required decoupling between this highly dynamic process, on the one hand, and the inert material supply from which the material web is drawn, on the other, must therefore be capable of providing a sufficiently long web length at all times, ensuring that the material web never needs to be drawn from an inert material supply, such as a roll of material.

[0009] The object of the invention is to improve a device for providing web-shaped interleaf material in such a way that the process of ejecting the material web into the cutting area is reliably decoupled from the process of removing the material web from the material supply, even at comparatively high cutting speeds.

[0010] The problem is solved by the features of independent claims 1 and 14.

[0011] The device according to the invention (claim 1) is designed for a single-track or multi-track provision of web-shaped interleaf material and comprises a material supply and a removal device which is designed to remove the material web from the material supply, wherein a loop storage device is provided for the material web, in which loop the material web forms a loop, wherein at least one sensor is provided for detecting the loop, in particular the lower loop end, and means for moving the material web against a contact surface into which at least part of the sensor is integrated, and wherein the sensor is designed such that the loop is only detected when the material web rests against the contact surface in the region of the part of the sensor integrated into the contact surface.

[0012] The material loop effectively forms a non-inertial, dynamic material supply from which the required length of material in the cutting area can be drawn virtually instantaneously. This advantageously prevents tensions from developing in the material web when accelerating.

[0013] According to a preferred embodiment, the loop storage device includes a brake for the material web. This ensures that the material web is taut at all times.

[0014] Furthermore, the loop storage device can be provided with a suction device for the material loop. This allows the material web to be influenced in a simple and effective manner to ensure a desired path within the loop storage device.

[0015] In addition, the suction device can be used to exert a braking effect on the material web.

[0016] According to a further embodiment, the loop storage device comprises a blowing device for the material loop. A blowing device can also be used to specifically influence the path of the material web in the loop storage device or to assist in the formation of the loop.

[0017] Preferably, the suction device pressurizes the outer side of the material loop, and the blower device pressurizes the inner side of the material loop. Depending on the desired path of the material web in the loop storage device, the material web can also be pressurized in the opposite direction.

[0018] Furthermore, it can be provided that the material web forms more than one material loop in the loop storage device. The desired loop formation can be realized or supported by more than one suction device and / or more than one blowing device.

[0019] A suction device and a blower device can be integrated into a shared air circuit. This allows for particularly simple and effective control of the material web within the loop storage system.

[0020] The air circuit, in particular the strength and / or direction of an air flow, can be adjustable and / or controllable by an internal or external control device depending on the loop size.

[0021] Preferably, a blower is provided, the suction side of which belongs to a suction device and the pressure device of which belongs to a blowing device.

[0022] If the device is designed with multiple tracks, according to one embodiment, a track-individually effective blower can be provided, which can provide an individually adjustable suction and pressure effect for each of the material webs running in the individual tracks.

[0023] Furthermore, the loop storage device can include a support surface for at least one exit-side region of the material loop. The support surface can guide the material web on its way out of the loop storage device.

[0024] Furthermore, it can be provided that the contact surface belongs to a brake for the material web.

[0025] Preferably, the contact surface is permeable to air, with the contact surface defining at least one vacuum chamber to which a suction device is connected or which is part of a suction device. The air-permeable contact surface can, for example, simply be a perforated sheet metal.

[0026] If the device is designed with multiple tracks, according to one embodiment, the arrangement of the contact surface and vacuum chamber can be designed with multiple tracks. This allows an individually adjustable braking effect to be set for each of the material webs running in the individual tracks.

[0027] According to one embodiment, the contact surface is convexly curved, wherein in particular the contact surface has an arcuate contour.

[0028] Such a shaping of the contact surface results in the material web wrapping around the contact surface. This is particularly advantageous when the contact surface acts as a brake for the material web, for example when the contact surface, which is provided with openings, defines a vacuum chamber. The advantage here is that the material web can run at least approximately tangentially to the curved contact surface in the area of ​​the transition to the contact surface and / or in the area of ​​the transition away from the contact surface. Such a path in the area of ​​a contact surface acting as a brake has proven particularly advantageous.

[0029] Furthermore, it can be provided that a braking effect of the contact surface for the material web can be adjusted and / or controlled by means of a suction device, by means of a blowing device or by means of an air circuit, preferably comprising a suction device and a blowing device, in particular via an air flow and / or via an air volume flow.

[0030] According to a further embodiment, provision can be made for a secondary air device, in particular an adjustable one, on the suction side - e.g. on the suction side of a blower or in a vacuum chamber. This makes it possible to even out the braking effect of the contact surface. With a secondary air device, which can be designed, for example, as a flap or a membrane, it is possible to avoid an excessive braking effect on the material web. A relatively high braking effect can occur without a secondary air device, in particular when the loop of the material web is comparatively large, so that a relatively large proportion of the contact surface is covered by the material web and, for example, a relatively large number of openings formed in the contact surface are closed by the material web.

[0031] According to one embodiment of the invention, a device is provided that is designed to determine a measure of the loop size, in particular the lower and / or upper position of the loop. The position of the loop can be defined as the position of the loop's apex or a region of the loop encompassing the apex.

[0032] Furthermore, an internal or external control device can be provided which is designed to control the web length entering the loop storage per unit of time as a function of the loop size.

[0033] The removal device, which serves to remove the material web from the material supply, can be controlled by the control device depending on the loop size.

[0034] The take-off device can be controlled in such a way that the removal of the material web is started when a specified minimum loop size is reached and stopped when a specified maximum loop size is reached. This allows for a comparatively simple control system.

[0035] According to a further embodiment, the removal device can be controlled in such a way that the web length entering the loop storage device per unit of time can be changed continuously, in particular in a ramp-like manner, depending on the loop size.

[0036] The loop size can be measured by reaching a specified minimum loop size and / or reaching a specified maximum loop size. Such a concept is relatively easy to implement, as only two extreme values ​​for the loop size need to be detected. The minimum loop size can be defined by a specified or predeterminable upper loop position. The maximum loop size can be defined by a specified or predeterminable lower loop position.

[0037] In one embodiment, it can be provided that a speed of the material web entering the loop storage device is calculated, adapted to the respective operating situation, and that this speed is adjusted accordingly when predetermined conditions occur. For example, when a predetermined minimum loop size is reached and a predetermined maximum loop size is reached, the speed of the material web can be increased or decreased accordingly.

[0038] According to a further embodiment, the varying influence of the material loop on a suction device can be provided as a measure of the loop size. In this case, a suction device already provided for influencing the material web can be additionally used to obtain information about the current loop size. For example, openings formed in a contact surface located in the flow path of the suction device can lead to detectable changes in the pressure and / or flow conditions that occur when the loop size and consequently the number of openings closed by the material web changes.

[0039] Preferably, the result of a negative pressure measurement in one or more negative pressure chambers can be provided as a measure for the loop size.

[0040] Alternatively or additionally, a local negative pressure measurement can provide a measure of the loop size. This does not require measuring the pressure in the negative pressure chamber(s). Instead, it is sufficient to measure the local pressure in a, particularly much smaller, volume, e.g., in an area behind the contact surface. Several such volumes can be provided for local pressure measurements, arranged at different positions, e.g., at different heights, representing different loop sizes.

[0041] Furthermore, the varying influence of the material loop on an air-permeable contact surface can be provided as a measure for the loop size.

[0042] Particularly when the device is designed with multiple lanes, a plurality of vacuum chambers or a vacuum chamber divided into a plurality of individual chambers can be provided, with the chambers being defined by a contact surface for the material web or webs. Vacuum measurements taken in the individual chambers can provide a differentiated, spatially resolved image of the coverage of the deposit area. Especially in multi-lane operation, this allows the loop sizes to be determined for each lane individually if the chambers are arranged and / or aligned accordingly.

[0043] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the result of a position determination of the material loop is provided as a measure for the loop size.

[0044] In general, and regardless of the specific measurement method, the loop size can be determined by determining the position of the loop in the loop storage. For example, in the case of a loop hanging in the loop storage, the position of the lower loop end, i.e. the apex of the loop, is a measure of the loop size. If the loop enlarges and a sensor arranged in the loop storage at a certain height, which corresponds, for example, to a predetermined maximum loop size, detects the presence of the lower loop end at this height for the first time at a certain time, then the loop has reached its predetermined maximum size at this time. Several sensors can be arranged at different heights, but this is not mandatory. A sensor operating at the height corresponding to the predetermined maximum loop size is sufficient to detect when the maximum loop size has been reached and, for example,to communicate with a controller.

[0045] The method according to the invention (claim 14) is a method for single-track or multi-track provision of web-shaped interleaf material to a cutting area, in which products fed in single-track or multi-track are cut into slices and interleaf sheets are introduced, which are separated from the provided interleaf material in the cutting area, wherein at least one material web is taken from at least one material supply, which forms a loop in a loop storage device, wherein at least one sensor for detecting the loop, in particular the lower loop end, and means for moving the material web against a contact surface are provided, into which at least part of the sensor is integrated, and wherein the sensor is designed such that the loop is only detected when the material web rests against the contact surface in the region of the part of the sensor integrated into the contact surface.

[0046] The integration of the sensor or a part of the sensor into the contact surface also includes an arrangement of the sensor or the sensor part in the area of ​​the contact surface, i.e., in a plane that does not coincide with the plane defined by the contact surface. In other words, the sensor or the sensor part can protrude or be recessed, particularly slightly, relative to the contact surface.

[0047] The sensor component mentioned above is, in particular, a part of the sensor that is sensitive to the material web in the broadest sense and responds to the presence of the material web. Various measurement principles can be applied.

[0048] Preferably, the sensor or the sensor part integrated into the contact surface is arranged in such a way that the loop is only detected when the loop has reached a predetermined maximum loop size.

[0049] The contact surface can delimit a vacuum chamber, for example as described elsewhere in the present disclosure. According to one possible measuring principle, the sensor can comprise its own measuring chamber, which is relatively small in particular compared to the vacuum chamber, and to which a vacuum source, e.g. a vacuum pump, and a pressure measuring device are connected. As a part of the sensor integrated into the contact surface, a measuring opening can be provided in the contact surface, which communicates with the measuring chamber of the sensor. The measuring opening can also be formed by the sensor itself. As soon as this opening is at least partially closed by the material web sucked in by means of the vacuum chamber and thereby moved towards the measuring opening, i.e. as soon as the material web touches at least part of the edge of the sensor or the contact surface delimiting the opening, the pressure within the measuring chamber acted upon by the vacuum source drops.This pressure change is recorded by the measuring device and can be communicated to a control system. This allows the loop to be detected, and in particular, the reaching of a specified maximum loop size, which corresponds to the position of the measuring opening.

[0050] By changing the position of the sensor or the measuring opening or by using additional sensors, other positions of the loop can be detected alternatively or additionally, for example a predetermined minimum loop size, with which a sensor arranged at a different position or its measuring opening corresponds.

[0051] An alternative measuring principle of a loop detector according to a further embodiment of this aspect of the invention provides that the sensor or the aforementioned sensor part reacts to contact with the material web. The sensor or the sensor part can, for example, be capacitive, inductive, electromechanical, and / or electrostatic. The sensor can, in turn, communicate the detection of the loop to a controller.

[0052] In a multi-track configuration, a loop detector can be provided for each material web, with the individual loop detectors being able to operate independently of each other. This allows for lane-specific loop detection.

[0053] Regardless of whether one or more such sensors or loop detectors are provided, the loop detector(s) is / are adjustable in the transverse direction to allow alignment with the respective track. The correct transverse position of a loop detector depends in particular on the width of the respective material web and the number of tracks. The number of tracks of the interleaver or underleaver, and thus in the loop buffer, as well as the width of the material webs, can vary depending on the specific application. Loop detectors that are adjustable in the transverse direction are therefore advantageous.

[0054] If a multi-lane slicer is provided with an interleaver according to the invention, then preferably a common control device is provided which is designed to coordinate the slicing of the products and the provision of the interleaver material individually for each lane.

[0055] The invention is described below by way of example with reference to the drawings. They show: Fig. 1 schematically shows a side view of a slicer with an interleaver according to an embodiment of the invention as well as three schematic individual representations, Fig. 2 - 4 each schematically shows an embodiment of a feed unit of an interleaver, and Fig. 5 and 6 each schematically shows a Fig. 1 simplified side view of a slicer with an interleaver / underleaver according to another embodiment of the invention.

[0056] The large representation in Fig. 1 shows a schematic, not to scale side view of a multi-lane high-speed slicer, i.e. a device for multi-lane slicing of food products such as sausage, meat or cheese.

[0057] In the illustrated embodiment, the slicer operates with four lanes. Four products 11 to be sliced ​​lie side by side on a product support 53 inclined to the horizontal. A product feed 49 comprises a product holder 46, also referred to as a product gripper, for each lane, i.e., for each of the four products 11. The product holder 46 holds the product 11 at its rear end and feeds it, in the feed direction indicated by the arrow, to a cutting plane 50 extending perpendicular to the product support 53. A cutting blade 51 moves in said cutting plane, the cutting edge of which defines the cutting plane 50.

[0058] The cutting blade 51 can be a so-called sickle or spiral blade with a sickle-shaped or spiral-shaped cutting edge, which merely rotates about a blade axis (not shown). Alternatively, the cutting blade 51 can be a so-called circular blade with a circular cutting edge, which rotates about its own blade axis and additionally rotates planetarily about an axis parallel to the blade axis, offset from the blade axis, in order to generate the cutting movement relative to the products 11 required to separate slices 13 from the products 11.

[0059] The product feed 49 can be operated individually for each lane, i.e. the product holders 46 can basically move independently of one another in the feed direction and thus feed the individual products 11 to the cutting plane 50 at different speeds and speed profiles. This also applies if, instead of the product holders 46 or in addition to the product holders 46, individually driven product support belts are used as the product feed 49 instead of a passive product support 53. This allows the slicing process to be individually controlled in each lane, independently of the other lanes, in particular with the aim of producing slices 13 or portions each formed from a plurality of slices 13 with an accurate weight, taking into account the individual product properties, such as in particular weight distribution and cross-sectional profile.

[0060] It is also possible to stop the product holder 46 in one lane or to move it against the feed direction in order to temporarily stop cutting slices 13 from the product 11 in question, while the products 11 in the other lanes continue to be sliced. The lane-specific product feed 49 can also take into account the cutting movement of the cutting blade 51, which is characterized in that for each cutting movement - i.e. for each revolution or rotation of the cutting blade 51 - one slice 13 is cut from each of the products 11, but this does not occur exactly simultaneously, but because the cutting blade 51 takes a certain amount of time to pass through the products 11, the cut slices 13 of the products 11 fall one after the other onto the depositing surface formed here by a so-called portioning belt 55.

[0061] For many products 11, such as ham or some types of cheese, it is desirable for the slices 13 lying one on top of the other, forming, for example, a stacked or shingled portion, to be separated from one another so that the consumer can later more easily remove them individually from a package containing the portion. In the field of high-speed slicers, so-called interleavers are used for this purpose. These are devices for providing web-like interleaving material, which make it possible to insert interleaving sheets 15 between immediately consecutive slices 13.

[0062] Interleavers come in a variety of designs. According to a common mode of operation, which is also provided for the interleaver according to the invention shown here, the endless material webs 19 are ejected from below in the region of the cutting plane 50 according to the timing predetermined by the cutting movement of the cutting blade 51. This occurs in such a way that the front end of the respective material web 19 lies in front of the cutting surface of the respective product 11 and, together with the next severed slice 13, is cut off from the material web 19 by means of the cutting blade 51, thus forming an intermediate sheet 15. This intermediate sheet comes to rest on the portioning belt 55 or the previously severed slice 13 and below the slice 13 with which the intermediate sheet 15 was previously severed.

[0063] The structure and functioning of such slicers and also the basic principle of an interleaver are sufficiently known to the person skilled in the art, so that there is no need to go into this in more detail below.

[0064] The interleaver according to the invention, which is integrated into the slicer, has multiple lanes and is designed for continuous, lane-specific provision of the interleaver material. The structure and function of the interleaver are explained below using the example of a four-lane operation. However, with a relatively simple conversion, the interleaver according to the invention can also be operated in a single-lane, two-lane, or three-lane configuration. The specific operating mode depends, for example, on the products to be sliced, the downstream conveyor and sorting devices, and the type of packaging or packaging machine. In general, the interleaver according to the invention is designed to allow operation with any number of lanes, and consequently even with more than four lanes.

[0065] For each of the four tracks S1, S2, S3 and S4, the provision of the interleaf material comprises removing the material from a material supply formed by a material roll 17, storing material in a loop storage 61, guiding the material in a region between the loop storage 61 and an output device 71 and outputting the material by means of the output device 71.

[0066] For each track, the removal of the material web 19 from the material roll 17 comprises the unwinding of the material web 19 by means of an unwinding drive 21 and the conveying of the material web 19 into the loop storage 61 by means of a conveying device 23 common to all tracks. The individual unwinding drives 21 and the common conveying device 23 form a removal device of the interleaver according to the invention.

[0067] For each track, the material web 19 is stored by forming a material loop 20 in the loop storage 61. In the loop storage 61, the individual material webs 19 or loops 20 are guided laterally by partition walls (not shown) in order to ensure the tracking accuracy of the material webs 19.

[0068] In the illustrated embodiment, the entire transport path for the material web 19 between the loop storage 61 and the output device 71 is formed by a shaft 111, in which the individual material webs 19 are guided. Such a configuration is indeed possible in practice. However, in addition to a pure guide section, as shown in Fig. 1 formed by shaft 111, further facilities are provided which will not be discussed in detail here.

[0069] The dispensing of the individual material webs 19 comprises removing the material web 19 from the loop storage 61 and ejecting the material web 19 into the cutting area, i.e., in front of the cutting surface of the respective product 11, as explained above. During removal, the material web 19 is pulled from the loop storage 61. At the same time, the material web 19 is advanced into the cutting area and thus ejected.

[0070] These individual areas of the interleaver according to the invention, i.e., the removal device with the individual unwind drives 21 and the common conveyor device 23, the loop storage device 61, and the output device 71, are described in more detail below. Unless otherwise stated, the respective description of function and structure applies to each of the individual tracks.

[0071] The interaction of these individual functional units of the interleaver with each other, as well as the interaction of the interleaver with the functional units of the slicer, in particular—but not exclusively—the cutting blade 51 and the product feed 49, is controlled by a control device 39, which may be the central control device of the slicer and thus an external control device with respect to the interleaver. Alternatively, the interleaver may have an internal control device that cooperates with a control device of the slicer.

[0072] Furthermore, the interleaver can receive additional external signals, e.g. from a camera system that monitors the portions produced by the slicer or the portion formation from the separated slices,

[0073] The material rolls 17 of the individual tracks are mounted for rotation about a common axis of rotation 33 defined by a common mandrel. Each material roll 17 comprises a roll core 113 on which the material web 19 is wound. The material rolls 17 are freely rotatable on the mandrel in that the rotational drive for the material rolls 17 for unwinding the material webs 19 is not provided by this common mandrel.

[0074] Instead, a separate unwind drive 21 is provided for each material roll 17. Each unwind drive 21 comprises a drive arm 27 pivotable about a pivot axis 28. Each drive arm 27 comprises a support (not shown), at one end of which a drive roller 30 is attached and at the other end a deflection roller 32. The drive element for the material roll 17 is an endless belt 25 circulating around the drive roller 30 and the deflection roller 32. The endless belt 25 is designed as a friction belt and serves to interact non-positively with the wound material web 19 of the material roll 17 via the strand facing the material roll 17.

[0075] As shown in the schematic diagram at the top right in Fig. 1 As shown, each drive roller 30 is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to a drive shaft 31 which can be rotated by means of a drive motor M via a drive belt 24 in order to drive the friction belt 25 and in this way to unwind the material web 19 from the material roll 17.

[0076] Since the four tracks S1, S2, S3 and S4 of the interleaver run parallel and thus four material rolls 17 are positioned next to each other on the common mandrel, the four drive arms 27 are arranged offset from each other in the transverse direction. This is shown in the schematic diagram at the top right in Fig. 1 indicated by the assignment of the tracks S1 to S4 to the individual drive rollers 30 of the drive arms 27.

[0077] The spatial arrangement of the drive arms 27 and the type of rotary drive for the drive rollers 30 are particularly advantageous. The axes of rotation 29 of the drive shafts 31 and thus of the drive rollers 30 each coincide with the pivot axis 28 of the respective drive arm 27. A single common pivot axis 28 is not provided for all drive arms 27. Instead, the drive arms 27 are grouped in pairs, with a common pivot axis 28 provided for each pair. Two drive arms 27 pivotable about an upper pivot axis 28 are assigned to tracks S1 and S3, while two drive arms 27 pivotable about a lower pivot axis 28 are assigned to tracks S2 and S4.

[0078] In the illustrated embodiment, all drive arms 27 have the same length and the upper pivot axis 28 and the lower pivot axis 28 lie on a circular cylinder around the common axis of rotation 33 of the material rolls 17. Alternatively, the drive arms 27 can be of different lengths and the pivot axes 28 can be arranged differently.

[0079] A coaxial shaft drive 35 and 37, respectively, is provided for each of the upper pair of drive arms 27 and the lower pair of drive arms 27. The two drive motors M1 and M3 belong to the upper coaxial shaft drive 35, while the lower coaxial shaft drive 37 comprises the two drive motors M4 and M2. One motor M3 and M4 is each connected to an inner drive shaft 31 for the axially more distant drive roller 30, while the other motor M1 and M2 is connected to a hollow shaft 31 surrounding the inner drive shaft 31, on which the closer drive roller 30 sits.

[0080] As already mentioned, the drive motors M1 to M4 are not directly connected to the drive shafts 31, but rather via drive belts 24. This allows for offset or remote positioning of the motors and thus optimal use of the space available in the interleaver. Furthermore, this allows the interleaver to be constructed comparatively narrowly, since the motors M1 to M4 do not need to be positioned in the axial extension of the drive shafts 31.

[0081] A further advantage of this drive concept is that all motors M1 to M4, including the drive belts 24, are located on only one side of the interleaver. This area is therefore more easily accessible via the other side of the interleaver. A particularly advantageous feature is that all drive rollers 30 and thus drive arms 27 can be attached to and removed from the respective drive shaft 31 from the same side—namely, starting from the "preferred" operating side. This not only facilitates cleaning and maintenance but also enables simple and quick conversion, for example, when switching to slicer and interleaver operation with a different number of tracks.

[0082] These advantages also apply to the arrangement of the material rolls 17, which can all be mounted on and removed from the common mandrel from the same side—namely, from the same side as the unwind drives 21. It is therefore sufficient if the functional areas of the interleaver are accessible from only one side.

[0083] A pivot drive (not shown) is also provided for each drive arm 27. The pivot drive can, for example, comprise a piston / cylinder arrangement. This allows the drive arms 27 to be pivoted into a passive state, in which the friction belt 25 is out of frictional engagement with the material roll 17. This passive state can, for example, be a parking position, into which the drive arms 27 are pivoted when new material rolls 17 are to be inserted.

[0084] The fact that, according to the invention, the unwind drives 21 each engage the outer circumference of the material roll 17 with their friction belt 25 in a force-locking manner in order to unwind the material web 19 has the advantage that the unwind rate, i.e. the web length unrolled per unit of time, is independent of the current diameter of the material roll 17 and thus its degree of use. The above-mentioned pivot drives (not shown) can each preload the drive arm 27 in the direction of the axis of rotation 33 of the material roll 17 with a predetermined force or a predetermined torque, so that the drive arm 27 tracks the diameter of the material roll 17, which decreases during operation, and the frictional engagement between the friction belt 25 and the wound material web 19 is always the same.

[0085] A dashed circle represents a nearly used-up roll of material 17, the diameter of which is only slightly larger than the diameter of the roll core 113. An upper drive arm 27 and a lower drive arm 27 are shown in dashed lines to illustrate a state pivoted correspondingly far in the direction of the rotational axis 33 of the material rolls 17.

[0086] The operation of the unwind drives 21 is based on the requirements of the central control device 39. If less material is required in a track or if no material is required temporarily, the unwind rate of the relevant track can be changed accordingly by reducing the rotational speed of the friction belt 25 or by switching off the drive motor M. In a non-drive state with the drive motor M switched off, the relevant drive arm 27 remains with its friction belt 25 in frictional engagement with the wound material web 19, i.e. it is not pivoted out of engagement with the material roll 17 by means of the aforementioned pivot drive (not shown). This has the advantage that the friction belt 25 acts as a brake for the material roll 17, thereby preventing the material roll 17 from continuing to rotate due to inertia.

[0087] The removal of the material webs 19 from the material rolls 17 includes not only the unwinding by means of the unwinding drives 21 explained above, but also the conveying of the material webs 19 into the loop storage 61. For this purpose, the removal device comprises a conveyor device 23 which is additionally shown schematically at the top center of the Fig. 1 is shown.

[0088] For each track S1 to S4, the conveyor device 23 comprises a conveyor roller 47, which, together with a counter roller 48, forms a conveyor gap for the respective material web 19. All conveyor rollers 47 are mounted on a common drive shaft 45 and are therefore driven jointly, namely via a common drive motor 41, which rotates the common drive shaft 45 of the conveyor rollers 47 via a drive belt 42.

[0089] The track-specific operation of this conveyor device 23 is achieved by assigning a slip clutch 43 to each conveyor roller 47, which is arranged between the conveyor roller 47 and the common drive shaft 31. Each of the slip clutches 43 is a magnetic coupling whose switching point can be adjusted.

[0090] The control device 39 operates the conveyor device 23 in such a way that the material webs 19 are always kept under tension between the respective material roll 17 and the respective conveyor roll 47. During operation, the common drive shaft 45 can rotate at a constant speed that is coordinated with the expected operation of the interleaver for the respective cutting program of the slicer. If the unwind drive 21 is stopped in a track or if the unwind rate in a track decreases, there is no need to actively intervene in the operation of the conveyor device 23, since an unwind rate that drops below the conveying rate of the conveyor device 23 in a track is absorbed by the coupling 43 of this track, without the respective material web 19 being excessively stressed or even tearing.

[0091] An advantage of this concept is that the conveyor device 23 requires only a single drive with drive motor 41 and drive belt 42 and only a single common drive shaft 45 for all tracks S1 to S4 and no design or control measures are required to realize an actively track-individual operation of the conveyor device 23.

[0092] If the clutch 43 is not currently active in one of the tracks and thus temporarily no material is being conveyed into the loop storage 61 in this track, the conveying rate of the conveyor device 23 determines the web length entering the loop storage 61 in each track per unit of time. Since the operation of the individual unwind drives 21, controlled by the control device 39, ultimately determines whether and how much material is unrolled from the respective material roll 17 in the individual tracks per unit of time, the individual conveying rates into the loop storage 61 are ultimately determined by the individual unwind rates.

[0093] The track-specific material requirement in the cutting area is determined by the control device 39 and ensured by a corresponding track-specific control of the unwind drives 21. The loop storage device 61 ensures decoupling in each track between the inert material roll 17, on the one hand, and the highly dynamic output device 71, on the other hand, which must dispense a web length corresponding to the length of the required intermediate sheet 15 in a short time in sync with the cutting blade 51. Such a highly dynamic, cyclical ejection of relatively long material sections would be incompatible with pulling the material web 19 directly from the material roll 17.

[0094] The control device 39 therefore ensures that in each track at any time a sufficiently long web length is available in the loop storage 61 for trouble-free output operation of the output device 71 by ensuring that the material loop 20 in the loop storage 61 is always sufficiently large.

[0095] The formation and maintenance of these material loops 20 in the individual tracks is achieved on the one hand by a sufficiently large "supply" by means of the removal device, i.e. the unwinding drives 21 and the conveyor device 23, and on the other hand by an air circuit with a combined suction and blowing device 63, 65.

[0096] A blower 64 belonging to this combined suction and blowing device 63, 65 is connected with its suction side via a suction line 66 to a vacuum housing 68, in which several vacuum chambers 69 are formed, fluidically separated from one another within the housing 68. Using sensors (not shown), the pressure in each vacuum chamber 69 can be measured and made available to the control device 39.

[0097] Towards a loop area of ​​the loop storage 61, the housing 68 is delimited by a curved contact surface 67, in which openings are formed, through which air from the loop area can reach the individual vacuum chambers 69, as indicated by the small arrows. The vacuum chambers 69 are each connected to the suction line 66 and thus to the suction side of the blower 64, which is directed with its pressure side into the loop area, as shown in Fig. 1 indicated by the arrow.

[0098] This air circuit ensures that a proper material loop 20 is always formed and that the material web 19 rests properly against the contact surface 67 of the vacuum housing 68. Since the material web 19 is sucked against the contact surface 67 due to the negative pressure prevailing in the vacuum chambers 69, the contact surface 67 simultaneously serves as a brake for the material webs 19. As a result, the material webs 19 are always kept under slight tension, preventing the material webs 19 from buckling when the output device 71, operating in the cutting cycle, pulls the material webs 19 out of the loop storage 61 with high dynamics. The braking effect of the contact surface 67 or the vacuum chambers 69 is adjusted such that this highly dynamic removal process is not impaired.

[0099] By means of the aforementioned pressure sensors in the vacuum chambers 69, the control device 39 can detect which vacuum chamber 69 is covered by the material web 19 and which is not. From this information, a measure of the current size of the material loop 20 in the loop area of ​​the loop storage 61 can be derived in a simple manner and with sufficient accuracy. Fig. 1 The dashed line shows the material web 19 with a maximum loop size. A dotted line indicates the path of the material web 19 with a minimum loop size, in which only the uppermost vacuum chamber 69 is partially covered by the material web 19.

[0100] The controller 39 can activate or deactivate the individual unwind drives 21 for each track individually according to the individual loop sizes thus determined, or can change the individual unwind rates by appropriately controlling the motors M1 to M4, in order to ensure that a sufficiently large material loop 20 is present for each track at all times in order to maintain the decoupling explained above between the relevant track of the output device 71 and the associated material roll 17.

[0101] The output device 71 is also designed for track-specific operation. For this purpose, a feed unit 73 comprises a feed roller 74 for each of the tracks S1 to S4, as described below with reference to two possible embodiments according to the Fig. 2 and 3will be explained in more detail. The feed rollers 74 have a common axis of rotation 99, with each feed roller 74 having its own drive motor A1, A2, A3 or A4, which is connected to a drive shaft 83 (cf. Fig. 2 ), with which the respective feed roller 74 is connected in a rotationally fixed manner.

[0102] How Fig. 2 As shown, the two feed rollers 74 for tracks S1 and S2 are driven by a right coaxial shaft drive 79, while a left coaxial shaft drive 81 drives the two feed rollers 74 of the other two tracks S3 and S4. The respective inner feed roller 74 is driven by an inner drive shaft 83, whereas the respective outer feed roller 74 is driven by a hollow shaft 83 surrounding the inner drive shaft 83.

[0103] In this way, a track-individual drive of four feed rollers 74 arranged next to one another on a common rotation axis 99 for the feed unit 73 of the output device 71 can be realized.

[0104] An alternative design for a four-track drive with four individually driven feed rollers 74 is shown schematically in Fig. 3 shown. Here, two parallel rotation axes 91 are provided, with two two-track units 95 arranged side by side on each of the two axes 91. Each two-track unit 95 comprises a feed roller 74 and a pressure roller 76, which are connected to one another in a rotationally fixed manner and can, for example, be formed integrally with one another. Each feed roller 74 interacts directly with a respective material web 19, while the co-rotating pressure roller 76 is provided with a freewheel function with respect to the material web 19 in its track. The freewheel function is realized in that the pressure roller 76 carries a freely rotatable pressure sleeve 98 for the material web 19 via a roller bearing 97.

[0105] For each of the tracks S1 to S4, a feed roller 74 on one axis 91 and a pressure unit comprising pressure roller 76 and pressure sleeve 98 on the other axis 91 form a pair 93 which forms a feed gap for the respective material web 19.

[0106] Each two-track unit 95 can be rotated about the respective axis 91, for example, via a drive belt (not shown) by means of an associated drive motor (not shown), with the two axes 91 being driven in opposite directions of rotation. Adjacent two-track units 95 on a common axis 91 are rotatable relative to one another. For this purpose, an axial extension of a pressure roller 76 engages in a frontal recess of the adjacent feed roller 74, where the extension of the pressure roller 76 is supported in the radial direction by a roller bearing 96.

[0107] This arrangement enables a track-specific feed for four adjacent tracks S1 to S4 to be realized as a particularly compact unit, in which the counter units or pressure units 76, 98 assigned to the individual feed rollers 74 are integrated. A division into a feed unit on the one hand and a counter unit on the other hand, as in the embodiment according to the Fig. 1 and 2 is therefore not provided for here.

[0108] How Fig. 1 shows, in the embodiment shown here, in addition to the feed unit 73 with the four individually driven feed rollers 74, a counter unit 75 is provided. The counter unit 75 can have at least one associated pressure roller 76 for each feed roller 74, which is elastically or spring-mounted, as in Fig. 1 schematically by the suspension 77 and in Fig 4 is schematically indicated by a piston / cylinder arrangement 109 designed as a spring.

[0109] Alternatively, the counter unit 75 can have a plurality of counter elements distributed along an axis running parallel to the rotational axis 99 of the feed rollers 74, in particular in the form of individually spring-mounted pressure rollers or pressure rollers, each with a smaller diameter than the feed rollers 74. These non-driven counter elements form, with each of the feed rollers 74, a feed gap for one of the material webs 19. Such counter units or pressure units for output devices of interleavers are generally known, which is why they need not be discussed in more detail here.

[0110] As shown in the illustration below left in Fig. 1 As shown schematically, a special feature of the output device 71 is that the feed unit 73 and the counter unit 75 together with a cutting edge 85, also referred to as cutting glasses, mold shell or counter knife, are attached to a stationary holder 70 which is fastened to a machine frame 115 of the slicer.

[0111] The holder 70 and the components counter unit 75, feed unit 73 and cutting edge 85 are designed to correspond to one another in such a way that these components can be mounted on the holder 70 exclusively in a single sequence without tools.

[0112] First, the counter unit 75 is positioned on the holder 70. By subsequently attaching the feed unit 73, the counter unit 75 is fixed and secured in its desired position. The attachment of the feed unit 73 requires a combined rotation / swivel movement to an end position, which - as indicated by the arrow in the large illustration of the Fig. 1 As indicated, this means that when the feed unit 73 is attached, all drive belts 78 of the drive motors A1 to A4 are simultaneously tensioned. These drive belts were previously laid in a relaxed state around the drive shafts 83 of the feed rollers 74 projecting on both sides. Accordingly, when the feed unit 73 is removed, the drive belts 78 are automatically relaxed.

[0113] Finally, the cutting edge 85 is attached to the holder 70. The cutting edge 85, in turn, positions and secures the feed unit 73 in its desired position. A clamping device 117, which comprises two clamping bolts 117 that are pneumatically adjustable relative to the holder 70—as indicated by the two double arrows—finally positions and secures the cutting edge 85 and thus all three components—counter unit 75, feed unit 73, and cutting edge 85—to the holder 70.

[0114] The holder 70 can also be used to attach additional devices. For example, in practice, it may be necessary to set the so-called cutting gap between the cutting blade 51 and the cutting edge 85 to a specific value. In this context, sensors such as

[0115] Vibration sensors can be used, which can be attached to the holder 70 or integrated into the holder 70.

[0116] In this way, simple and reliable tool-free assembly and disassembly of the three components mentioned is realized.

[0117] Using the clamping bolts 117, the control device 39 can also query and detect whether a cutting edge 85 is present at all and whether—depending on the currently set cutting program—the correct cutting edge 85 has been installed. If a cutting edge 85 is missing, for example, the clamping bolts 117 extend further than if the correct cutting edge 85 is present—this incorrect positioning of the clamping bolts 117 can be detected by the control device 39.

[0118] As already explained above, the ejection of the material web 19 by means of the output device 71 takes place in such a way that the front end of the material web 19 lies in front of the cutting surface of the respective product 11 so that it can be cut off from the material web 19 together with the next slice 13 to be separated by means of the cutting blade 51 and thus form an intermediate sheet 15.

[0119] To influence the front end of the material web 19 in this way, a negative pressure is generated by means of an air flow in the area between the material web 19 and the cut surface of the product 11, causing the front end of the material web 19 to press against the cut surface. This concept is generally known. The air flow can be generated, for example, by expelling compressed air through a gap extending transversely to the material web 19 or through several openings distributed in the transverse direction.

[0120] How Fig. 4 As shown, according to the invention, an individually variable air flow 87 is generated for each of the tracks S1 to S4 via the feed unit 73, so that the free ends of the individual material webs 19 can be influenced individually for each track. The individual air flows 87 can be varied individually for each track in terms of time and intensity.

[0121] This is achieved in that in the front area of ​​the feed unit 73 above the outlet gap formed by the feed unit 73 and the counter unit 75 for the individual material webs 19, several outlet openings are arranged for each track S1 to S4, distributed transversely to the respective material web 19.

[0122] Each outlet opening belongs to an outlet channel 101 formed in the feed unit 73, with all outlet channels 101 emanating from a common distribution chamber 103, which is connected to a compressed air source (not shown) via an inlet channel 105 and a supply line 107. Each supply line 107 is provided with a controllable valve 108. The valves 108 can be controlled individually for each track via an actuating device 89.

[0123] As a result, the temporal behavior and the strength of the respective air flow 87 can be varied for each of the tracks S1 to S4 independently of the other tracks.

[0124] At the Fig. 4 The strip 72 also shown is a replaceable wearing part, preferably made of plastic, which serves as a cutting edge interacting with the cutting blade 51 when severing the individual material webs 19.

[0125] The interleaver can be designed to automatically connect successive material webs 19 in each of the individual tracks S1 to S4. Fig. 1 Possible positions are shown schematically at which a connecting device V integrated into the interleaver can be arranged.

[0126] In Fig. 1 Not shown is a changing device designed to automatically swap a currently used material roll 17 for a material roll 17 to be used. The changing device can be located outside the interleaver or at least partially integrated into the interleaver. A separate changing device can be provided for each of the tracks S1 to S4. Alternatively, several tracks or all tracks can have a common changing device.

[0127] A multi-track interleaver can also be realized by providing a common, rotatably mounted material roll 17 for several tracks S, wherein a device T for dividing the material web 19 of this common material roll 17 into several individual material webs 19 is provided. A possible position at which such a dividing device T integrated into the interleaver can be arranged is shown in Fig. 1 indicated schematically. For these tracks S, ie for the respective material roll 17, only one unwind drive 21 is provided.

[0128] It is possible, for example, that a four-track interleaver is realized by providing two material rolls 17, each of which is assigned a roll-off drive 21 and a dividing device T, ie from whose material web 19 two individual material webs 19 are created, so that four individual material webs 19 reach the devices downstream of the dividing devices T, as in the case that a separate material roll 17 and no dividing device T is provided for each track S.

[0129] Various combinations are conceivable. For example, in a four-track interleaver, two tracks can have their own separate material roll, and two other tracks can have a shared material roll and a dividing device.

[0130] Consequently, the interleaver according to the invention enables continuous, track-specific handling of the individual material webs 19, so that the interleaver can be operated by means of the control device 39 as a function of the cutting process in such a way that the track-specific interleaver operation can be perfectly matched to the track-specific cutting operation.

[0131] For the sake of completeness, it should also be mentioned that an interleaver designed as a single-track system or temporarily operated as a single-track system can also have a roll-off drive, as described above for each of the tracks S1 to S4.

[0132] Except for the differences described below, the Fig. 5 and 6 illustrated embodiments each correspond to the embodiment of the Fig. 1 Corresponding components for which the same reference numbers are used will therefore not be explained in more detail. In this regard, please refer to the explanations for Fig. 1 and - where applicable - also to the explanations on the Fig. 2 , 3 and 4 referred to.

[0133] The Fig. 5 and 6 Each shows a possibility of detecting the reaching of a predetermined maximum loop size in the loop storage 61, specifically by means of a sensor 159 provided for the respective track, also referred to as a loop detector. Such a sensor 159 is provided for each track. The sensors 159 are arranged transversely, for example, next to one another, and can be adjustable in the transverse direction, particularly for track alignment.

[0134] Please refer to the relevant explanations in the introductory section on this loop detection or loop size determination.

[0135] According to Fig. 5 The sensor 159 comprises a measuring chamber that is open toward the contact surface 67 of the vacuum chamber 69 and, for this purpose, has, for example, a measuring opening, which can alternatively be formed by one of the openings formed in the contact surface 67. A vacuum source 157, e.g., in the form of a vacuum pump, and a measuring device designed as a pressure gauge 161 are connected to the measuring chamber. The pressure gauge 161 communicates with the controller 39.

[0136] If the loop 20 in the loop storage 61 reaches a certain size, Fig. 5 the measuring opening of the sensor 159, which acts as a sensitive part of the sensor 159, is at least partially closed and is Fig. 6 the capacitively operating sensitive part of the sensor 159 is touched, in each case by the material web 19 which is sucked against the contact surface 67 and forms the loop 20.

[0137] According to Fig. 5 The pressure in the measuring chamber then decreases, so that this pressure difference or the detection of the pressure difference can be communicated to the control 39. According to Fig. 6 the sensor 159 also communicates the response of the sensitive part of the sensor 159 to the material web 19 to the controller 39.

[0138] In the embodiment according to Fig. 6 the pressure gauge 161 and / or the vacuum source 157 can also be integrated into the sensor 159.

[0139] In Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 a drive motor 151 for the cutting knife 51 and a deflection roller 153 arranged downstream of the loop storage 61 for each of the material webs 19 are shown. Bezugszeichenliste

[0140] 11Product 13Disc 15Intermediate sheet 17Material roll 19Material web 20Loop 21Unwind drive 23Conveyor device 24Drive belt 25Friction belt, drive element 27Drive arm 28Pivot axis 29Rotational axis of the drive shafts 30Drive roller 31Drive shaft 32Deflection roller 33Rotational axis of the material rolls 35Upper coaxial shaft drive 37Lower coaxial shaft drive 39Control device 41Drive of the conveyor device 42Drive belt 43Coupling 45Drive shaft 46Product holder 47Conveyor roller 48Counter roller 49Product feed 50Cutting level 51Cutting knife 53Product support 55Portioning belt 61Loop storage 63Suction device,Brake 64 Blower 65 Blowing device 66 Suction line 67 Contact surface 68 Housing 69 Vacuum chamber 70 Mount 71 Discharge device 72 Bar 73 Feed unit 74 Feed roller 75 Counter unit 76 Pressure roller 77 Suspension 78 Drive belt 79 Right coaxial shaft drive 81 Left coaxial shaft drive 83 Drive shaft 85 Cutting edge 87 Compressed air flow 89 Adjusting device 91 Common axis 93 Pair 95 Two-track unit 96 Roller bearing 97 Roller bearing 98 Pressure sleeve 99 Common rotary axis 101 Outlet channel 103 Distribution chamber 105 Inlet channel 107 Supply line 108 Valve 109 Piston / cylinder arrangement 111 Shaft 113 Roller core 115Machine frame 117Clamping bolt 151Drive motor for cutting blade 153Deflection pulley 155Swivel drive 157Vacuum source 159Sensor 161Measuring device,

Claims

1. An apparatus for a single-track or multitrack provision of web-like interleaved sheet material at a cutting region in which products (11) supplied on one track or on multiple tracks are cut into slices (13) and interleaved sheets (15) are introduced which are cut off from the provided interleaved sheet material in the cutting region, said apparatus comprising a material store; and a removal device (21, 23) which is configured for a removal of the material web (19) from the material store, and wherein a loop store (61) in which the material web (19) forms a loop (20) is provided for the material web (19), characterized in that at least one sensor (159) for detecting the loop (20), in particular the lower loop end, and means for moving the material web (19) toward a contact surface (67), into which least one part of the sensor (159) is integrated, are provided, and in that the sensor (159) is configured such that the loop (20) is only detected when the material web (19) contacts the contact surface (67) in the region of the part of the sensor (159) integrated into the contact surface (67).

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor part is a part of the sensor (159) which is sensitive with respect to the material web (19) and which responds to the presence of the material web (19), and / or wherein the sensor (159) or the sensor part integrated into the contact surface (67) is arranged such that the loop (20) is only recognized when the loop (20) has reached a predefined maximum loop size.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sensor (159) or the sensor part integrated into the contact surface (67) responds to a contact with the material web (19), in particular wherein the sensor (159) or the sensor part is active capacitively, inductively, electromechanically and / or electrostatically4. An apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the contact surface (67) bounds a vacuum chamber (69), wherein the sensor (159) comprises a separate measurement space which is in particular relatively small in comparison with the vacuum chamber (69) and to which a vacuum source (157) and a pressure measurement device (161) are connected, wherein a measurement opening in the contact surface (67) is provided as a part of the sensor (159) integrated into the contact surface (67) and communicates with the measurement space of the sensor (159), and wherein the pressure measurement device (161) is configured to detect a pressure change in the measurement space as soon as the measurement opening is at least partly closed by the material web (19), which is sucked in and is thereby moved toward the measurement opening, and the pressure within the measurement space acted on by the vacuum source (157) drops.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the contact surface (67) is air permeable, wherein a suction device is connected to the vacuum chamber (69) or wherein the vacuum chamber (69) belongs to a suction device (63).

6. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus is configured for a multitrack provision of interleaved sheet material and wherein a loop detector (159) is provided for each material web (19), wherein the individual loop ends (159) can be operated individually from one another, in particular wherein the loop detectors (159) are adjustable in the transverse direction.

7. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a device for determining a measure for the loop size, in particular for the lower position and / or upper position of the loop (20), is provided.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the reaching of a predefined minimal loop size, in particular of an upper position of the loop (20), and / or the reaching of a predefined maximum loop size, in particular of a lower position of the loop (20), is / are provided as a measure for the loop size.

9. An apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the web length entering the loop store (61) per time unit is controllable by an internal or external control device (39) in dependence on the loop size, in particular wherein the removal device (21, 23) is controllable by the control device (39) in dependence on the loop size.

10. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a suction device (63) acts on an outer side of the material loop (20) and a blowing device (65) acts on an inner side of the material loop (20), or vice versa, in particular wherein the suction device (63) and the blowing device (65) belong to a common air circuit, in particular wherein the air circuit, in particular the strength and / or the direction of an air flow, is settable and / or controllable by an internal or external control device (39) in dependence on the loop size.

11. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the removal device (21, 23) is controllable such that the removal of the material web (19) is started on reaching a predefined minimal loop size and is ended on reaching a predefined maximum loop size, and / or wherein the removal device (21, 23) is controllable such that the web length entering the loop store (61) per time unit is continuously variable, in particular in a ramp-like manner, in dependence on the loop size.

12. An apparatus for a single-track or multitrack slicing of food products (11), in particular a high-speed slicer, comprising a product feed (49) which supplies products (11) to be sliced on one track or on multiple tracks to a cutting region in which a cutting blade (51) moves in a rotating and / or revolving manner to cut the supplied products (11) into slices (13); and an apparatus for the provision of web-like interleaved sheet material according to any one of the preceding claims.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein a common control device (39) is provided which is configured to coordinate the slicing of the products (11) and the provision of the interleaved sheet material.

14. A method for the single-track or multitrack provision of web-like interleaved sheet material at a cutting region, in particular using an apparatus according to any one of the claims 1 to 11, wherein, in the cutting region, products (11) supplied on one track or on multiple tracks are cut into slices and interleaved sheets (15) are introduced which are cut off from the provided interleaved sheet material in the cutting region, and wherein at least one material web (19), which forms a loop (20) in a loop store (61), is removed from at least one material store by means of the removal device (21, 23), characterized in that at least one sensor (159) for detecting the loop (20), in particular the lower loop end, and means for moving the material web (19) toward a contact surface (67), into which least one part of the sensor (159) is integrated, are provided; and in that the sensor (159) is configured such that the loop (20) is only detected when the material web (19) contacts the contact surface (67) in the region of the part of the sensor (159) integrated into the contact surface (67).

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein a device for determining a measure for the loop size, in particular for the lower position and / or upper position of the loop (20), is provided, wherein the reaching of a predefined minimal loop size, in particular of an upper position of the loop (20), and / or the reaching of a predefined maximum loop size, in particular of a lower position of the loop (20), is / are provided as a measure for the loop size, and / or wherein the varying influence of the material loop (20) on a suction device (63) is provided as a measure for the loop size, and / or wherein the reaching of a vacuum measurement in one or more vacuum chambers (69) is provided as a measure for the loop size, and / or wherein the contact surface is air permeable and the varying influence of the material loop (20) on the air permeable contact surface (67) is provided as a measure for the loop size, and / or wherein the result of a position determination of the material loop (20) is provided as a measure for the loop size.