Apparatus for mincing a product to be minced
Patent Information
- Application Number
- EP2023728618
- Authority / Receiving Office
- EP · EP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-05-11
- Filing Date
- 2023-05-11
- Publication Date
- 2025-03-19
AI Technical Summary
Existing shredding devices for the meat processing industry face issues with wear and maintenance when processing bone-containing, heavily tendoned, or hard products, as the small distance between cutting elements leads to limited lubrication and increased wear, requiring frequent regrinding and posing challenges in maintaining accurate spacer rings and servomotor functionality.
The introduction of a jam finger ring that is axially displaceable between the cutting housing and the rotating cutting element maintains a constant distance between the stationary and rotating perforated plates or cutting heads, compensating for wear by elastic support, allowing for easy monitoring and adjustment during reassembly, and reducing the gap between cutting elements to prevent dry running and wear.
This solution stabilizes the device's operation, reduces wear on cutting elements, and simplifies maintenance by allowing for wear compensation and easy reassembly, ensuring consistent product quality and reduced maintenance costs.
Smart Images
Figure 1.1
Abstract
Description
[0001] Device for comminuting a material to be comminuted
[0002] Technical area
[0003] The invention relates to a device for comminuting a material to be comminuted, in particular for the meat processing industry, with at least one fixed perforated plate, in front of which a cutting element rotates, which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to a shaft which is accommodated in a cutting housing.
[0004] State of the art
[0005] Devices of this type are also known on the market and are known as grinders in a wide variety of shapes and designs. The key component in each case is the cutting device, which can be designed in different ways and takes different requirements into account. For example, WO 00 2012 095 083 A1 shows a cutting system consisting of stationary and rotating perforated plates. In this system, a spacer ring is provided in a central guide bore of a stationary perforated plate. This spacer ring is arranged so that it can rotate on a main axis and rotates with the cutting perforated plates. Due to its thickness, this spacer ring determines the axial distance from the rotating cutting perforated plate to the next rotating cutting perforated plate in the conveying direction, particularly when there are multiple cutting sets. This makes it possible to keep the distance between all cutting perforated plates and the associated perforated plate so small that a conveying effect similar to that of a water jet pump.A distance of 0.02 mm to 0.04 mm is possible. The stationary and rotating perforated plates therefore lie almost next to one another and are only separated by a very thin lubricating film formed by the product itself. However, if the product contains bones, is heavily sown or hard, such as rinds, the distance between the perforated plates is too small. This means that a lubricating film can only form to a limited extent. This leads to considerable wear on the first perforated plates, as these are responsible for absorbing the hard particles in particular. Once the cutting tools are worn out, they must be reground. This also means that with this design, if the rotating perforated plates are reground and are less thick, the spacer rings must also be reground. In order to maintain the accuracy of the spacer rings, considerable effort is required.The customer is usually not able to resharpen the corresponding cutting tools.
[0006] EP 1 237 656 B1 describes cutting sets consisting of stationary perforated plates and rotating cutting blades / cutting heads. With this cutting set, the distance between the perforated plates and cutting blades is adjustable. When the drive for the cutting head is switched off, a gap between the perforated plates and the cutting blades is increased (waiting position) and reduced when the drive is started (working position = shearing position). Wear costs for these cutting sets are relatively low, as the wearing parts / cutting blades are replaced when worn, and the perforated plates can be reground. Regrinding the perforated plates is cost-effective, as precise perforated plate thicknesses, including tolerances, do not need to be maintained. This allows customers to regrind the perforated plates themselves.
[0007] EP 2 987 557 B1 describes a cutting set consisting of stationary and rotating die plates. The stationary and rotating die plates are almost adjacent to one another, on the order of one or several thousandths of a millimeter, and are separated only by a very thin lubricating film formed by the product itself. A stationary die plate and a cutter head are positioned upstream of the entire assembly. The gap between the first stationary die plate and the cutter head is adjustable. The shaft on which the rotating die plate is located is moved axially. The axial adjustment can be achieved using a handwheel, for example. However, if a distance is to be set reproducibly, a servomotor is required for the axial movement.Given the very high cutting forces that arise, especially when processing products containing bone, heavily tendons, or hard materials, there is a significant risk that this servomotor will not function adequately. Furthermore, the gap between the perforated plates is too small, so that a lubricating film is only partially formed, which in turn leads to dry running and significant wear, especially on the first perforated plate, which must capture hard particles.
[0008] Object of the invention
[0009] The objective of the present invention is to develop a device of the aforementioned type, also for bone-containing, heavily ligamented, or hard products, that functions reliably and reproducibly guarantees the desired product quality. At the same time, wear on the cutting elements should be significantly reduced. Solution to the problem
[0010] The solution to the problem is that a jamming finger ring is arranged between the cutting housing, the fixed perforated plate and the rotating cutting element, which can be moved axially in the direction of the shaft.
[0011] This means that when assembling the device according to the invention, the distance between a stationary perforated plate and a rotating cutting element, be it a perforated plate or a cutter head with cutting blades, is always the same, regardless of wear on the surface of the perforated plate or the thickness of the cutting blades. There is only one working position, which is maintained constant. During operation of the device, there is no adjustment option for the axial distance between the stationary perforated plate and the rotating perforated plate or cutter head, as this distance is undesirable.
[0012] It is known that the device according to the invention very often has to be disassembled, cleaned and reassembled after use. Corresponding strict hygiene regulations must be observed for this. The present invention has the decisive advantage that when the perforated plates or the perforated plates with the cutter heads are reassembled, any wear on the cutting elements or the surfaces of the perforated plates can be corrected. For this purpose, the jamming finger ring offers the option of moving the stationary perforated plate closer to the rotating perforated plate or the cutter head and then re-secured. With this pre-tensioning, a tag can be produced without any problems without any further adjustment being necessary. The device is then disassembled and cleaned again and the gap between the perforated plates or the cutter heads is adjusted the next time it is reassembled.between the perforated plate and the cutting blades of the cutter head is reduced back to 0, even though the distance has changed relatively due to wear. This wear is compensated for by the face of the damming finger ring being elastically supported against the cutting housing or a separate inlet housing. This is achieved, for example, by a bolt that is spring-loaded and sits in a blind hole in the damming finger ring.
[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the stationary perforated plate is intended to bear against a shoulder in the damming finger ring opposite the elastic support. This clamps the entire assembly around the rotating cutting element.
[0014] In a further embodiment of the invention, a pre-cutter or additional cutter head can be arranged upstream of the rotating cutting element, which is also mounted on the shaft in a rotationally fixed manner. This primarily ensures that product is displaced toward the first rotating perforated plate or the subsequent cutter head.
[0015] In a further embodiment of the invention, it is conceivable to use not only one cutting set consisting, for example, of a fixed and a rotating perforated plate, or of a fixed perforated plate and a rotating cutter head with cutting blades, but also to arrange further downstream cutting sets. These preferably consist of a pair of fixed and rotating perforated plates, which in turn are arranged in a separate ring, with this ring also being Z-shaped. This provides a shoulder for the fixed perforated plate. The rotating cutting element is gripped by a finger, which presses onto the downstream fixed perforated plate and braces it against its shoulder.
[0016] Overall, protection is also sought for a method for manufacturing the device described above. This method consists of first inserting the damming finger ring into the cutting housing, then sliding the rotating cutting element onto the shaft. This is followed by inserting the stationary perforated plate so that it rests in the shoulder of the damming finger ring.
[0017] Now the entire unit is clamped against the cutting housing by means of a separate clamping ring, so that the fixed
[0018] The cutting insert is inserted against the rotating cutting element and against the force of the elastic support. The process of inserting the subsequent paired cutting sets is similar.
[0019] Character description
[0020] Further advantages, features and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments and from the drawings, which show:
[0021] Figure 1 shows a partially illustrated longitudinal section through a device according to the invention for comminuting a material to be comminuted;
[0022] Figure 2 shows an enlarged section B of the device according to Figure 1;
[0023] Figure 3 is a perspective view of a pre-cutter;
[0024] Figure 4 shows an enlarged section of Figure 1 with the pre-cutter inserted according to Figure 3;
[0025] Figure 5 shows a partially illustrated longitudinal section through the device according to Figure 1 during assembly;
[0026] Figure 6 shows an enlarged section D of the longitudinal section of the device according to the invention according to Figure 5;
[0027] Figure 7 shows a partially illustrated longitudinal section through a further embodiment of a device according to the invention for comminuting a material to be comminuted;
[0028] Figure 8 shows a partially illustrated longitudinal section through the device according to Figure 7 during assembly;
[0029] Figure 9 shows an enlarged section C from Figure 7 during assembly; Figure 10 shows an enlarged section C from Figure 7 during assembly, taking into account wear of cutting blades.
[0030] According to Figure 1, a device P according to the invention for comminuting a material to be comminuted comprises an inlet housing 1 for the material to be comminuted, to which a cutting housing 2 is connected. The cutting housing 2 is followed by an outlet housing 3 with an outlet pipe 4. In the outlet housing 3, an ejector 5 is seated, which is mounted in a rotationally fixed manner on the end of a shaft 6, which is connected to a drive (not shown).
[0031] Adjacent to the ejector 5 is a stationary perforated plate 7, which is circumferentially inserted into a shoulder 8 of a tamper-evident ring 9. This tamper-evident ring 9 is slidably mounted in the cutting housing 2 and encloses a rotating cutting element 10, which in the illustrated embodiment is also designed as a perforated plate, but can also be any cutting head. This rotating cutting element 10 is mounted in a rotationally fixed manner on the shaft 6, to which it is connected via pins 11.
[0032] On its periphery, the damming finger ring 9 has blind holes 12, in each of which an eccentric bolt 13 is seated, which is supported in the blind hole 12 against a helical spring 14. The eccentric bolt 13 is secured by an annular collar 15, which is part of the damming finger ring 9 and partially overlaps the blind hole 12, so that the eccentric bolt 13 abuts the annular collar 15 with a head 16 from the inside.
[0033] If necessary, a pre-cutter 17, shown in Figure 3, can be placed in front of the rotating cutting element 10 within the suction finger ring 9. This pre-cutter does not rotate with the shaft 6, but instead, for example, causes a backflow of the product and, above all, pre-cuts a stringy or hard product. This pre-cutter 17 is equipped with corresponding cutting blades 18. The inventive assembly of the device for comminuting a comminution product is described in more detail with reference to Figures 5 and 6:
[0034] After the cutting housing 2 and inlet housing 1 have been assembled, the damming finger ring 9 is inserted, sliding in the cutting housing 2 until it abuts the inlet housing 1 with the bolt 13. The rotating cutting element 10 and, if applicable, the pre-cutter 17 are now inserted into the damming finger ring 9 and the fixed perforated plate 7 is inserted into the shoulder 8 of the damming finger ring 9. A separate clamping disk 19, which is centered by pins 20, is then placed on the shaft end and pressed against the perforated plate 7 by means of a nut 21. This causes an axial offset of the perforated plate 7 along a shaft axis A, with this perforated plate 7 taking the damming finger ring 9 with it. This continues until a gap 22, shown in Figure 6, between the fixed perforated plate 7 and the rotating perforated plate 10 is reduced in width B to 0.A corresponding compensation of the distance 23 between the damming finger ring 9 and the inlet housing 1 is achieved by reducing the distance A of this distance 23. The end position is shown in Figure 2, where it can be seen that the width of the gap 22 has been reduced to 0. The whole is secured by means of a clamping or threaded ring 24 (Figure 1), which is screwed into the cutting housing 2 and presses on the perforated plate 7.
[0035] Now the clamping disc 19 and the nut 21 can be removed and the ejector 5 inserted and connected to the shaft 6. The outlet housing 3 is then placed over the ejector 5 onto the cutting housing 2.
[0036] In a further embodiment of the device P1 for comminuting a material to be comminuted according to Figure 7, instead of the rotating cutting plate 10, a knife head 25 is inserted into the damming finger ring 9, which knife head 25 sweeps with its cutting blades 26 over the stationary perforated plate 7. Furthermore, a displacement head 27 is arranged upstream of this knife head 25, which serves only to convey the product in the axial direction or in the direction of the shaft axis G.
[0037] Furthermore, the fixed perforated plate 7 is followed by two pairs, each consisting of a rotating perforated plate 10.1 or 10.2 and a fixed perforated plate 7.1 and 7.2. Both pairs are seated in a Z-shaped ring 28.1 and 28.2, which are also slidably arranged in the cutting housing 2. The perforated plates maintain a distance of one-tenth of an inch from each other, preferably between 20 and 25 / 100.
[0038] Due to the Z-shaped design, each ring 28.1 and 28.2 provides a respective shoulder 8.1 and 8.2 for the fixed cutting element 7.1 and 7.2, respectively, with a leading finger 29.1 and 29.2 of the ring 28.1 and 28.2 pressing against a preceding fixed perforated plate 7 and 7.1, respectively. A spacer ring 30 is inserted between the threaded ring 24 on the last fixed perforated plate 7.2.
[0039] The assembly of the device according to the invention takes place in the manner described above, so that reference is only made here to the graphic representation according to Figure 8, since only the clamping disc 19.1 is designed differently.
[0040] In Figure 9 it can be seen that in this exemplary embodiment too, a gap between the stationary perforated plate 7 and a cutting blade 26 of the knife head 25 is reduced to 0. However, if the thickness C of the cutting blade 26 decreases due to wear, as shown in Figure 10, this wear can again be followed by reducing the distance A between the clamping finger ring 9 and the cutting housing 2 or inlet housing 1, so that the width 22 is then ultimately equal to 0. In a further preferred exemplary embodiment, in order to reduce wear, the distance between the rotating and stationary perforated plates, which, as mentioned above, is in the tenths range, is slightly increased. However, since this alone is not sufficient and dry running can still occur in some cases, according to the invention a wear-resistant sliding layer is formed between the perforated plates to prevent this dry running.It has proven advisable to provide the rotating perforated plates 10.1 and 10.2 with a very hard, highly wear-resistant sliding layer. The stationary perforated plate 7.1 will receive a special grinding finish, and the stationary perforated plates 7 and 7.2 will be reground.
[0041] Improvements have also been made regarding the hole diameters. If the diameter of the holes in the first stationary perforated plate 7 is smaller than that of the subsequent rotating perforated plate 10, blockages and thus dry running will occur. Therefore, the largest diameter is always selected for the holes in the rotating perforated plate 10.
[0042] To optimize product flow even with multiple cutting sets, it has proven advantageous if the diameter of the holes in the rotating die plate 10.2 is larger than the diameter of the preceding rotating die plate 10.1. This allows the product to relax and emulsify more effectively towards the rear. For example, the diameter sequence for an arrangement with five consecutive die plates is 10 mm - 7 mm - 5 mm - 10 mm - 2 mm.
[0043] In the present embodiments, a 2-plate and a 5-plate machine are shown. Of course, a 3-plate machine is also possible, for example, by removing the two perforated plates 7.2 and 10.2 as well as the ring 28.2 and widening the spacer ring 30.
[0044] List of reference symbols
Claims
Patent claims 1. Device for comminuting a material to be comminuted, in particular for the meat processing industry, with at least one stationary perforated plate (7) in front of which a cutting element (10, 25) rotates, which is rotationally fixed to a shaft (6) which are received in a cutting housing (2), characterized in that a dust ring (9) is arranged between the cutting housing (2), the stationary perforated plate (7) and the rotating cutting element (10, 25), which is axially displaceable in the direction of the shaft (6).
2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the dust finger ring (9) is elastically supported at its end face against the cutting housing (2) or a separate inlet housing (1).
3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the support is provided via at least one bolt (13).
4. Device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the elastic support is provided against at least one spring (14) which is arranged in the compression finger ring (9).
5. Device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the stationary perforated plate (7) is supported against a shoulder (8) in the compression finger ring (9).
6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the shoulder (8) is provided in the compression finger ring (9) opposite the elastic support.
7. Device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cutting element is a rotating cutting plate (10).
8. Device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a pre-cutter (17) or additional displacement head (27) is positioned upstream of the rotating cutting element (10), which is also fixedly mounted on the shaft (6).
9. Device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that further rotating perforated plates (10.1 , 10.2) follow the stationary perforated plate (7) beyond the rotating cutting element (10, 25) between stationary perforated plates (7.1 , 7.2).
10. Device according to claim 9, characterized in that the following stationary and rotating perforated plates (10.1 , 7.2; 701 , 7.2) are each arranged in a ring (28.1 , 28.2). 1 1 . Device according to claim 10, characterized in that the ring (28.1 , 2) has a z-shaped cross-section, such that it provides a shoulder (8.1 , 8.2) for a fixed perforated plate (7.1 , 7.2) and presses with a pressure finger (29.1 , 29.2) onto the subsequent fixed perforated plate (7.1 , 7.2).
12. Device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a threaded ring (24) is subsequently placed on the last fixed perforated plate (7, 7.2) in the cutting housing (2), which can be screwed into the cutting housing (2). A method for manufacturing a device for comminuting a material to be comminuted, particularly for the meat processing industry, comprising at least one stationary perforated plate (7) in front of which a cutting element (10) rotates and is non-rotatably connected to a shaft (6), and which is housed in a cutting housing (2), characterized in that the stationary perforated plate (7) and the rotating cutting element (10) are arranged in a compression ring (9) which, during assembly, is elastically supported against the cutting housing (2) or a separate inlet housing (1) at a variable distance A in the axial direction of the shaft, thereby minimizing a gap (22) between the stationary perforated plate (7) and the rotating cutting element (10) to zero. A method according to claim 13, characterized in that further rotating and stationary perforated plates (10.1, 10.2 and 7.1, 7.2, respectively) are subsequently arranged in pairs on the first stationary perforated plate (7).2) are inserted and surrounded by a ring (28.1 , 28.2) which presses against the subsequent stationary perforated plate (10, 10.1 ) so that a gap (22) between the stationary and rotating perforated plate is reduced to 0.