Vertical Slicing Wheel with Moving Delivery Structure
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing slicing machines, such as the TRANSLICER series, are limited in cutting elongate food products lengthwise as they tend to lift the product when the blade travels upward, restricting the type of cuts that can be produced and the uniformity of the cut orientation.
Innovation Solution
A slicing apparatus with a disk-shaped slicing wheel oriented vertically and rotating on a horizontal axis, combined with a moving delivery structure and an overhead hold-down device, applies pressure along the entire length of the food product to minimize curvature and enable precise lengthwise slicing, allowing for proportional halving of the product.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a cutting wheel with radial cutting blades is used in the TRANSLICER series, then cutting elongate products is achieved, but the product is lifted off the conveyor when the blade travels upward
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the delivery structure movable rather than stationary. The delivery structure moves synchronously with the cutting wheel, allowing the product to remain in contact with the conveyor throughout the entire cutting cycle. This dynamic synchronization prevents the product from being lifted off the conveyor while maintaining continuous cutting capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The delivery structure acts as an intermediary between the conveyor and the cutting wheel. It transfers the product from the conveyor to the cutting wheel and back, while maintaining product stability through its movement. The delivery structure mediates the interaction between the moving cutting wheel and the stationary conveyor, preventing direct conflict that would cause product lifting.
2Productivity
If the cutting wheel rotates on a horizontal axis with radial blades, then slicing is performed, but the cut orientation uniformity is restricted to hemisphere operation
Solution Approach 1:
The delivery structure moves in synchronization with the cutting wheel rotation, enabling the cutting operation to extend beyond the traditional hemisphere limitation. By dynamically adjusting the delivery structure's position and speed to match the wheel's rotation, uniform cut orientation can be maintained across the entire wheel circumference, not just in the downward-traveling blade region.
3Ease of operation
If a stationary delivery structure is used, then product support is provided, but curvature of the elongate food product cannot be minimized during slicing
Solution Approach 1:
The delivery structure is made movable and synchronized with the cutting wheel rotation. This dynamic movement allows the delivery structure to follow the product's position throughout the cutting cycle, providing continuous support that minimizes product curvature. The movable delivery structure adapts to the slicing process in real-time, maintaining optimal contact with the product to prevent bending or warping.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A slicing apparatus and method suitable for reliably slicing elongated food products along a longitudinal axis thereof. The apparatus includes a slicing wheel mounted for rotation about a roughly horizontal axis, a first delivery structure adapted to deliver food product to the slicing wheel, and a moving delivery device adapted to press the food product against the first delivery structure and propel the food product in a delivery direction along a length of the first delivery structure to the slicing wheel. The slicing wheel produces a slice cut in the food product parallel to the delivery direction in which the food product is delivered to the slicing wheel.