BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to machines for cutting products, including but not limited to slicing machines adapted for slicing food products. The invention particularly relates to instruments, tools, and methods for measuring, configuring, and adjusting gate openings to control slice thicknesses produced by slicing machines.

Various types of equipment are known for slicing, shredding and granulating food products, as nonlimiting examples, vegetables, fruits, dairy products, and meat products. Widely used machines for this purpose are commercially available from Urschel Laboratories, Inc., and include machines under the names Model CC® and Model CCL. The Model CC and CCL machines are centrifugal-type slicers capable of slicing a wide variety of products at high production capacities. The Model CC® line of machines is particularly adapted to produce uniform slices, strip cuts, shreds and granulations.

FIG. 1schematically depicts a machine10representative of a Model CC® machine. The machine10includes a generally annular-shaped cutting head12equipped with cutting knives (not shown) mounted at its inner circumference. An impeller14is coaxially mounted within the cutting head12and has an axis17of rotation that coincides with an axis of the cutting head12. The impeller14is rotationally driven about its axis17through a shaft that is enclosed within a housing18and coupled to a gear box16. The cutting head12is mounted on a support ring15above the gear box16and remains stationary as the impeller14rotates. Products are delivered to the cutting head12and impeller14through a feed hopper11located above the impeller14. In operation, as the hopper11delivers products to the impeller14, centrifugal forces cause the products to move outward into engagement with the knives of the cutting head12. The impeller14comprises generally radially-oriented paddles13, each having a face that engages and directs the products radially outward toward and against the knives of the cutting head12as the impeller14rotates. Other aspects pertaining to the construction and operation of Model CC® machines, including improved embodiments thereof, can be appreciated from U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,139,128, 3,139,129, 5,694,824, 6,968,765, 7,658,133, 8,161,856, 9,193,086, 9,469,041, and 9,517,572 and U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2016/0158953 and 2016/0361831, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIGS. 2 and 3contain isolated views of a particular but nonlimiting embodiment of a cutting head12that is capable of use with a variety of cutting machines, including the Model CC® slicing machine10depicted inFIG. 1, and in some instances may be a modification or retrofit for such a machine. The cutting head12will be described hereinafter in reference to the slicing machine10ofFIG. 1equipped with an impeller14as described in reference toFIG. 1. On the basis of the coaxial arrangement of the cutting head12and the impeller14, relative terms including but not limited to “axial,” “circumferential,” “radial,” etc., and related forms thereof may be used below to describe the cutting head12represented inFIG. 2.

In the isolated view ofFIG. 2, the cutting head12can be seen to be generally annular-shaped with cutting knives20mounted at its perimeter. Each knife20projects radially inward in a direction generally opposite the direction of rotation of the impeller14within the cutting head12, and defines a cutting edge at its radially innermost extremity. The cutting head12further comprises lower and upper support rings22and ring24to and between which circumferentially-spaced modular units26are mounted. The knives20of the cutting head12are individually secured with clamping assemblies28to the modular units26. As more readily evident inFIG. 3, the clamping assembly28of each modular unit26includes a knife holder30mounted with fasteners32to and between a pair of mounting blocks34, which in turn are configured to be secured to the support rings22and24with fasteners36that rigidly secure the mounting blocks34to the rings22and24. Each clamping assembly28further includes a clamp31mounted between the mounting blocks34so that the clamp31is positioned on the radially outward-facing side of the holder30to secure the knife20thereto. In the nonlimiting embodiment represented inFIGS. 2 and 3, the clamp31is pivotably mounted to the mounting blocks34. While various means could be used as pivots for the clamp31, in the embodiment shown the fasteners36that secure the mounting blocks34to the rings22and24extend through the blocks34to also define pivot pins36A for the clamp31.

As shown inFIG. 3, the knife20is supported by a radially outer surface of the knife holder30, and the clamp31overlies the holder30so that the knife20is between the surface of the holder30and a radially inward surface of the clamp31that faces the holder30. Alignment of the knife20, holder30, and clamp31is achieved with pins48that protrude from the knife holder30into complementary slots and/or holes in the knife20and clamp31. By forcing the clamp31toward the holder30, the clamp31will apply a clamping force to the knife20adjacent its cutting edge.

In the nonlimiting embodiment represented inFIGS. 2 and 3, an eccentric cam rod50is used as a quick-clamping feature to apply the clamping force to the clamp31. The cam rod50passes through holes in the clamp31and engage holes in the mounting blocks34to loosely assemble the clamp31to the mounting blocks34in combination with the pivot axis of the clamp31created by the pivot pins36A. Clockwise rotation of the rod50(as viewed inFIG. 3) causes the rod50to eccentrically move into engagement with the surface of the clamp31, forcing the clamp31into engagement with the knife20. The force applied to the clamp31by the rod50can be released by rotating the rod50counterclockwise.

The mounting blocks34are equipped with pins38that engage holes in the support rings22and24. By appropriately locating the holes in the rings22and24, the orientation of the mounting blocks34, and consequently the knife20, knife holder30, and clamp31mounted thereto, can be used to alter the radial location of the cutting edge of the knife20with respect to the axis of the cutting head12, thereby providing relatively coarse control of the thickness of the sliced food product.

FIGS. 2 and 3further show each modular unit26as comprising an adjustable gate40secured to the mounting blocks34with fasteners42. A food product crosses the gate40prior to encountering the knife20mounted to the succeeding modular unit26, and together the cutting edge of a knife20and a preceding trailing edge46of the preceding gate40define a gate opening47that determines the thickness of a slice produced by the knife20. To provide relatively fine control of the thickness of a sliced product, the mounting blocks34are equipped with adjustment screws44that engage the gates40to alter the radial location of their trailing edges46relative to the cutting edge of the succeeding knife20and, in doing so, adjust the gate openings47that determine the thicknesses of slices produced by the cutting head12.

Gauges are typically required to accurately adjust the positions of the gates40in order to adjust the gate openings47. Such gauges may be in the form of or employ a dial indicator that is moved from station to station around the cutting head12to measure the position of each knife20. If an operator is required to hold the gauge in position while adjusting the head12, erroneous readings may result if the position of the gauge shifts during adjustment. Such measurement errors can be particularly problematic if very fine adjustments are necessary, for example, the very fine (“micro”) adjustability possible with the cutting head12shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, as a nonlimiting example, over a range of about 0.020 inch (about 0.5 millimeters).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides instruments and methods for measuring and adjusting gate openings of a slicing machine.

According to one aspect of the invention, a gauge system is configured and adapted for measuring a gate opening of a cutting head of a slicing machine. The gauge system includes a frame, means for securing the frame to the interior surface of the cutting head, means for locating the frame relative to a knife and/or a gate of the cutting head that define the gate opening therebetween, and at least one means mounted to the frame for measuring the gate opening. The measuring means comprises an anvil biased in an outward direction relative to the frame, indicator means mounted to the anvil and biased therewith in the outward direction relative to the frame, and a probe of the indicator means biased in the outward direction relative to the indicator means. The probe and the anvil are configured and adapted to provide an outward measurement of the gate opening based on a differential measurement of surfaces of the knife and the gate of the cutting head.

According to another aspect of the invention, a method is provided for using a gauge system comprising elements as described above. The method includes securing the frame to the interior surface of the cutting head and locating the frame relative to the knife and/or the gate of the cutting head so that the anvil is biased in the outward direction into engagement with a surface of the knife and the probe is biased in the outward direction into engagement with a surface of the gate, and then performing a measurement of the gate opening based on the differential measurement of the surfaces of the knife and the gate.

Other aspects and advantages of this invention will be appreciated from the following detailed description.

