Abstract: Machines and methods for slicing products into lattice-type slices or chips. The methods and machines utilize a cutting head having an annular shape that defines an axis of the cutting head, and an impeller assembly coaxially mounted within the interior of the cutting head for rotation about the axis of the cutting head. The cutting head having at least one knife at a perimeter thereof and extending radially inward of the cutting head. The impeller assembly has a base, a cavity within the base, a central opening to the cavity within the base, and equi-angularly spaced tubular guides extending radially outward from the base for delivering products within the cavity toward the perimeter of the cutting head as the impeller assembly rotates within the cutting head. The impeller assembly includes features with the ability to increase product throughput and increase the useful lives of the impeller assembly and cutting head.

Abstract: Knife assemblies adapted for use in slicing machines. Such a knife assembly includes a knife holder having a support surface that defines a leading edge of the knife holder and a trailing end spaced from the leading edge, an insert disposed on the support surface so that a leading edge thereof projects beyond the leading edge of the knife holder and a trailing end thereof is secured to the knife holder, a knife clamped to the knife holder so that the insert is between the knife and the support surface. The trailing end of the insert is secured to the knife holder as a result of the trailing end being received in a slot defined in the trailing end of the support surface, or with posts protruding from the support surface that engage slots defined in the trailing end of the insert.

Abstract: Cutting heads and machines equipped therewith. The cutting heads include axially-spaced annular-shaped structural members and circumferentially-spaced support segments between the structural members. Each support segment has a leading edge and a trailing edge, a knife support surface defined on an inner surface region adjacent the leading edge of the support segment, and a gate located adjacent the trailing edge of the support segment. A knife assembly is located adjacent the leading edge of each support segment. Each knife assembly includes a holder opposing one of the knife support surfaces of the support segments and adapted to clamp a knife between the holder and knife support surface. The cutting head may further have camming units that secure the support segments between the structural members, camming units that clamp the knives to the knife support surfaces, and/or adjustment pins that deflect the gates of the support segments.

Abstract: Size-reduction units, size-reduction machines, and methods capable of producing size-reduced products from a variety of solid and semisolid materials. A size-reduction unit includes a circular cutter adapted and arranged to cut a product into strips, a rotating cross-cutter adapted and arranged to receive the strips from the circular cutter, and a stripper plate. The cross-cutter has knives with cutting edges that are adapted and arranged to cut the strips into a size-reduced product, and the stripper plate defines a shear edge in proximity to the cutting edge of each knife of the cross-cutter as its cutting edge encounter the shear edge during rotation of the cross-cutter. The cross-cutter has a helical fluted shape comprising flutes between adjacent pairs of the knives.

Abstract: Knives and knife assemblies for slicing machines and centrifugal-type slicing machines equipped therewith. Such a knife includes a cutting edge and an opposing edge oppositely disposed from the cutting edge. The cutting and opposing edges extend along a longitudinal length of the knife, and the knife has a handle at a longitudinal end of the knife. A transition region is between the cutting edge and the handle, and the transition region has a minimum lateral width of roughly one half of a lateral width between the cutting and opposing edges of the knife, with the result that a portion of the knife that laterally extends beyond the transition region is up to roughly half of a lateral width of the knife between the cutting and opposing edges.

Abstract: Knife assemblies and cutting apparatuses adapted for producing strip-cut products, for example, a strip-cut food product. The knife assemblies include a slicing knife having a leading edge configured to produce a slice product from a product, at least one tab that extends outward from the slicing knife and configured to cut the slice product into strips, a knife holder for securing the slicing knife and fixing a proximal end of the tab to a position adjacent to the slicing knife, and a tab support assembly configured to clamp onto a distal end of the tab and optionally pull the tab in a direction away from the knife holder along a longitudinal axis of the tab to apply tension to the tab.

Abstract: A modular unit configured for mounting to a cutting head of a slicing machine and for securing a knife to the cutting head, and slicing machines equipped with one or more of such modular units. The modular unit includes mounting blocks adapted to be spaced apart in an axial direction of the cutting head, and a clamping assembly assembled with the mounting blocks so as to be between the mounting blocks. The clamping assembly is configured to secure a knife to the cutting head, and at least portions of the clamping assembly may be removable from the cutting head by disassembling the clamping assembly from the mounting blocks without removing the mounting blocks from the cutting head.

Abstract: Modular units with clamping assemblies for securing knives to slicing machines, and a slicing machine having a cutting head equipped with one or more modular units mounted thereto for securing knives to the cutting head. Such a clamping assembly includes a knife holder, a knife supported by the knife holder, a clamp overlying the knife holder so that the knife is between the knife holder and the clamp, and a cam rod that secures the clamp to the knife holder and clamps the knife therebetween. The cam rod has oppositely-disposed ends rotatably coupled with the mounting blocks and a camming portion between the oppositely-disposed ends and arranged for contacting the clamp. The clamping assembly further includes complementary features for inhibiting deflection of the camming portion away from the knife holder when the cam rod is in a clamping position.

Abstract: Slicing machines having a cutting head equipped with one or more cutting units mounted thereto for securing knives to the cutting head. The cutting head has structural members spaced apart in an axial direction of the cutting head and circumferentially-spaced cutting units between the structural members. Each cutting unit includes a knife holder adapted for supporting a knife, a clamp overlying the knife holder and arranged to apply a clamping force to a knife disposed between the knife holder and clamp, and a cam rod adapted to apply a clamping force to the clamp. The clamp has upstanding flanges, each having a hole therethrough and a slot that engages a pivot, and the clamp, slots, cam rod, and pivots are arranged so that the clamp both pivots and translates relative to the pivots as the cam rod rotates between clamping and release positions.

Abstract: Machines and methods for cutting products. Such a machine includes an annular-shaped cutting head and at least one knife that is oriented axially at an inner circumference of the cutting head and extends radially inward into an interior of the cutting head. An impeller is coaxially mounted within the cutting head and has a base, a ring spaced axially from the base, an entrance to an interior of the impeller defined by the ring, and a unit for delivering products within the interior of the impeller toward the inner circumference of the cutting head as the impeller rotates within the cutting head. The delivering unit includes paddles that are circumferentially spaced within the interior of the impeller between the base and the ring. The outer circumference of the impeller has a diameter of greater than 35 centimeters.

Abstract: Cutting wheels equipped with knife assemblies suitable for performing size reduction operations on products, methods of operating cutting wheels, knife holders for such knife assemblies, methods of manufacturing knife holders, and slicing machines capable of utilizing such cutting wheels. The knife assemblies each have a leading edge that faces a direction of rotation of the cutting wheel, a trailing edge oppositely disposed from the leading edge, and a cutting edge on the leading edge. Each knife assembly further has a knife holder having a first surface that faces the products advanced toward the cutting wheel in a feed direction and a registration surface formed in the first surface. The registration surface is defined by at least a first recessed planar surface that is recessed a distance relative to the first surface and defines with the first surface at least a first step therebetween.

Abstract: A slicing machine having a cutting head and a knife assembly mounted thereto, and methods for clamping a knife of the knife assembly in the slicing machine. The knife assembly includes a knife holder having a support surface that supports the knife and a clamp overlying the knife holder so that the knife is between the support surface of the knife holder and the clamp. A clamping rod is rotated from a release position to a clamping position to secure the clamp to the knife holder and clamp the knife therebetween. The clamping rod is eccentrically mounted to the cutting head and uses eccentricity to apply a clamping load to the clamp when rotated from the release position to the clamping position.

Abstract: Size-reduction machines, feed units, and methods capable of producing reduced-size products from a variety of solid and semisolid materials. Such machines have an impeller that rotates on an approximately horizontal axis and an opening at an axial end of the impeller. A feed unit includes a feed hopper for feeding products to an interior of the impeller through the opening of the machine, and a slicing knife is mounted to the impeller and radially protrudes across the opening of the machine to slice products into segments as they enter the interior of the impeller.

Abstract: Methods and equipment for cutting products, including food products. Such equipment includes an impeller adapted to be coaxially mounted within an annular-shaped cutting head for rotation about an axis of the cutting head in a rotational direction relative to the cutting head. The impeller includes a base and ring spaced axially from each other, at least a first intermediate plate disposed between the base and the ring so as to define at least first and second tier levels within the impeller, and paddles disposed between the base and the ring and within the first and second tier levels. The first intermediate plate has an opening therein that defines a passage between the first and second tier levels. The impeller further has pockets defined by and between immediately adjacent pairs of paddles within each tier level.

Abstract: Machines and methods suitable for performing cutting operations on products to yield a reduced-size product, for example, slicing and strip-cutting elongate food products. Such a method includes simultaneously delivering products to annular-shaped cavities of a rotating impeller. The products are simultaneously delivered with a feed unit that has a feed chute extension that protrudes into an interior of the impeller. The feed chute extension defines feed chutes that are aligned with the annular-shaped cavities of the impeller and direct the products to circumferential series of pockets within the annular-shaped cavities. The products are held within the pockets by centrifugal force as the products are carried past a slicing knife to form a first longitudinal cut through each of the products during a rotation of the impeller and to produce therefrom a substantially longitudinally sliced product.

Abstract: Machines and methods suitable for performing cutting operations on a product to yield a reduced-size product, for example, slicing and strip-cutting elongate food products. Such a method includes introducing a product into an impeller, rotating the impeller to form at least a first longitudinal cut through the product with a slicing knife and produce therefrom a sliced product, and producing strip-cut products from the sliced product by forming at least a second longitudinal cut that is substantially perpendicular to the first longitudinal cut made with the slicing knife.

Abstract: Machines and methods adapted to process, for example, to reduce the size of, disperse, or homogenize, a variety of materials and compositions. Such methods and machines are capable of reducing the size of a material and dispersing the material in a liquid by cutting the material with knives located along a perimeter of an annular-shaped cutting head, causing the cut material to flow radially outward from the cutting head through gaps between the knives, and flowing a liquid through passages in the cutting head that cause the liquid to cascade around the knives of the cutting head in an axial direction of the cutting head.

Abstract: Methods and equipment suitable for slicing products into lattice-type slices or chips. The methods and equipment utilize a knife assembly that includes a corrugated knife having oppositely-disposed surfaces that terminate at a cutting edge. The knife assembly further includes a knife holder having a registration surface and an oppositely-disposed knife seat configured to mated with a first surface of the corrugated knife, and means for securing the knife to the knife seat of the knife holder. The knife seat comprises a pattern of peaks and valleys complementary to a pattern of peaks and valleys in the first surface of the corrugated knife. The securing means cooperates with the knife holder to inhibit accumulation of solids of products along at least one of the first and second surfaces of the corrugated knife, and/or stabilizes the knife by reducing a cantilevered beam length thereof.

Abstract: Machines and methods capable of producing diced products from a variety of materials. A stripper plate for such machines and methods has one or more slots sized to accommodate one or more circular knives of a circular cutter. The stripper plate has a base and an oppositely-disposed second surface. The slots are defined in the second surface and extend from the second surface to the base so as to define individual openings in the base. The slots are defined by multi-tiered walls so that the slots are wider at the openings thereof than in another portion of the slots.

Abstract: An apparatus for slicing food product to produce food product slices. The apparatus includes a circular cutting head having an axis and at least one knife assembly on the circumference of the cutting head, and a knife extending axially inward and having a corrugated shape to produce a food product slice with a periodic shape characterized by peaks and valleys. At least one component securing the knife to the cutting head has a surface facing radially inward and a corrugated shape shaped differently than the corrugated shape of the knife to minimize surface contact between unsliced food products and the cutting head.