Abstract: An improved impeller for use in a rotary food slicing machine comprising a rear base plate and at least one forward ring secured in axial spaced parallel relation relative to the rear base plate and a plurality of circumferentially spaced planar paddles spanning the base plate and the forward ring. The paddles are each oriented to extend at an angle relative to the radius of the rear base plate and the at least one forward ring. Moreover, the end of each paddle located adjacent to the rear base plate is arranged in a partially trailing relationship relative to the end of the paddle located adjacent the at least one forward ring with respect to the intended direction of rotation of the impeller.

Abstract: A transverse food slicer includes a generally horizontal conveyor for advancing food products to be sliced to a vertical cutting wheel having radially mounted cutting blades thereon rotating in a cutting plane that transversely slice the conveyed food products. Between the end of the conveyor and the cutting plane, an inclined support surface is provided to stabilize relatively round food products advanced to the cutting plane by the conveyor. The inclined support surface may cooperate with cutting blades having thickness determining gauging surfaces thereon facing towards the conveyor.

Abstract: A method of cutting food products into uniform thickness slices using a rotary cutting wheel fitted with radially extending, circumferentially spaced, tensioned and forwardly pitched bevel sharpened cutter blades rotating in a cutter plane and extending between a central hub and an annular rim and wherein the blades produce a first velocity of advancement of unsliced food product across the cutting plane for each revolution of the cutting wheel and a given slice thickness during slicing of food product advanced through the cutting plane. The method includes fitting an appropriate number of blades to the rotary cutting wheel to produce the given slice thickness of food products at the operation rotational velocity of the cutting wheel and rotating the cutting wheel at an operational rotational velocity to produce the first velocity of advancement of unsliced food products through the cutting plane of the cutting wheel.

Abstract: A knife and a knife holder for a cutting wheel are disclosed for a food product slicing apparatus. The knife has a gauging surface, a cutting edge and a second edge located opposite to the cutting edge, the second edge extending obliquely with respect to the cutting edge such that the knife has a generally triangular configuration. A plurality of such knives are mounted between a hub and a rim of the cutting wheel such that the knives extend generally radially from the hub and wherein the second edge and gauging surface form a juncture, which extends substantially parallel to the cutting edge of an adjacent knife blade to form a gate opening, the thickness of the gate opening accurately controlling the thickness of the sliced food product. A knife holder for use with a separate blade is disclosed, the holder formed to provide the desired gauging surface defining a gate opening when assembled to a cutting wheel with other knife holders.

Abstract: A low friction shielded bearing assembly for supporting a machine shaft, for example a spindle shaft of a food cutting machine, includes a rolling element radial and thrust bearing subassembly containing ball or roller elements supported between inner and outer relatively rotatable bearing races with seal elements for retaining lubricant within the bearing subassembly. A flanged, fretting and corrosion resistant sleeve is fixed within the inner race of the bearing subassembly with the flange of the sleeve shielding an adjacent bearing seal against direct impingement by sprayed cleaning fluids. The sleeve also transmits radial and thrust loads to the inner race. The bearing subassembly is retained within an annular retainer that is adjustably attached to a machine frame to permit adjustment of the location of the rotational axis of a shaft supported by the bearing and to permit adjustment of the bearing location axially along the shaft and relative to the machine frame.

Abstract: A knife and a cutting wheel are disclosed for a food product slicing apparatus. The knife has a gauging surface, a cutting edge and a second edge located opposite to the cutting edge, the second edge extending obliquely with respect to the cutting edge such that the knife has a generally triangular configuration. A plurality of such knives are mounted between a hub and a rim of the cutting wheel such that the knives extend generally radially from the hub and wherein the second edge and gauging surface form a juncture, which extends substantially parallel to the cutting edge of an adjacent knife blade to form a gate opening, the thickness of the gate opening accurately controlling the thickness of the sliced food product.

Abstract: A carrier is disclosed for carrying and holding a spindle of a machine during removal and installation of the spindle and while performing maintenance on the spindle. The carrier has a spindle support, a carrying handle, and a device for engaging a portion of the machine so as to removably support the carrier on the machine. The carrier has opposite end plates, each end plate having a recess configured to receive a portion of the spindle such that the spindle may be supported on the end plates in the recesses. In use, the carrier is removably supported on a portion of the machine by attachment members which may be movably mounted on the end plates and attached to the carrier handle. By extending the attachment members, the carrier is supported on the machine and positioned so that the spindle is located in the recesses in the end plate. This enables a single person to then remove the shaft supporting the spindle on the machine while the carrier holds the spindle in position.

Abstract: An improved cutting head for slicing a food product is disclosed wherein the cutting head includes a lower mounting ring attached to the bottom of the cutter support segments to position the cutter support segments and which lower mounting ring rests on and is supported by the cutting head support ring. The cutting head also includes an adjustment mechanism to adjust the width of the slicing opening, the mechanism having an adjustment member which is configured to engage a pin attached to a cutter support segment and to contact an adjusting surface on the upper mounting ring so as to space the pin a predetermined distance from the adjusting surface. The cutting head also includes a system for removably attaching the cutting blade to the cutter support segment such that the blade may be readily removed and replaced without completely removing the clamping member from the cutter support segment.

Abstract: A machine for cutting slabs of fresh or frozen tempered meat into diced sections and defined by a conveyor assembly comprised of a feed belt and an associated spring-biased feed roll, a strip cutting assembly comprised of a first knife roll of circular knives and an associated feed drum, and a crosscut assembly comprised of a second knife roll of elongate knives and an associated stripper plate provided with a corresponding shear edge, with edge portions of the circular knives being intermested within slots formed in the stripper plate and peripheral grooves formed in both the feed roll and feed drum. The feed drum is configured to retard the movement of fresh meat slabs being conveyed through the strip cutting assembly during which the circular knives are rotated at a peripheral speed that is at least twice the peripheral speed of the feed drum.

Abstract: A scalloped cutting edge is formed on a knife blank by disposing the blank between corresponding faces of a punch and die assembly, whereby a resilient face of the punch compresses the blank into a plurality of scallop-shaped depressions formed in the face of the die, thereby imparting a corresponding scalloped configuration to the edge portion of the blank is then sharpened by partially removing the convex side of the scallops by beveling the blank edge portion.

Abstract: A scalloped cutting edge is formed on a knife blank by disposing the blank between corresponding faces of a punch and die assembly, wherein a resilient face of the punch compresses the blank into a plurality of scallop-shaped depressions formed in the face of the die, thereby imparting a corresponding scalloped configuration to the edge portion of the blank.

Abstract: A scalloped cutting edge is formed on a knife blank by disposing the blank between corresponding faces of a punch and die assembly, whereby a resilient face of the punch comprises the blank into a plurality of scallop-shaped depressions formed in the face of the die, thereby imparting a corresponding scalloped configuration to the edge portion of the blank.

Abstract: An improvement in the structure of a circular knife including a novel method of making its peripheral cutting edges by reducing the number of operations required to produce the knife. Previously, as presently known, the peripheral cutting edges of circular knives involves the expense of individually cutting material out of a peripheral area as compared to the unique method of the subject disclosure which simultaneously shears and forms offset portions and radial portions, and wherein the outer knife ends of these portions are simutlaneously sharpened by a common bevel which causes the edges of the sharpened ends of the offset portions to be inset with reference to the sharpened ends of the radial portions. These two significant factors in the manfacture of circular knives constitute a meritorious advance in the art.

Abstract: The invention involves equipment comprising what may be referred to as a cutting head cylinder or unit provided with discharge passages and adjacent cutting edges and an improved impeller rotatable in the unit for directing a product or material introduced into the head tangentially against the cutting edges for comminuting or reducing the size of the product for flow outwardly through the passages. More particularly, the impeller structure embodies improved principles of design and construction and method of its operation whereby the product is presented substantially uniformly or evenly to the cutting edges and over the inside surface throughout the length of the cutting head or cylinder in order to substantially alleviate any concentration of the product in any localized areas within the confines of the head.

Abstract: The subject invention involves the design and construction of a tubular cylinder for use with other components and in which the wall of the cylinder is of a composite character made into a unitary structure and provided with a multitude of substantially radial holes in its periphery and a predetermined amount of a cylindrical surface of the wall is preferably cut away to fully open the holes whereby to provide passages through which a material to be processed and under pressure in the cylinder can be forced or extruded outwardly through the passages and thereby condition the material for its intended use.

Abstract: A tubular cylinder for use with other components and in which the wall of the cylinder is of a composite character made into a unitary structure and provided with a multitude of substantially radial holes in its periphery and a predetermined amount of a cylindrical surface of the wall is preferably cut away to fully open the holes whereby to provide passages through which a material to be processed and under pressure in the cylinder can be forced or extruded outwardly through the passages and thereby condition the material for its intended use.