Abstract: A slicing machine with a carriage for the goods to be sliced, a blade against which the goods are drawn to form a slice, a mechanism for carrying away the slices and a blade-cleaning member which is disposed along the rear of the blade and serves to deflect the slicing away from the latter toward the slide conveyor. Between the slice conveyor and the latter member, a plurality of gripper bands are provided to transfer the slices to the conveyor, the gripper band passing around rollers in recesses of the blade cleaning member.

Abstract: A foodstuff such as a sausage is sliced in a predetermined slicing direction into a succession of slices each having a respective width measured parallel to the slice direction. This succession of slices is then deposited on a support in a plurality of rows with the slices in each row offset from one another by a predetermined first distance and the rows offset from each other by a predetermined second distance. The width of the slices is continuously measured as they are cut and at least one of the distances is automatically varied in dependence of the measured width to produce a uniformly overlapping array of slices. In addition the machine can calculate the weight of a given slice by combining the width with the slice thickness and the slice density, and this weight can be divided into a desired weight to determine how many slices at the predetermined size are needed to make up the desired weight. A signal can indicate then when this weight is reached.

Abstract: A cutting machine, especially for foodstuffs such as wurst, forms slices of the product which are picked up on a cylindrical drum which has retractable pins and which, upon take-up of the slices, deposits them upon a plate by swinging downwardly toward the latter. The pins are retracted by the downward swinging movement to release the slices.

Abstract: A slicing and measuring apparatus for sausage and the like has a table which supports the foodstuff to be sliced and is displaceable back and forth adjacent a blade which is continuously rotated by an electric motor. The motor speed or current consumption is monitored to ascertain when the blade engages the foodstuff being sliced, and similarly the position of the table is monitored by means of a potentiometer. Thus it is possible to determine the diameter of the slice being produced, to square it and multiply it by an appropriate .pi. containing factor and by the known thickness of the slice to determine the volume thereof. Thereafter this volume is mulitplied by the density of the foodstuff to determine the weight of the slice and the weight of successive slices can be added to determine the total weight sliced.

Abstract: A slicing machine wherein a succession of slices is deposited at a predetermined location has a table at this location which has a predetermined starting length which is extensible in a predetermined direction to a substantially greater ending length. This table can comprise a plurality of telescoping sections interconnected by abutments so that when the upper and leading section is displaced outwardly it will automatically pull out the underlying sections one at a time to extend the table to a length the multiple of its starting length. The free end of a roll of sheet material may be clipped at the leading edge of the upper table section so that the slices are deposited on this sheet material.