Abstract: A conveyor (12) moves a workpiece (WP) past an x-ray source (14) to detect existence and location of any undesirable material included in the workpiece, such as bones, fat, metal, etc. Thereafter, the conveyor carries the workpiece further, wherein a cutter (22) segments the detected undesirable material from the workpiece into a segmented portion (SP) having a visually distinguishable shape, such as square, round, triangular, etc. A worker stationed downstream of the cutter along the conveyor may then easily spot the segmented portion (SP) in a distinguishable shape and offload the segmented portion from the conveyor, while leaving the rest of the workpiece (WP) on the conveyor for further processing. Alternatively, a pickup device (24) may be used to automatically offload the segmented portion from the conveyor. A computer (18) keeps track of the locations of the workpiece and the segmented portion at all times.

Abstract: An apparatus for positioning an animal carcass middle and for separating a loin and fatback portion from the carcass middle including a dual blade loin knife assembly for making appropriate cuts to separate the loin and fatback portion. The dual blade loin knife assembly includes a z-blade and a j-blade in which the z-blade separates the loin portion from the belly portion while leaving about a 2 inch to about a 2⅝ inch shelf on the belly portion incorporating an amount of “finger” lean while leaving a portion of finger lean on loin portion and the j-blade separates a selected depth of fatback from the loin portion based on the desired profile. The j-blade is positioned proximate the z-blade such that the carcass middle engages the j-blade subsequent to engagement of the z-blade. The dual blade loin knife assembly increases the useable size of a shelf cut on the belly portion of the carcass middle.

Abstract: The invention concerns apparatus and method for automatic cutting of objects into portions of reduced dimension. More specifically the invention concerns a cutting device (9) placed horizontally over a transporting conveyor (3). The cutting device is further operatively connected to a computer (6) and moveable in an up- and downward direction with respect to the conveyor. The characteristics of the object to be cut are determined. By utilising at least one of the characteristics to establishing the desired cutting pattern one is able to cut the object into portions of predetermined thickness by band saw cutting blade (7).

Abstract: A device for processing a slaughter product comprises a conveyor which can move along a path and to which a first body, which can rotate about a first axis, is connected. A second body, which can rotate about a second axis, is connected to the first body. A first actuating device sets various first angular positions of the first body with respect to the first axis, while a second actuating device sets various second angular positions of the second body with respect to the second axis. A locking device fixes the first and/or second angular position. A slaughter product fixing device connects a breast portion of the slaughter product to the second body.

Abstract: Pork belly slabs are arranged into a vertical stack and loaded into a magazine. The lowermost slab is push through a gate on the magazine and then held in place until engaged by a gripper. The gripper pushes the slab into a bacon slicing unit, and then a left over end of the slab is ejected into a receptacle before the process is repeated.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for removing a portion of fat from meat cuts involves placing a meat cut on a longitudinal conveyor, pressing sensor probes into the meat cut to measure the relative thickness of fact and the location of lean in the meat, and then withdrawing the sensor probes from the meat. An electronic signal is transmitted from the sensor to a controller along with an encoder signal to determine the depth from the outer lower surface of the meat cut through a layer of fat in the meat to a layer of lean in the meat. Data taken from the foregoing step determine the desired position of the blade, which removes the appropriate amount of fat to be removed from the meat cut.

Abstract: A meat slicing apparatus is disclosed, wherein the apparatus is capable of high-speed slicing of meat having large skeletal bones therein. The apparatus has a blade composed of a steel alloy that is approximately 5 to 10 times greater in compression strength than typical steel. The blade has an involute shape for withstanding the stresses incurred when slicing through bones having compression near that of steel, e.g., pork loin bones. The meat slicer includes a mechanism for securing a position of a meat section to be sliced so that the meat section stays in place during a slicing process, thereby reducing the risk of misalignment of the meat section with the blade. Thus, without such misalignments, there is a reduction in blade failures, shattered bones, bone fragments, and bone dust. Also, the securing mechanism reciprocates between securing the meat section for slicing and releasing it sufficiently for indexing toward the blade between slicing operations.

Abstract: Meat portioning apparatus supports meat products on an endless conveyor to move through a light stripe at which upstream and downstream cameras view the light stripe and convert spaced apart points of light to electric signals representing various magnitudes of light brightness, the magnitude of brightness above a predetermined minimum representing areas of peripheral fat on the meat product. The electric signals of magnitude above the predetermined minimum are utilized by a computer to control one or more line-type cutters to cut the meat product along lines which remove the areas of fat from the meat product.

Abstract: A bird is cut up by cutting free the fillets, that is the large portions of breast meat, loosening the wings, dislocating the thighs, and at the end removing as one piece a subassembly comprised of the thighs, the fillets, and the wings. More particularly the fillets are freed in two steps, namely first they are partially from the skeleton starting from the sternum, and then, after the wings have been loosened, the cut is completed. In addition the coracoids are cut between the two stages of fillet-freeing, and the pygostyle is ripped or cut off at the end of the process. The bird to be cut up is fixed on a holder that fits within the thoracic cavity of the bird and remains on this holder through all of above-described treatment steps.

Abstract: Apparatus for the separation of back fat from a loin portion of a carcass and having a conveyor for supporting and moving a loin portion with the back fat lowermost, a pressure device for applying pressure to the upper surface of a loin portion, a generally arcuate blade interposed between the conveyor and the pressure device, the blade being moveable relative to the conveyor, a device for sensing the thickness of back fat on the loin portion between the conveyor and the lean portion of the loin, and generating measurement signals, and thereby moving the blade, and a method of separating back fat from loins by the use of such apparatus.

Abstract: Food products, such as fish fillets, chicken fillets and many others, are cut to predetermined portion sizes of equal weight and volume, or to predetermined profile shapes, by moving the food products on a conveyor, scanning them as then move through a shadow line with a camera capable of providing a programmed computer with dimensional data, and utilizing the computer to control the operation of a plurality of high pressure water jet cutters to cut the food products to reduced sizes as dictated by the computer program.

Abstract: Food products, such as fish fillets, chicken fillets, and many others, are cut to predetermined portion sizes of equal weight and volume, or to predetermined profile shapes, by moving the food products on a conveyor, scanning them as they move through a shadow line with a camera capable of providing a programmed computer with dimensional data, and utilizing the computer to control the operation of a plurality of high pressure water jet cutters to cut the food products to reduced sizes as dictated by the computer program.