High speed slicing machine

A food article slicing machine comprising:

• a slicing station comprising a knife blade and a knife blade drive driving the blade along a cutting path in a cutting plane;
• and
• a food article feed apparatus comprising an upper conveyor assembly comprising a support frame and at least two independently driven feed assemblies on the frame, each feed assembly including:
• a drive belt coupled to the support frame by a drive shaft and a drive roller on the drive shaft,
• an endless conveyor belt,
• a drive pulley coupled to the support frame and having a toothed outer diameter for engaging with the endless conveyor belt and a toothed recessed diameter for engaging with the drive belt,
• an idler roller having a toothed outer diameter for engaging with the endless conveyor belt,
• a servomotor for driving the drive shaft, the drive roller and the drive belt, which in turn drives the endless conveyor belt, and
• a food article gripper connected to the conveyor belt, the food article gripper configured to engage and move a food article along a food article feed path, wherein the food article gripper is activated between a closed position, in which the food article gripper seizes a food article, and an open position, in which the food article gripper releases a food article,
• wherein movement of the endless conveyor belt is in a plane parallel to the food article feed path;
• wherein the drive pulleys are coupled to the support frame by a common shaft;
• a tension adjustment mechanism coupled to the idler rollers, wherein the tension adjustment mechanism is configured to be released to allow movement of the idler rollers relative to the support frame and to be locked to prevent movement of the idler rollers relative to the support frame, the tension adjustment mechanism comprising
• a common idler roller shaft coupled to each of the idler rollers,
• a first member slidably mounted on a first side of the support frame which supports a first end of the common idler roller shaft,
• a first cam roller rotatably mounted on the support frame and engaged with the first member, wherein the first cam roller can be unlocked and rotated relative to the support frame to cause longitudinal movement of the first member and the first end of the common idler roller shaft and locked against rotation relative to the support frame to prevent longitudinal movement of the first member and the first end of the common idler roller shaft relative to the support frame,
• a second member slidably mounted on a second opposite side of the support frame which supports a second end of the common idler roller shaft, and
• a second cam roller rotatably mounted on the support frame and engaged with the second member, wherein the second cam roller can be unlocked and rotated relative to the support frame to cause longitudinal movement of the second member and the second end of the common idler roller shaft and locked against rotation relative to the support frame to prevent longitudinal movement of the second member and the second end of the common idler roller shaft relative to the support frame;
• and
• a food article loading apparatus having an upper surface upon which food articles are configured to be loaded, the upper surface being disposed vertically below bottom runs of the endless conveyor belts at least during engagement of the food article grippers with the food articles.