Maintenance and Safety System for a Food Article Slicing Machine

A food article slicing machine, comprising:

• a slicing station comprising a knife blade and a knife blade drive driving the blade in a cutting plane;
• a food article feed apparatus supported from a machine base and supporting one or more food articles for longitudinal movement along corresponding food article paths intersecting the cutting plane, an end of the food article feed apparatus remote from the cutting plane being elevated above the machine base, and
• a first side safety sensor that emits a first sweep of light beams across an arc to detect an external, laterally directed intrusion on a first longitudinal lateral side of the machine and a second side safety sensor that emits a second sweep of light beams across an arc to detect an external, laterally directed intrusion on an opposite second longitudinal lateral side of the machine, wherein the first and second side safety sensors are elevated and direct the first and second sweeps of light beams downwardly between the food article feed apparatus and the machine base;
• wherein each of said first and second safety sensors comprises a light beam emitter and a light beam receiver mounted in a common housing that operate together to calculate distances of objects that are impinged by light beams emitted by the emitter on a time-of-flight basis to detect said respective external, laterally directed intrusions.

A food article slicing machine, comprising:

• a frame having a front, a back, a first longitudinal side, an opposite second longitudinal side and a machine base top wall,
• a slicing station connected to the frame comprising a knife blade and a knife blade drive driving the blade along a cutting path in a cutting plane;
• a food article feed apparatus connected to the frame supporting one or more food articles for longitudinal movement along corresponding food article paths intersecting the cutting plane, an end of the food article feed apparatus remote from the cutting plane being elevated above the top wall, and
• a safety guard system for detecting an external intrusion into the operating area of the machine, the safety guard system comprising an emitter projecting beams through an angle of sweep from the emitter to form a sensing curtain and a receiver for detecting an intrusion into the sensing curtain, said emitter and said receiver both located adjacent an apex of said sensing curtain, wherein the emitter is elevated and directs the projecting beams downwardly between the feed apparatus and the machine base top wall.