Dual Scale Weighing System for Producing Drafts of Sliced Products of Desired Weights

A dual scale weighing system for producing drafts of desired weights, the drafts being sliced by a slicer upstream of the weighing system along a food processing line, the dual scale weighing system comprising:

• a slice scale with a conveying surface, the slice scale disposed beneath a discharge end of the slicer;
• a check scale with a conveying surface, the check scale disposed downstream of the slice scale;
• and
• a data management system in operative communication with the slice scale, the check scale, and the slicer;
• wherein the slice scale communicates information on a weight of an intermediate draft.

A dual scale weighing system for producing drafts of desired weights, the drafts being sliced by a slicer and conveyed along a food processing line downstream from the slicer, the dual scale weighing system comprising:

• a slice scale with a conveying surface, the slice scale disposed beneath the discharge end of the slicer, the slicer configured to directly deposit food product slices on the slice scale, wherein the slice scale is configured to determine a weight of an intermediate draft;
• a check scale with a conveying surface, the check scale disposed downstream of the slice scale;
• and
• a data management system in operative communication with the slice scale, the check scale, and the slicer, wherein the data management system is configured to receive the weight of the intermediate draft from the slicer and calculate a completion weight while a slicing process is in progress;
• wherein the data management system is configured to control the slicer to produce at least one completion slice, the at least one completion slice weighing an amount equal to the completion weight within a predetermined tolerance to produce a completed draft, wherein a weight of the completed draft is within a desired weight so as to eliminate rejection of the completed draft so that no addition or subtraction of the sliced product occurs after the draft is completed;
• and
• wherein the data management system receives a verification weight from the check scale and determines a variance weight.

A dual scale weighing system comprising:

• a scale for dynamically measuring a weight of sliced products as subsequent slices are added onto existing slices on the scale;
• the scale further having
• a conveying surface;
• a pair of support frames to support the conveying surface on either side of the conveying surface;
• vertical side walls connected to the support frames;
• a horizontal plate connected to the side walls on opposing sides of the horizontal plate;
• a vertical shaft in contact with the horizontal plate and a load cell;
• and
• a dampening mechanism in contact with the load cell, said dampening mechanism located beneath the load cell.