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US 2022/0024064 A1Published application
Method for automatically adjusting the cutting gap of a slicing machine and slicing machine suitable therefor
AssigneeMultivac Sepp Haggenmueller SE & Co. KG
InventorsAlbert HARTMANN, Alexander KAST
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In order to detect if and when a blade contacts a front surface of a cutting frame, a no-load torque of a blade motor or of the blade itself is measured when the blade approaches the cutting frame in an axial direction and checked for an increase.
Claims20
A method for automatically adjusting a cutting gap of a slicing machine for slicing strand-shaped product calibers from a food product into slices wherein the slicing machine includes
- a blade which can be driven in rotation about a blade axis by means of a blade motor and has a peripheral cutting edge which defines a blade plane
- a cutting frame with a counter edge for cooperation with the cutting edge,
- the method comprising steps of:
- a) moving the blade along the blade axis in an approach direction to approach the cutting frame until contact with the cutting frame,
- b) stopping the approach movement of the blade,
- c) moving the blade back in a spacing direction by a distance corresponding to a desired size of the cutting gap, measured in a direction of the blade axis,
- wherein
- in or before step a)
- a no-load torque of the blade motor or of the blade is measured, and
- in step b)
- the approach movement of the blade is stopped
- as soon as an increase of the no-load torque by at least a fixed 1st moment difference is detected
- or as soon as a defined absolute torque threshold value is detected.
10 more elements
A slicing machine comprising:
- a base frame,
- a blade which has a cutting edge and which can be driven in rotation about a blade axis by means of a blade motor,
- a counter edge formed on a cutting frame for a product caliber to be sliced,
- an adjustment device for adjusting the blade relative to the counter edge in a direction of the blade axis
- a control for controlling the adjustment device and the blade motor,
- a torque sensor for measuring torque delivered by the blade motor or torque with which the blade rotates,
- wherein the control is operable to
- move the blade along the blade axis in an approach direction toward the cutting frame until contact with the cutting frame,
- stop the movement of the blade in the approach direction, and
- move the blade back in a spacing direction by a distance corresponding to a desired size of a cutting gap, measured in a direction of the blade axis,
- wherein during or before the movement of the blade in the approach direction, a no-load torque of the blade motor or of the blade is measurable, and the control is operable to stop the approach movement of the blade as soon as an increase of the no-load torque by at least a fixed 1st moment difference is detected or as soon as a defined absolute torque threshold value is detected.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.