Hard material collecting system for a meat grinder

A grinder for use in grinding soft material from material which comprises a mixture of soft material and hard material, comprising:

• a housing having an inlet and an outlet;
• an orifice plate located at the housing outlet;
• an advancing arrangement for moving the mixture of material through the housing toward the orifice plate;
• a rotatable knife assembly located adjacent a surface of the orifice plate;
• a hard material collection arrangement for collecting the hard material and for discharging the hard material to the exterior of the orifice plate;
• collection structure located downstream of the orifice plate and defining an internal collection cavity for receiving the hard material discharged to the exterior of the orifice plate, the collection cavity including an axial passage having a plurality of radially spaced axially extending flutes formed therein;
• a discharge conduit mounted to the collection structure and defining an internal discharge passage in communication with the collection cavity axial passage, the discharge passage being defined by at least one wall;
• and
• a rotatable flighted discharge auger extending through the collection cavity axial passage and into the discharge passage of the discharge conduit for advancing hard material through the discharge passage from the collection cavity;
• wherein the discharge auger is sized and the discharge passage dimensioned such that the outermost extent of the discharge auger flighting is in close proximity to the at least one wall of the discharge passage, to cooperate with the at least one wall of the discharge passage to define a rotating flow path for discharging hard material therethrough;
• a plurality of radially spaced axially extending flutes formed in the discharge passage wall, wherein hard material passes through the flutes upon rotation of the discharge auger;
• and
• a chamber located between the collection cavity axial passage and the discharge passage through which the discharge auger extends, wherein the plurality of flutes in the collection cavity axial passage and the plurality of flutes formed in the discharge passage wall open into the chamber.