Automatic slicing machine

Abstract

A machine for slicing a food product in the three dimensions in a single continuous cycle to produce an end product having a determined size and shape. The machine incorporates a first slicing station for slicing a determined length of a first slice off the food product by a first pair of synchronously driven and counter rotating cut off knives and a second slicing station to slice the first slice in two dimensions by a set of gang knives and a second pair of synchronously driven and counter rotating cut off knives to produce a cube of a determined size and shape. The machine has a conveyor system for conveying the food product on a continuous basis through the machine. The rotation of the cut off knives are variable and are set in conjunction with the feed rate of the conveyor system to establish the desired dimensions of the end product. The first slice is transferred onto the conveyor of the second slicing station in a manner to accommodate slicing the first slice in the other two dimensions by the second slicing station. The arrangement of two counter rotating cut off knives at each slicing station facilitates slicing a food product having an extended width whether the width be the width of a single food product or the combined widths of multiple food products placed side by side on the conveyor system.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.