Slicing machine

A machine for slicing bales of tobacco, comprising:

• a support structure having an inlet opening for the insertion of a bale, and an outlet portal,
• a conveyor for transferring the bale from said inlet opening to the outlet portal,
• a guillotine-like cutting device in said outlet portal, the cutting device comprising a cutting blade which is movable between a raised position in which it allows the bale carried by the conveyor to pass through the outlet portal and a lowered, cutting position,
• a thrust device movable in said structure, above the conveyor, the thrust device comprising a thrust member which is positionable to bear against a rear end surface of the bale carried by the conveyor so as to urge the bale towards and through the outlet portal in a controlled manner, and
• an abutment device associated with the outlet portal, downstream of the cutting device, the abutment device comprising a movable stop member which assumes a working position in which the movable stop member defines a position where the bale advancing through the outlet portal in use is stopped at a predetermined distance from the path of the cutting blade, the distance corresponding to the desired thickness of the slices to be cut, and
• wherein said thrust device comprises a motor-driven carriage disposed above said conveyor and movable away from and toward the outlet portal,
• at least one arm articulated to the carriage and pivotable in a vertical plane parallel to the direction of movement of the carriage, said thrust member extending transverse the direction of movement of the carriage and being connected to said at least one arm, and
• a first motor which is carried by the carriage and pivots said at least one arm between a raised, rest position in which the thrust member extends above the path of the bale carried by the conveyor and a lowered, working position in which the thrust member bears against the rear end surface of the bale carried by said conveyor.