Compliant hold-down conveyor for slicer

A food processing apparatus for cutting a deformable food product at a workstation to a desired thickness and then separating the sections of the cut food product from each other, the apparatus advancing a deformable food product to the workstation with a compliant hold-down conveyor to overlay and grip a deformable food product, the compliant hold-down conveyor operational in a slack condition to enable the hold-down conveyor to nominally conform to the contour of the upper surface of a deformable food product, the compliant hold-down conveyor overlaying and gripping the cut food product to slide the cut food product beyond the workstation along a separating surface for further processing, comprising:

• (a) a workstation for cutting a deformable food product to thickness;
• (b) a first powered support and transport surface for supporting, engaging and transporting a deformable food product to the workstation;
• and
• (c) a compliant hold-down conveyor cooperating with the support and transport surface to transport a deformable food product to the workstation, said compliant hold-down conveyor comprising a compliant conveyor belt spaced from the support and transport surface and positionable to overlay a deformable food product to grip and apply a load on a deformable food product as a deformable food product is being transported to the workstation, the compliant hold-down conveyor belt constructed of flexible material and operable under a low tension load resulting substantially only from the gravitational mass of the hold-down conveyor belt to nominally conform to the contours of a deformable food product top surface facing the compliant hold-down conveyor belt and to permit the distance separating the compliant hold-down conveyor belt from the support and transport surface to vary with the change in contour of the top surface of the food product, while still gripping a deformable food product during transport of the food product;
• (d) a separator plate positioned above the first support and transport surface extending beyond the cutting workstation;
• and
• (e) the compliant hold-down conveyor gripping the cut deformable food product to slide the cut deformable food product on the separator plate away from the workstation.

A slicing apparatus for slicing raw meat product to a desired thickness and separating the sliced sections of raw meat product from each other, while gripping the top surface of a raw meat product to advance a raw meat product for slicing with a compliant hold-down conveyor to overlay and grip a raw meat product, comprising:

• (a) a slicer device for slicing a raw meat product;
• (b) a first conveyor for supporting, engaging, and conveying a raw meat product as a raw meat product is being sliced by the slicer device;
• and
• (c) a compliant hold-down conveyor comprising a compliant conveyor belt spaced from the first conveyor and cooperating with the first conveyor to apply a load on a raw meat product as a raw meat product is being transported past the slicer device, the compliant hold-down conveyor belt constructed with compliant material and operable under a low tension load on said compliant conveyor belt to nominally conform to the contour of the surface of the raw meat product facing the compliant hold-down conveyor belt, said conformance resulting from a downward force generated substantially only by the gravitational mass of the hold-down conveyor belt, while gripping the raw meat product to advance the raw meat product, and to permit the distance separating the compliant hold-down conveyor belt from the first conveyor to vary with the change in the contour of the surface of the raw meat product facing the compliant hold-down conveyor belt;
• (d) a separator tray positioned above the first conveyor to extend beyond the slicer device;
• and
• (e) the compliant hold-down conveyor gripping the sliced raw meat product to slide the sliced deformable work product on and along the separator tray away from the slicer device.