Lattice cutting machine
AssigneeJ.R. Simplot Company
InventorsDavid B. Walker, Allen J. Neel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lattice cutting or slicing machine includes a multi-knife lattice cutting plate mounted in-line along an hydraulic flow path through which vegetable products such as potatoes are propelled in single file by a hydraulic fluid such as water. The lattice cutting plate is orbitally driven for engaging in succession each of the multiple knives thereon with the vegetable product to form lattice cut slices wherein successive generally corrugated cuts are angularly oriented typically perpendicular to each other, and further wherein the depths or troughs of the corrugated cuts on opposite sides of each slice intersect in the preferred form to define a pattern of corrugations interrupted by small openings.
Claims15
A cutting machine for cutting vegetable products into the form of lattice cut slices, comprising:
- a cutting plate having a central aperture formed therein for flow through passage on an hydraulic fluid used to propel the products in single file along a product flow path, said cutting plate further including a plurality of four cutting knives carried thereby and oriented angularly with respect to each other, wherein said four cutting knives are carried by said cutting plate at approximate 90° intervals and oriented substantially perpendicular to each successive cutting knife, each of said cutting knives having a corrugated configuration defining adjacent peaks and troughs, wherein each of said cutting knives has a trough dimension at least slightly greater than ½ the peak-to-peak dimension of each cut slice whereby each cut sliced has a regular pattern of small holes formed therein to define the lattice cut slices;
- and
- a water knife cutting station for rotatably driving said cutting plate through an orbital path disposed generally perpendicular to said flow path, whereby said cutting plate is moved through the orbital path relative to said flow path at a speed selected according to the velocity of travel of the product along said flow path for moving said four cutting knives sequentially and repeatedly into cutting engagement with the product to form each product slice having a corrugated, lattice cut shape.
A cutting machine for cutting vegetable products, comprising:
- a cutting plate having a central aperture formed therein for flow through passage on an hydraulic fluid used to propel the products in single file along a product flow path, said cutting plate further including a plurality of four cutting knives carried thereby and oriented angularly with respect to each other at approximate 90° intervals and oriented substantially perpendicular to each successive cutting knife, each of said cutting knives having a corrugated configuration defining adjacent peaks and troughs;
- and
- a water knife cutting station for driving said cutting plate through an orbital path disposed generally perpendicular to said flow path, whereby said cutting plate is moved through the orbital path relative to said flow path at a speed selected according to the velocity of travel of the product along said flow path for moving said four cutting knives sequentially and repeatedly into cutting engagement with the product to form each product slice having a corrugated cut shape with corrugations on opposite sides thereof formed substantially perpendicularly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.