Lattice cutting machine system

A cutting plate for cutting vegetables, comprising:

• a plurality of cutting blades, disposed radially upon the cutting plate in a fixed orientation, each cutting blade having a corrugated cutting profile and configured to cut a vegetable slice with a pattern of adjacent peaks and troughs;
• a corresponding plurality of slots, adjacent to each cutting blade, the slots configured to allow the vegetable slice to pass through after being cut by one of the plurality of cutting blades;
• and
• a plurality of rotatable links, pivotally connected to the cutting plate at a plurality of first pivot points, the links configured to link the cutting plate to a driving device that rotates one of the links about a second pivot point distal from the first pivot point thereof, thereby moving the cutting plate in a plane in an orbital motion in a generally circular path, wherein the fixed orientation of the cutting blades does not rotate with respect to the plurality of first pivot points, adjacent to a cutting position for the vegetables.

A cutting machine for cutting vegetables, comprising:

• a product flow path, configured to direct the vegetables to a cutting position;
• a cutting plate, pivotally mounted upon distal ends of three rotatable links at the cutting position, and oriented generally perpendicular to the product flow path;
• four cutting knives, fixedly disposed upon the cutting plate at approximately 90° intervals and oriented substantially perpendicular with respect to each adjacent cutting knife, each of the cutting knives having
• a fixed angular orientation;
• a corrugated configuration defining adjacent peaks and troughs;
• an upstream side, having a recessed ramp for guiding the vegetables into cutting engagement with the cutting knife;
• and
• a downstream side, having a slot for passage of each cut slice therethrough after cutting;
• and
• means for rotationally driving a proximal end of at least one of the links, thereby driving the cutting plate in an orbital motion through a generally circular path with a fixed angular orientation in a plane generally perpendicular to the flow path at the cutting position, wherein the fixed orientation of the cutting knives does not rotate with respect to the proximal or distal ends of the links, whereby the cutting knives sequentially and repeatedly move across the cutting position and into cutting engagement with the vegetables to form vegetable slices having a corrugated cut shape.