A way of dealing with challenges to the pepper processing industry and pepper growers is to mechanize pepper processing, including the de-stemming of whole peppers. The present example provides a method for mechanically de-stemming whole peppers. The method provides for the recognition of a pepper's shoulder and or interior regions and stem in order to generate a control signal to initiate a process to de-stem the pepper. In particular, several implementations of the method are provided that may include a mechanical system, a laser system, a machine vision system, a combination of a machine vision system and the laser system, and other equivalent implementations. Additionally disclosed, are methods of processing whole peppers utilizing automated de-stemming.

A way of dealing with challenges to the pepper processing industry and pepper growers is to mechanize pepper processing, including the de-stemming of whole peppers. The present example provides a method for mechanically de-stemming whole peppers. The method provides for the recognition of a pepper's shoulder and or interior regions and stem in order to generate a control signal to initiate a process to de-stem the pepper. In particular, several implementations of the method are provided that may include a mechanical system, a laser system, a machine vision system, a combination of a machine vision system and the laser system, and other equivalent implementations. Additionally disclosed, are methods of processing whole peppers utilizing automated de-stemming.

This compact binding device is such that binding operations can be carried out when the main body of the device is held. The binding device (1A) is provided with a cassette storage unit (60A) in which a cassette (8) can be detachably attached, said cassette housing an elongate tape (5) which has a piece (2) adhered thereto and is wound into a roll. The cassette housing unit (60A) is provided at the bottom of the device main body (110A), which comprises a base unit (11A) and a handle unit (12), and the cassette (8) does not protrude rearwards from the handle unit (12) and the base unit (11A).

A cutting equipment which trims strips of webs in movement includes a stationary trimming blade and a rotating cylinder with a mobile trimming blade; the rotating cylinder includes a sector with suction openings connected to a vacuum source, which retains the strips by suction and drags the strips up to a strip collector; the cutting equipment cuts and separates transversal strips of two webs overlapped in adherence jointly to the cutting of basic sheets; a perforating device perforates a row of holes on the first web adjacent to an edge of the sheets; and a first web is positioned with the row of holes in front of the suction openings, while the strip of the second web is retained and dragged by suction through the holes of the first web up to the strip collector.

A cutting equipment which trims strips of webs in movement includes a stationary trimming blade and a rotating cylinder with a mobile trimming blade; the rotating cylinder includes a sector with suction openings connected to a vacuum source, which retains the strips by suction and drags the strips up to a strip collector; the cutting equipment cuts and separates transversal strips of two webs overlapped in adherence jointly to the cutting of basic sheets; a perforating device perforates a row of holes on the first web adjacent to an edge of the sheets; and a first web is positioned with the row of holes in front of the suction openings, while the strip of the second web is retained and dragged by suction through the holes of the first web up to the strip collector.

Machines and methods suitable for performing cutting operations on products to yield a reduced-size product, for example, slicing and strip-cutting elongate food products. Such a method includes simultaneously delivering products to annular-shaped cavities of a rotating impeller. The products are simultaneously delivered with a feed unit that has a feed chute extension that protrudes into an interior of the impeller. The feed chute extension defines feed chutes that are aligned with the annular-shaped cavities of the impeller and direct the products to circumferential series of pockets within the annular-shaped cavities. The products are held within the pockets by centrifugal force as the products are carried past a slicing knife to form a first longitudinal cut through each of the products during a rotation of the impeller and to produce therefrom a substantially longitudinally sliced product.

A printed unit block aligning device includes a supporting element and an alignment transfer rail. The supporting element is opened and closed between a supporting position and a releasing position. The alignment transfer rail receives the group of the printed unit blocks dropped in response to move of the supporting element to the releasing position, aligns the printed unit blocks in each line unit block in a vertical direction, and feeds the printed unit blocks vertically at a constant speed using alignment transferring element. An electrical controlling element is provided that electrically controls timing of dropping the printed unit blocks from the supporting element onto the alignment transfer rail. While a speed of transfer of the horizontal feeding and transferring element are uniform for any imposition structure, the electrical controlling element controls timing of dropping the printed unit blocks in a manner that depends on the numbers of layers in each vertical line in different imposition structures.

A printed unit block aligning device includes a supporting element and an alignment transfer rail. The supporting element is opened and closed between a supporting position and a releasing position. The alignment transfer rail receives the group of the printed unit blocks dropped in response to move of the supporting element to the releasing position, aligns the printed unit blocks in each line unit block in a vertical direction, and feeds the printed unit blocks vertically at a constant speed using alignment transferring element. An electrical controlling element is provided that electrically controls timing of dropping the printed unit blocks from the supporting element onto the alignment transfer rail. While a speed of transfer of the horizontal feeding and transferring element are uniform for any imposition structure, the electrical controlling element controls timing of dropping the printed unit blocks in a manner that depends on the numbers of layers in each vertical line in different imposition structures.

The invention relates to a device for slicing one or more food products, in particular sausage, ham and/or cheese, wherein a respective track is provided for each food product, along which the food product is transported in the direction of a moving blade, said blade cutting off food slices from the front end of the food product and configuring said food slices on a storage table to form a portion consisting of a plurality of food slices. The present invention further relates to a method for slicing one or more food products, in particular sausage, ham and/or cheese, into food slices which are configured to form portions.

An apparatus and method suitable for performing cutting operations on a product to yield a reduced-size product, for example, slicing, strip-cutting, dicing, shredding, and/or granulating a food product. The apparatus includes a casing, an impeller adapted for rotation within the casing about an axis thereof, and knives that perform, in sequence, slicing, strip-cutting and crosscutting on a product to produce reduced-size products. The apparatus is capable of performing a method by which a product is introduced into the impeller and the impeller is rotated to slice the product with a slicing knife and produce therefrom slices having peaks and valleys on opposite surfaces thereof and a cross-sectional shape that periodically varies in thickness. Strips are then produced from each of the slices by forming parallel cuts, each coinciding with a peak of each slice so that each strip has a width substantially identical to a wavelength of the slice.