A cutting machine for cutting up meat strands whose cross section varies over a longitudinal extension into weight precise slices as fast as possible, and a method for slicing such meat strands. Two or more strands may be received adjacent to each other in a respective form tube and pushed against a separately adjustable stop plate, which is assigned to each form tube, independently from each other by a controlled longitudinal press plunger. The strands may be compressed in the longitudinal direction and a cross section of the form tubes may be reduced in a first transversal direction jointly and in a second transversal direction independently from each other. Thus, the respective meat strand may be transversally compressed to a constant cross section for slicing.

A cutting machine for cutting up meat strands whose cross section varies over a longitudinal extension into weight precise slices as fast as possible, and a method for slicing such meat strands. Two or more strands may be received adjacent to each other in a respective form tube and pushed against a separately adjustable stop plate, which is assigned to each form tube, independently from each other by a controlled longitudinal press plunger. The strands may be compressed in the longitudinal direction and a cross section of the form tubes may be reduced in a first transversal direction jointly and in a second transversal direction independently from each other. Thus, the respective meat strand may be transversally compressed to a constant cross section for slicing.

A flowline system for processing food products includes a feeding conveyor provided for conveying the food products to be processed, a plurality of workstations are arranged along the feeding conveyor, a diverting means are associated with each of the plurality of workstations for diverting food products from the feeding conveyor to the workstations, and a takeaway conveyor assembly is provided. Each workstation comprises a release mechanism configured to receive a food product after being processed and to transfer the processed food product onto the takeaway conveyor assembly. A control unit is provided to allocate a slot length on the takeaway conveyor assembly in accordance to a length of the processed food product.

A flowline system for processing food products includes a feeding conveyor provided for conveying the food products to be processed, a plurality of workstations are arranged along the feeding conveyor, a diverting means are associated with each of the plurality of workstations for diverting food products from the feeding conveyor to the workstations, and a takeaway conveyor assembly is provided. Each workstation comprises a release mechanism configured to receive a food product after being processed and to transfer the processed food product onto the takeaway conveyor assembly. A control unit is provided to allocate a slot length on the takeaway conveyor assembly in accordance to a length of the processed food product.

The invention relates to an apparatus, designed and configured for the removal of pin bones from a fish fillet that has been completely separated from the skeleton, comprising a tool having a clamping mechanism for clamping and releasing individual pin bones, a drive for the rotary driving of at least parts of the clamping mechanism and means for transmitting the rotational movement from the drive to the clamping mechanism, which is characterized in that the clamping mechanism comprises a base body that can be driven such that it rotates about a rotational axis, with which at least two clamping jaws are associated, which clamping jaws define a resulting central axis M and are for clamping and releasing the pin bones, wherein the clamping jaws are designed and configured such that they can move towards and away from one another, and the drive is designed and configured for exerting an oscillating rotational movement of the base body about the rotational axis and thereby of the clamping jaws about the central axis M. The invention further relates to a corresponding method.

The invention relates to an apparatus, designed and configured for the removal of pin bones from a fish fillet that has been completely separated from the skeleton, comprising a tool having a clamping mechanism for clamping and releasing individual pin bones, a drive for the rotary driving of at least parts of the clamping mechanism and means for transmitting the rotational movement from the drive to the clamping mechanism, which is characterized in that the clamping mechanism comprises a base body that can be driven such that it rotates about a rotational axis, with which at least two clamping jaws are associated, which clamping jaws define a resulting central axis M and are for clamping and releasing the pin bones, wherein the clamping jaws are designed and configured such that they can move towards and away from one another, and the drive is designed and configured for exerting an oscillating rotational movement of the base body about the rotational axis and thereby of the clamping jaws about the central axis M. The invention further relates to a corresponding method.

A method and apparatus for removing guts of a fish body, the method includes: transferring a fish body A, with a head cut off and removed, by a transfer device and cutting open the abdomen thereof with an abdominal blade on the way of transfer; transferring the fish body to a gut removal member and causing membrane separation blades, provided at an upper end portion of the gut removal member, to enter in between a peritoneal membrane portion on both sides of the vertebra and a fish meat inner wall on a head cut-off section of the fish body; swinging the gut removal member downwardly with its lower end portion as fulcrum to tilt the membrane separation blades from the horizontal state and peel off the peritoneal membrane portions from the fish meat inner wall; and shaking off downwardly the guts adhered to the peritoneal membrane portions.

A method and apparatus for removing guts of a fish body, the method includes: transferring a fish body A, with a head cut off and removed, by a transfer device and cutting open the abdomen thereof with an abdominal blade on the way of transfer; transferring the fish body to a gut removal member and causing membrane separation blades, provided at an upper end portion of the gut removal member, to enter in between a peritoneal membrane portion on both sides of the vertebra and a fish meat inner wall on a head cut-off section of the fish body; swinging the gut removal member downwardly with its lower end portion as fulcrum to tilt the membrane separation blades from the horizontal state and peel off the peritoneal membrane portions from the fish meat inner wall; and shaking off downwardly the guts adhered to the peritoneal membrane portions.

A machine for removing a dorsal fin of a fish, and includes: a conveying system configured to convey a sequence of fish in a downstream direction while each fish of the sequence of fish is oriented with right and left sides of the fish on opposite sides of a vertical centre plane, cutter tool, and at least one mechanical height control for controlling a height of the cutting tool relative to the conveying system. The mechanical height control comprising a frame carrying at least the first cutting tool and a ski attached to the frame. When the cutting tool reaches the fin to be removed, the frame is movable by a motion control between an upper and a lower position relative to the ski. This movement is based on a signal representing a position of a fish in the sequence of fish relative to the cutting tool.

A machine for removing a dorsal fin of a fish, and includes: a conveying system configured to convey a sequence of fish in a downstream direction while each fish of the sequence of fish is oriented with right and left sides of the fish on opposite sides of a vertical centre plane, cutter tool, and at least one mechanical height control for controlling a height of the cutting tool relative to the conveying system. The mechanical height control comprising a frame carrying at least the first cutting tool and a ski attached to the frame. When the cutting tool reaches the fin to be removed, the frame is movable by a motion control between an upper and a lower position relative to the ski. This movement is based on a signal representing a position of a fish in the sequence of fish relative to the cutting tool.