A retraction device includes: a spindle, a support plate and a plurality of spring washers. The spindle is movable along an axis direction thereof and has a first end; a support plate has a fixed position, the first end of the spindle penetrates the support plate; and the plurality of spring washers are fitted over the first end of the spindle and stacked together in an identical direction. The plurality of spring washers are compressed between the spindle and the support plate with a predetermined pre-load. The spindle is configured to be switchable between a first position and a second position, and capable of moving a predetermined distance relative to the support plate in the axis direction of the spindle during switching. When in the first position, the spindle is farthest from the support plate, when in the second position, the spindle is closest to the support plate.

A hand-operated lettuce-cutting appliance with a chassis has a cutter grid and positioning device for positioning the chassis on at least one support. The appliance further includes a guide well having a bottom end extending adjacent to and facing said cutter grid and a vegetable-pusher device mounted to slide along at least one column fastened to the chassis so as to extend parallel to the well. The vegetable-pusher device has a body shaped so as to engage in the well in order to push the vegetable through the cutter grid.

A rotating blade slicer is provided. The slicer includes a housing, a carriage assembly that is slidably movable along the housing with respect to the knife. A gauge plate is provided to set cutting depth. The carriage assembly movably supports a weighted plate that is slidably mounted upon the carriage assembly and is configured to be disposed upon an upper surface of a food product intended to be sliced by the knife. The weighted plate supported by an arm that is slidably mounted to the carriage assembly, wherein the weighted plate is removably attached to the arm such that the weighted plate can be removed from and connected to the arm without any external tools.

A processing system (10) and a corresponding method are provided for processing work products (WP), including food items, to locate and quantify voids, undercuts and similar anomalies in the work products. The work products are conveyed past an X-ray scanner (14) by a conveyance device (12). Data from the X-ray scanning is transmitted to control system (18). Simultaneously with the X-ray scanning of the work product, the work product is optically scanned at the same location on the work product where X-ray scanning is occurring. The data from the optical scanner is also transmitted to the control system. Such data is analyzed to develop or generate the thickness profile of the work product. From the differences in the thickness profiles generated from the X-ray scanning data versus the optical scanning data, the location of voids, undercuts and similar anomalies can be determined by the control system. This information is used by the processing system (10) to process the work product as desired, including adjusting for the locations and sizes of voids, undercuts and similar anomalies present in the work product.

A sheet material cutting device includes a cutting blade and a guard member. The cutting blade is displaceably disposed and cuts a web-shaped sheet material. The guard member faces the sheet material and has a slit through which the cutting blade passes when the cutting blade is displaced to a cutting position.

A deagglomerator for use in resizing masses of cells is disclosed. The deagglomerator may include a plurality of apertures defined by a plurality of front and back edges. The masses of cells may be passed through the plurality of apertures from the front to the back, and from the back to the front, repeatedly. The deagglomerator may also include a plurality of blades that may aid in the deagglomeration of the cell masses. The deagglomerator may be configured between two syringes so that the tissue may be passed back and forth from the first syringe through the device to the second syringe, and then back again from the second syringe through the device and to the first syringe. In this way, the masses of cells may be properly deagglomerated.

A bundle breaker includes upstream and downstream breaking supports, platens over the breaking supports and actuators for moving the platens toward and away from the breaking supports. Each of the platens includes a plurality of air bladders each having a bottom contact surface facing one of the breaking supports. The actuators move the platens to selectively clamp a log between the bottom contact surfaces of the air bladders and the breaking supports. A third actuator shifts an input end of the downstream breaking support relative to an output end of the upstream breaking support from a first position to a second position to break a first portion of the log from a second portion of the log.

An edge trimming mechanism of an edge banding machine capable of removing scraps includes a cutting device and an air guiding cover. The cutting device includes a motor having a power outputting shaft, and a cutter mounted at an end of the power outputting shaft. The air guiding cover is hollow-shaped, installed outside the motor, and has air inlet and outlet. The power outputting shaft protrudes out of the air inlet and the cutter is at least partially located out of the air inlet. An air exhausting path is defined between the inner wall of the air guiding cover and the outer wall of the motor. Two opposite ends of the air exhausting path communicate with the air inlet and outlet respectively. By the above-described configuration of the edge trimming mechanism, it is effective in removing the scraps produced by the edge banding machine in the edge trimming process.

A superabsorbent polymer hydrogel chopping device is provided. The superabsorbent polymer hydrogel chopping device includes a barrel body having a transfer space to which a hydrogel is transferred therein and a discharge portion through which the hydrogel is discharged is formed to face in a ground direction, a transfer unit installed in the barrel body and configured to transfer the hydrogel in the transfer space, a cutter member installed in the barrel body and configured to pulverize the hydrogel transferred by the transfer unit, and a perforated plate configured to discharge particles of the hydrogel pulverized by the cutter member to the outside of the barrel body.

The invention relates to a food treatment apparatus, comprising a frame, a treatment chamber apt to receive a treatment tool and a feed channel formed by side walls with an open side for inserting food. A pushing device is configured to be inserted within the feed channel to press food towards the treatment tool. The pushing device comprises a pusher support lever pivotally movable relative to the frame around a pivot axis and a pusher rod slidably coupled to the pusher support lever to slide along a sliding axis. Side walls are configured to allow the pusher support lever to be rotated around the pivot axis and at the same time to allow the pusher rod to be translated along said sliding axis while the pushing device is moved from an open position towards a closed position.