A food product slicing apparatus is configured to slice food products into slices. A load assembly pivotally is mounted on a frame and a food product is positioned thereon. A drive assembly on the frame receives the food product from the load assembly and moves the food product relative to the frame. The load assembly can be positioned in at a first, lowered position relative to the drive assembly, a second, partially raised position relative to the drive assembly and a third, fully raised position relative to the drive assembly. The drive assembly engages the food product when the load assembly is in the third, fully raised position.

A food slicing system includes a hub fixedly secured to a drive shaft and configured to rotate with the drive shaft. The hub has a central pilot projection coaxial with the drive shaft, and flat, blade contacting surface surrounding the pilot projection. A counterweight is eccentrically mounted to the hub and rotatable between a first position and an second position relative to the hub. Wherein when the counterweight is in a first position, the counterweight is in axial alignment with pilot projection, and permits the blade to be attached to or removed from the hub via movement of the blade in the axial direction. When the counterweight is in the second position, the counterweight is eccentric to the pilot projection and is offset from the axis of rotation, to provide a predetermined amount of weight offset from the axis of rotation to counterbalance the weight of the blade.

A food product slicing apparatus is provided for slicing food products into slices. A frame mounts a drive assembly, a lower feed roller, a shear bar and a slicing blade. The drive assembly moves the food products onto the lower feed roller. The food product passes over the lower feed roller and through the shear bar for slicing by the slicing blade. At least one upper feed roller is mounted on the shear bar and is adjustable in position relative to the lower feed roller.

A food slicing system having a main frame includes a blade reciprocating assembly, which further includes a support frame, a rotating cutting blade mounted to the support frame, a motor mounted on the support frame, and a support shaft operatively coupled to the main frame at opposite ends thereof. The support shaft is coupled to an upper portion of the support frame and is configured to support the support frame and permit pivotal movement of the support frame. A drive shaft is operatively coupled to the main frame and is rotationally driven by an actuator. A plurality of linkage elements are configured to operatively couple the drive shaft to a lower portion of the support frame, where the linkage elements reciprocally move the blade reciprocating assembly between a slicing position and a clearance position, and where the support frame pivots about the support shaft during the reciprocal movement.

A food product slicing apparatus for slicing food products into slices is provided. A frame mounts a drive assembly which is configured to move the food products relative to the frame, a side strapping assembly which side straps a side of the food product, and a slicing blade configured to slice the food products into slices. The side strapping assembly is mounted to the frame proximate to the drive assembly. The side strapping assembly includes a releasable clamp which couples a blade of the side strapping assembly to the frame. The clamp can be released without the use of tools.

A food slicing includes a forward conveyor assembly located proximal to the blade assembly and a rearward conveyor assembly configured to transport the food product to the forward conveyor assembly. The rearward conveyor assembly is located immediately upstream from the forward conveyor assembly and gap is formed laterally between the forward conveyor assembly and the rearward conveyor assembly, in the longitudinal direction. An upper scanner unit proximal the gap scans an upper surface of the food product while a lower scanner unit located below the forward and rearward conveyor assemblies scans a lower surface of the food product as the food product passes across the gap, to obtain contour information of the lower surface of the food product.

A drive assembly for a food product slicing apparatus is provided which slices food products into slices. The drive assembly is mounted on a frame of the food product slicing apparatus and includes lower and upper conveyor assemblies coupled to the frame which move food products relative to the frame. The upper conveyor assembly is configured to move upward and downward relative to an upper plane defined by the lower conveyor assembly, and is further configured to pivot relative to the lower conveyor assembly to firmly grip the food products as they pass therebetween.

A food slicer for slicing a food item, and including a plurality of tracks, and weight slidable associated along the tracks for advancing the food item toward a blade. A weight guide can engage with the weight, with a follower slidable in a track channel defined along a longitudinal length of the tracks. The tracks can be attached to a hub to form a radial arrangement, with a frame slidable along the tracks. The weight guide can include a clamp arm having an opening releasably engageable with a protrusion extending from the weight, a locking arm having a latch engageable with a ledge of the weight, and a piercing arm having a piercing end configured to pierce into the food item. The weight can include a locking recess configured to receive the locking arm, and piercing sections extending having a piercing element configured to pierce into the food item.

A bread slicer includes an infeed side and a hollow infeed assembly positioned in the infeed side, the infeed assembly having an open end and a closed end defining a chamber for receiving bread to be sliced. The bread slicer further includes a pusher for pushing the bread to be sliced along the infeed assembly, and a linkage connected to the pusher, the linkage adapted to move the infeed assembly from a bread receiving position to a predetermined position of a bread path, the linkage adapted to then move the pusher and the bread to be sliced along the bread path from the predetermined position to a delivery area. The bread slicer further includes slicing blades having sharp edges to slice bread moving along the bread path.

A slicing apparatus including at least one pusher head and at least one blade. The pusher head is movable from a first position, wherein an object to be sliced is capable of being placed between the pusher head and the blade, and a second position, wherein the pusher head contacts and/or pushes the object to be sliced against the at least one blade.