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 log slicing apparatus includes a base, a frame mounted on the base, a loaf tray, a drive assembly, a shear bar and a slicing station mounted on the frame. The loaf tray and the shear bar are divided into a plurality of side-by-side lanes, each of which are configured to receive multiple food logs stacked in a column. Each lane has a base wall on which a lowest one of the food logs rests which is angled relative to horizontal ground. The drive assembly moves the food logs from the loaf tray to the shear bar and into the slicing station. The slicing station has a driven blade which is parallel to a planar downstream face of the shear bar, and cuts all of the food logs as the blade passes through the food logs.

A method produces a frame for a transport device for receiving slices of material separated by a cutting blade of a cutting machine. The method includes: providing a single integral workpiece, the single integral workpiece having a base plate region, a first longitudinal side region on a first side of the base plate region, and a second longitudinal side region on a second side of the base plate region, bending the first longitudinal side region along a first longitudinal side bending edge until the first longitudinal side region is perpendicular to the base plate region, and bending the second longitudinal side region along a second longitudinal side bending edge until the second longitudinal side region is perpendicular to the base plate region. The first longitudinal side region and second longitudinal side region each extend away from the base plate region in a first direction, and are parallel to each other.

An add-on device for a slicing machine for inserting a separation sheet in between food slices comprises a container containing (a) a sheet tray, (b) a pack of separation sheets positioned on the sheet tray, the pack of separation sheets comprises at least two types of separation sheets, each having a cut-out portion at a different location to allow contacting a second in-line sheet through a top sheet, the separation sheets are organized in said container in an alternating manner, (c) a mechanic/electro-mechanic mechanism for pushing the sheet tray upwards, (d) a three-position lever, the three-position lever comprises a left wing, a right wing and a lever actuator, the lever actuator rotates clockwise and counterclockwise across its longitudinal axis in an alternating manner, and (e) an electronic system to monitor, control, and operate the operation of the add-on device.

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.