A facer facing the ends of polyolefin pipes for butt fusion is modular in the sense that it employs three types of modules, a drive unit, two blade holders and a motor assembly, that are separable from one another and each independently light enough to be hand-lifted along walls and up to ceilings. The drive unit module is adjustable to accommodate different guide rail spacings. The blade holder modules are interchangeable to accommodate different diameters of pipe. The motor assembly module has multispeed capability to accommodate the total area of material to be faced. Each module can be exchanged or modified without use of tools to change the geometry of the assembled facer to accommodate different fusion machines and/or diameters of pipe within working spaces dictated by the diameter of the pipe and not by a fixed geometry of a facer.

The present invention discloses that the weighing of produce sliced by a slicer needs to be weighed in order to meet the desired amount of sliced product. In an improvement of the art, the platform for catching slices of produce is also the platform of a scale positioned directly underneath the platform. In addition, automatic stop can be used to allow for automatic slicing of a desired amount of product.

A cartridge for a food processing machine includes a base member, a stock roller drag brake, a nip roller, and a chute. The stock roller drag brake is rotatably attached to the base member. The nip roller is rotatably attached to the base member. The chute is attached to the base member.

A food product slicing apparatus includes a frame and upper and lower drive assemblies. The upper drive assembly includes a belt configured to engage an upper surface of a food product block to be sliced, a plate pivotally mounted to the frame, front and rear wheels supporting the upper belt, the front wheel rotatably mounted to the plate and a drive member engaged with the plate. When the drive member is engaged, the plate and the front roller pivot relative to the frame and to the rear wheel. The lower drive assembly includes a belt configured to engage a bottom surface of the food product block.

A food preparation system is provided. The food preparation system includes a slicing apparatus configured to host a plurality of different food items simultaneously and govern which of the ingredients are to be sliced.

A clamp includes first and second rising portions that rise from a base portion, a first extending portion extending along a first top surface of a table from the first rising portion, a second extending portion extending along a second top surface of the table from the second rising portion, a first clamp portion to urge a medium toward the first top surface, and a second clamp portion to urge the medium toward the second top surface. A gap located above a groove in the table is provided between the first clamp portion and the second clamp portion.

A method of processing a food item that includes moving a food item along a direction towards an automated slicer, wherein prior to the food item being sliced by the automated slicer the food item that is being moved has a length, L, as measured along the direction. The method further includes determining a thickness, T, of a slice of the food item to be generated by the automated slicer and slicing the food item that has the length, L, by the automated slicer so that a maximum possible number, N.sub.max, of slices of the food item are generated that have the thickness, T.

An electrically-operated slice-cutting machine for cutting slices offin particular, strand-shapedmaterial to be cutpreferably, foodincludes: a machine housing which holds a drive motor and a rotating and/or circumferentially-movable cutting blade driven by the drive motor; a product feed for feeding the material to be cut to the cutting blade; a carrier plate; and a cutting frame arranged on the carrier plate and via which the material to be cut is fed to the cutting blade. The cutting frame is geometrically arranged such that the material to be cut is feedable by the product feed through the cutting frame to the cutting blade in an operating state of the slice-cutting machine. The slice-cutting machine has at least a first and a second lever element for releasably fixing the cutting frame, each of the two lever elements being transferrable from a holding position into a release position.

A slicing machine cuts slices of cutting material. The slicing machine has: a machine housing holding a motor and circular blade driven by the motor; a product feed, which feeds the cutting material to the circular blade; a stop plate; and a slidably arranged carriage, which feeds the cutting material to the blade. The blade is mounted directly on a bearing shaft arranged in the drive motor for the circular blade. The drive motor includes at a stator and rotor, which is detachable from the stator. The stator is in the machine housing. The machine housing has an insertion opening where, in the assembled state, the stator is arranged and through which the rotor is at least partially inserted into the stator. The slicing machine has an attachment device comprising at least one fastener that is configured to fasten the rotor and the stator to the machine housing.

A manual food processor includes a base, a plurality of blades coupled to the base and extending from the base in a vertical direction, a rod coupled to the base and oriented at an acute angle relative to the vertical direction of the blade, and a carriage slidable along the rod from a top end of the rod to a bottom end of the rod. The carriage is configured to support a food item from below the food item and to push the food item from above the food item. The carriage is positioned entirely on a first side of the plurality of blades when at the top end of the rod and is intersected by the plurality of blades at the bottom end of the rod.