A ceramic sheet includes a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, and a pair of parallel edges extending therebetween. A thickness of the ceramic sheet is defined between the first and second surfaces, a width of the ceramic sheet is defined between the pair of parallel edges, and a length of the ceramic sheet is defined as a dimension orthogonal to both the thickness and the width. The thickness is less than or equal to 100 m, the length is greater than or equal to 10 m, and the width is less than or equal to 12 mm. The ceramic sheet has a grain size of less than or equal to 0.2 m and a porosity of less than or equal to 5%.

A ceramic sheet includes a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, and a pair of parallel edges extending therebetween. A thickness of the ceramic sheet is defined between the first and second surfaces, a width of the ceramic sheet is defined between the pair of parallel edges, and a length of the ceramic sheet is defined as a dimension orthogonal to both the thickness and the width. The thickness is less than or equal to 100 m, the length is greater than or equal to 10 m, and the width is less than or equal to 12 mm. The ceramic sheet has a grain size of less than or equal to 0.2 m and a porosity of less than or equal to 5%.

One variation of a system for buttering and toasting bread buns includes: a butter stage including: a vessel containing liquefied dairy fat and defining a permeable surface, a pressure supply fluidly coupled to the vessel, and a first paddle assembly configured to catch a bun crown dispensed into the butter stage, to compress a sliced face of the bun crown directly against the permeable surface, and to release the bun crown from the butter stage; and a toast stage including a toasting surface arranged vertically below the permeable surface, a heating element arranged behind the toasting surface, and a second paddle assembly arranged vertically below the first paddle assembly and configured to catch the bun crown released from the first paddle assembly, to compress the sliced face of the bun crown directly against the toasting surface, and to release the bun crown from the toasting surface.

One variation of a system for buttering and toasting bread buns includes: a butter stage including: a vessel containing liquefied dairy fat and defining a permeable surface, a pressure supply fluidly coupled to the vessel, and a first paddle assembly configured to catch a bun crown dispensed into the butter stage, to compress a sliced face of the bun crown directly against the permeable surface, and to release the bun crown from the butter stage; and a toast stage including a toasting surface arranged vertically below the permeable surface, a heating element arranged behind the toasting surface, and a second paddle assembly arranged vertically below the first paddle assembly and configured to catch the bun crown released from the first paddle assembly, to compress the sliced face of the bun crown directly against the toasting surface, and to release the bun crown from the toasting surface.

One variation of a method for slicing a type of whole bread buns includes: retracting a cutting block along a chute into a load position; dispensing a whole bread bun into the chute between the cutting block and a blade extending across the chute; advancing the cutting block along the chute toward the blade; detecting contact between the cutting block and the blade at a contact position; at a first time, advancing the cutting block into a pierce position offset from the contact position toward the blade by a pierce distance less than a common width of the type of whole bread buns; and, at a second time succeeding the first time by a pierce duration, advancing the cutting block from the pierce position into a slice position adjacent the blade to drive the whole bread bun fully through the blade.

One variation of a method for slicing a type of whole bread buns includes: retracting a cutting block along a chute into a load position; dispensing a whole bread bun into the chute between the cutting block and a blade extending across the chute; advancing the cutting block along the chute toward the blade; detecting contact between the cutting block and the blade at a contact position; at a first time, advancing the cutting block into a pierce position offset from the contact position toward the blade by a pierce distance less than a common width of the type of whole bread buns; and, at a second time succeeding the first time by a pierce duration, advancing the cutting block from the pierce position into a slice position adjacent the blade to drive the whole bread bun fully through the blade.

The invention relates to a slicing apparatus for slicing food products, in particular to a high-performance slicer, comprising a product feed that feeds products to be sliced on one or more tracks in a feed direction to a cutting region in which the products are cut into slices during a cutting operation of the slicing apparatus by means of a cutting blade, in particular a revolving and/or rotating cutting blade, that performs cutting movements; a portioning region in which portions are formed from the slices and each comprise one slice or a plurality of slices disposed at least partly above one another; and a control device that controls the cutting operation and that has operating information that relates to the cutting operation, wherein a treatment agent device for providing a liquid treatment agent is integrated into the slicing apparatus and is configured to provide the treatment agent during the cutting operation such that the treatment agent is applied to a respective cut surface of a product and/or to at least one respective flat side of at least one slice, and wherein a control unit is provided for the treatment agent device and is configured to control the operation of the treatment agent device in dependence on the cutting operation on the basis of at least a portion of the operating information of the control device.

The invention relates to a slicing apparatus for slicing food products, in particular to a high-performance slicer, comprising a product feed that feeds products to be sliced on one or more tracks in a feed direction to a cutting region in which the products are cut into slices during a cutting operation of the slicing apparatus by means of a cutting blade, in particular a revolving and/or rotating cutting blade, that performs cutting movements; a portioning region in which portions are formed from the slices and each comprise one slice or a plurality of slices disposed at least partly above one another; and a control device that controls the cutting operation and that has operating information that relates to the cutting operation, wherein a treatment agent device for providing a liquid treatment agent is integrated into the slicing apparatus and is configured to provide the treatment agent during the cutting operation such that the treatment agent is applied to a respective cut surface of a product and/or to at least one respective flat side of at least one slice, and wherein a control unit is provided for the treatment agent device and is configured to control the operation of the treatment agent device in dependence on the cutting operation on the basis of at least a portion of the operating information of the control device.

A data-carrier manufacturing method, and to a processing apparatus for punching data carriers out of a data-carrier sheet involves an application of color effected by means of a color applying device to a circumferential edge of the data carrier in a female punching unit of a punching device.

A data-carrier manufacturing method, and to a processing apparatus for punching data carriers out of a data-carrier sheet involves an application of color effected by means of a color applying device to a circumferential edge of the data carrier in a female punching unit of a punching device.