To slice meat loafs (100) with cross sections that vary across their longitudinal extension into accurately weighted slices (101), it is known to bring the loaf (100) into a defined shape with a uniform cross section across its length inside a forming tube (2) by means of pressing before it is sliced.

According to the invention, the pressing is performed in the longitudinal direction (L, 10) and the transversal direction (Q, 11) in a predefined order and in particular in multiple pressing steps (+Q, +L), which also comprise relieving strokes (Q, L) for the purpose of reducing the force exertion for pressing, on the one hand, and, on the other, for keeping the tissue structure of the loaf (100) intact.

A cutting machine comprising one or more form tubes that are divided in two in the longitudinal direction into a front form tube section and a rear form tube sectionat least across a portion of its circumference, so that the two form sections can be moved from a pressing position in which they are aligned with each other into a loading position in which they are not aligned with each other, and in the loading position the rear form tube section can be loaded with a new meat strand while the rest of the previous meat strand is still being cut into slices and moved in the front form tube section. The blade may be disposed to simultaneously cut slices from a plurality of form tubes and may be disposed for motion in the longitudinal direction as well as a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction.

A cutting machine for cutting up pre-compressed meat strands into slices and a method for slicing pre-compressed meat strands, wherein the blade is moved forward in the feed direction to a limited extent after the blade has completely cut off a slice, and is either subsequently or simultaneously moved backward in the transversal direction. In this way, the forward movement of the meat strand to cut off the next slice can be started earlier.

The present disclosure provides an embodiment a chip cutting system for use in loading, cutting, and packaging stacks of tortillas. The chip cutting system can include a loader, a vertical loading system, a processing line, a plurality of cutting stations, a sleeving area, an inversion portion, and an output portion.

A cutting machine for cutting up meat strands whose cross section varies over a longitudinal extension into weight precise slices as fast as possible, and a method for slicing such meat strands. Two or more strands may be received adjacent to each other in a respective form tube and pushed against a separately adjustable stop plate, which is assigned to each form tube, independently from each other by a controlled longitudinal press plunger. The strands may be compressed in the longitudinal direction and a cross section of the form tubes may be reduced in a first transversal direction jointly and in a second transversal direction independently from each other. Thus, the respective meat strand may be transversally compressed to a constant cross section for slicing.

A slicing machine for slicing meat strands that have a cross section that varies over a longitudinal extension in large numbers and as quickly as possible into weight precise slices. In one embodiment, two meat strands are received adjacent to each other in a respective form tube and pushed against a respective separately adjustable stop plate independently from each other by a controlled longitudinal press plunger and compressed in the longitudinal direction. In addition, a cross section of the form tubes may be reduced in a first transversal direction jointly and in a second transversal direction independently from each other and thus the respective meat strand is transversally compressed to a constant cross section prior to slicing.

An industrial slicer (1) comprises a cutting station (T) that includes: a plurality of blades (21, 22, 23) for slicing a food product (2), the blades (21, 22, 23) being distanceable and nearable to one another in pairs at various reciprocal distances, so as to obtain slices having thicknesses corresponding to said distances; and adjustment means (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45) for adjusting said distances and comprising a plurality of adjustment devices (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35) that are adapted to act upon respective blades (21, 22, 23), of which at least two of said devices can be activated independently of each other.

In one aspect, a food product tray includes a pan including a top surface, a front end and a rear end, at least one side member extending upward from the pan, and a gate positioned near the front end of the pan. The gate is moveable between a blocking position, in which a top edge of the gate is positioned above the top surface of the pan, and a non-blocking position, in which the top edge is either at or below the top surface of the pan. During movement of the gate, the gate rotates relative to the front end of the pan about an axis displaced from the gate. In one aspect, a slicing apparatus includes a food product tray including a gate movable along an arcuate path defined by an axis displaced from the gate and a radius between the arcuate path and the axis.

A food processing machine (2) wherein a food product is continuously constrained against movement laterally with respect to a product flow path (D) by a transport system as the food product travels from a forming module (8) to a cutter (18) via a sensing region (10). A forming module (8) comprises at least three dies (100, 102, 104, 106), with each die defining an inwardly facing shaping surface, wherein each die has a longitudinally extending side which moves over the shaping surface of an adjacent die when the dies move between larger and smaller transverse product profile configurations. A size-adaptive end pusher (120) for use in a forming module (8), the end pusher comprising two pusher elements (160, 162, 164, 166), wherein the pusher elements are movable between a transversely expanded configuration and a transversely contracted configuration.

In order to be able to load a forming tube channel, which stands very steeply and is open at a front and top on a longitudinal side, correctly by checking and, if necessary, changing position of a product piece in the forming tube channel, instead of sliding the new product piece from the outside on a support plate to the forming tube channel in the machine and dropping it into the forming tube channel, the entire forming tube channel is moved from a cutting position outward to a loading position, the product piece is inserted there and an entire transfer device in the form of one or more slides is moved back to the cutting position and locked there.