Embodiments of the present invention pertain to a modular plant trimming system. A number of plant trimming machines are placed side by side. These plant trimming machines trim leaves from a plant. A sensor detects when one or more of the plant trimming machines are added or removed from the system. A processor then balances a load of plants to be trimmed to be split between the currently available number of plant trimming machines.

Embodiments of the present invention pertain to a tiltable tumbler for use in a plant trimming machine. Plants are placed in a tumbler. As the tumbler rotates, leaves extending through slots in the tumbler by a vacuum are trimmed off. A mechanism is used to adjust the tilt of the tumbler. Thereby, the rate by which the plant material in the tumbler is processed is faster with a higher tilt or slower with a lower tilt. The degree of tilt is adjustable either manually or automatically via a computer.

A cutting module for cutting a strand into individual pieces, the cutting module comprising a rotatable cutter wheel and a rotatable cot wheel, the cutter wheel being rotatable and having cutting blades, the cot wheel having a cylindrical outer surface and being rotatable parallel at a distance from the cutter wheel, such that cutting edges of the cutting blades contact the outer surface of the cot wheel successively in use, so that a strand which is fed between the cutter wheel and the cot wheel is cut into individual pieces, each of the cutting blades being designed such that a cutting force is directed through the cutting blade.

The invention relates to a device for dissolving compressed blocks of loose-fill cellulose thermal insulation material. The device includes a support surface for the compressed blocks of insulation and a cylinder with protruding members arranged on the cylinder mantel surface. Said cylinder is rotatable around a substantially horizontal axis to process and dissolve the compressed blocks of insulation between the protruding members and a processing zone arranged by an edge of said support surface. The invention discloses that said protruding members arranged on the cylinder mantel surface are elongated protrusions extending substantially parallel to the horizontal axis. The invention further discloses that the cylinder is arranged to rotate inside of an arc-shaped surface partly covering the cylinder mantel surface and prolonging the milling zone in a peripheral direction of the cylinder. Further, the invention relates to a loose fill insulation apparatus.

A container assembly (50) for a food processor. The container assembly (50) includes a container (10) having a bowl (11) within which there is located a blade assembly (19). The blade assembly (19) includes a stationary blade (34) and a rotatably blade (35) with food being engaged by the blade (35), in cooperation with the blade (34) to cut the food. Additionally the container assembly (50) may include a container (10) having a concave bowl (11) within which there is a plurality of upward facing ribs (23).

A portable manual grinder has a driving section, a grinding section and a discharging section coaxially connected from top to bottom. The driving section has a drive shaft that drives a central axis of the grinding section. The drive shaft is connected to a gear set that increases the gear ratio to facilitate manual grinding. The grinding section comprises an upper grinding section and a lower grinding section that are coaxially disposed and mated together. The upper and lower grinding portions include corresponding blades extending therefrom. The bottom section of the lower grinding section has one or more holes in communication with the discharge section. The driving section and the upper grinding section are magnetically attracted and connected to each other and the upper grinding section and the lower grinding section are magnetically attracted and connected to each other.

A novel herb grinder is disclosed having a top portion comprising a first plurality of teeth protruding axially from a bottom surface of the top portion and an upper chamber for receiving the protruding first plurality of teeth, the upper chamber rotatably coupled to the top portion, the upper chamber for forming a first cavity into which an herbal material for grinding may be placed. The upper chamber comprising a second plurality of teeth protruding from a lower surface of the first cavity, extending axially towards the first plurality of teeth of the top portion. A central axis common to the top portion and the upper chamber about which the first plurality of teeth are for rotating with respect to the second plurality of teeth in a reciprocating motion for shredding the herb material for grinding wherein some of the first plurality of teeth and some of the second plurality of teeth comprise five sides with cutting edges formed at the sides of the teeth wherein the first plurality of teeth and the second plurality of teeth are interdigitated when the top portion is coupled with the upper chamber.

A helical-bladed cutting reel includes a central shaft having a central axis of rotation, and a plurality of helical blades. Each of the blades extends along a respective helical path on an outer surface of the central shaft. A direction of each respective helical path has both an axial component and a circumferential component relative to the central axis of the central shaft as it extends across the outer surface of the central shaft. Each of the helical blades is welded directly to the central shaft. In preferred embodiments all of the blades are continuously autogenously welded directly to the central shaft.

A modular shredder and grinder apparatus includes a grinder assembly that has a grinder shaft assembly. The grinder assembly has a grinder opening and a shredder assembly movable with respect to the grinder opening to allow access to the grinder shaft assembly. Scrap material is first fed into the shredder assembly so that shredded scrap material is received through the grinder opening and further cut by the grinder shaft assembly.

A driver assistance system of an agricultural work machine constructed as forage harvester, wherein the agricultural work machine comprises a header for gathering crop, a chopping device having a chopping drum and chopping knives for comminuting the crop, and a monitoring device operable to generate a signal containing information about the wear status of the respective chopping knife and/or about the distance of the cutting edge of a chopping knife from a shear bar. This information is compared with a reference value, and the agricultural work machine has activation devices for activating and deactivating a knife grinding process and means for change of position of the shear bar. The monitoring device is integrated in the driver assistance system so that the driver assistance system automatically detects when a knife grinding process or a change of position of the shear bar must be activated or deactivated.