A cutting device for chopping food products with a cutting disc with friction and/or cutting elements. The cutting device includes a shaft for the cutting disc. The cutting disc is attached to the shaft or can be detachably attached to the shaft, with a filling neck, via which food products can be fed to the cutting disc.

A cutting disc configured to chop food products by rotating about an axis. There are cutting elements which are located on a first side of the cutting disc and which can chop food products by rotating the cutting disc in a first direction of rotation and which are arranged one behind the other when viewed in the first direction of rotation. The cutting elements arranged one behind the other are different.

A system for processing food products comprises a slicing apparatus that is configured to cut off slices from food products and to form part portions having one or more slices in a portioning section. A transport device adjoining the portioning section is provided and the portioning section comprises a conveying device that transfers the part portions to the transport device. The system comprises a stacking apparatus that is configured to form a food portion comprising a plurality of part portions. The transport device is configured to transport the part portions onto a product support of the stacking apparatus, wherein the transport device and/or the stacking apparatus has/have a scale for measuring the weight of the part portions and/or of the food portion.

A food processing system includes a container for receiving a food item processed by said food processing system. A configuration of said processing performed by said food processing system is determined by a position of the food item as it enters said container.

A blade removal device removes a blade of a slicer. The removal device has: a base positioned with a contact side on one side of the blade; fasteners supported in the base, rotatable from an attachment position for attaching the blade removal device to the blade into a holding position for holding the blade; and a rotary handle supported on the base and rotatable relative to the base from a closed position into an open position to release an interlock between the blade and the drive. The interlock opens when the rotary handle is in the open position and is closed when the rotary handle is in the closed position. The fasteners in the attachment position engage in cutouts of the rotary handle in the closed position. The cutouts and the fasteners are out of engagement when the rotary handle is in the open position.

Machines for cutting products and impellers suitable for use with the machines. The impellers include a lower plate having a central zone and paddles configured with the lower plate outside of the central zone to direct material to the cutting head. At least a first exit slot is located in the lower plate, intersecting the perimeter of the lower plate, and extending through the lower plate to define a passageway to enable foreign debris at the upper surface to exit the impeller through the passageway.

In order to reliably avoid collisions between components of a slicing machine, in particular between a blade and another component, a control run is carried out before the start of a slicing operation, during which the respective component that has a risk of collision or the respective counter-component is brought into a position closest to the other component and tested to see whether a collision occurs.

The technology as disclosed herein includes a method and apparatus for deboning a meat item, and more particular for deboning a poultry item including performing an initial shoulder cut for removing boneless breast meat from the poultry carcass or frame. The method and apparatus disclosed and claimed herein is a combination of a robotic arm including an ultrasonic knife implement and a vision system for varying the cut path based on the shape and size of the poultry item. The combination as claimed including the ultrasonic knife can perform a meat cut while penetrating the meat with less force than the typical penetration that occurs when using a traditional knife. The technology includes breast removal station, which includes a controller system, which controls a robotic arm, which positions the grasping talon implements, which grasp the poultry item along the wing bone and pulls the breast portion away from the carcass along cut lines created by the ultrasonic knife that cut the poultry item along the cut path performed by the automated robotic arm having an ultrasonic knife implement. Prior pulling the breast portion away from the carcass, a stabilizing system captures the carcass behind by engaging the carcass behind the shoulder joint on either side of the cervical vertebrae.

In order to keep the overall length of an insertion feed unit small despite high variability, a vertical paternoster buffer is used as a buffer therein.

The present invention relates to the field of automated food preparation. Specifically, the present is a invention system and method for depositing slices of an ingredient onto a bread or other media. Additionally, the present invention can be used to selectively slice a plurality of ingredients onto a sandwich based on customer inputs and the apparatus can be used for slicing meats, cheeses, vegetables and other deli products.