Web-like interleaving sheet material at a cutting zone

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus for providing web-like interleaving sheet material on one track or on multiple tracks at a cutting zone in which products supplied on one track or multiple tracks are cut into slices and interleaving sheets are introduced that are cut off from the provided interleaving sheet material in the cutting zone, having a removal device that is configured to remove the material web from a material store, and having a loop store in which the material web forms a loop having a loop portion at the incoming side and a loop portion at the outgoing side, wherein the loop store provides a reception space for the loop whose one side forms a support for the one loop portion and whose side opposite the support forms a boundary for the other loop portion.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a single-track or multi-track providing of web-like interleaving sheet material at a cutting zone in which products supplied on one track or on multiple tracks are cut into slices and interleaving sheets are introduced that are cut off from the provided interleaving sheet material in the cutting zone, the apparatus having a removal device that is configured for a removal of the material web from a material store and having a loop store in which the material web forms a loop, the loop having a first loop portion at an incoming side of the loop store and a second loop portion at an outgoing side of the loop store, wherein the loop store comprises a reception space for the loop whose one side forms a support for the one of the first loop portion and the second loop portion and whose side opposite the support forms a boundary for the respective other of the first loop portion and the second loop portion, wherein the reception space is formed with multiple tracks.

2. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the reception space has an opening at least for the outlet of the second loop portion at the outgoing side and an end disposed lower than the opening; and wherein a plane extending through the opening and the end extends at an inclination with respect to the horizontal.

3. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the support provides a planar support surface for the one loop portion of the first loop portion and the second loop portion; and/or wherein the boundary provides a planar contact surface for the respective other loop portion of the first loop portion and the second loop portion.

4. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the support and the boundary extend at least approximately in parallel with one another in the longitudinal direction of the reception space.

5. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the spacing between the support and the boundary at a respective position in the longitudinal direction of the reception space defines a clearance of the reception space; and wherein the ratio between the smallest clearance of the reception space and the greatest clearance of the reception space is greater than 0.8.

6. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the spacing between the support and the boundary at a respective position in the longitudinal direction of the reception space defines a clearance of the reception space; and wherein the ratio between the greatest clearance of the reception space and the length of the reception space effective for the loop formation amounts to less than 0.5 or less than 0.3 or less than 0.1.

7. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the reception space is closed at at least one side.

8. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the reception space has a suction zone for the loop that communicates with a vacuum source to act on an outer side of the loop in the sense of a loop size increase.

9. The apparatus in accordance with claim 8, wherein one or more suction apertures opening into the suction zone are provided in least one side of the reception space, via which suction apertures the vacuum source communicates with the suction zone.

10. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein a braking apparatus for the material web is integrated into the loop store.

11. The apparatus in accordance with claim 10, wherein the braking apparatus comprises a surface of the reception space at the outgoing side.

12. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the surface at the outgoing side is formed as air permeable.

13. The apparatus in accordance with claim 12, wherein the surface at the outgoing side communicates with a vacuum source.

14. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the loop store comprises a device for determining a measure for the size of the loop in the loop store.

15. The apparatus in accordance with claim 14, wherein the device comprises at least one sensor that acts at a surface of the reception space at the outgoing side or at the incoming side.

16. An apparatus for the single-track or multi-track slicing of food products, the apparatus comprising: a product feed that supplies products to be sliced on one track or on multiple tracks to a cutting zone in which a cutting blade moves in a rotating and/or revolving manner to cut the supplied products into slices; and an apparatus for providing web-like interleaving sheet material for a single-track or multi-track providing of web-like interleaving sheet material at a cutting zone in which products supplied on one track or on multiple tracks are cut into slices and interleaving sheets are introduced that are cut off from the provided interleaving sheet material in the cutting zone, the apparatus having a removal device that is configured for a removal of the material web from a material store and having a loop store in which the material web forms a loop, the loop having a first loop portion at an incoming side of the loop store and a second loop portion at an outgoing side of the loop store, wherein the loop store comprises a reception space for the loop whose one side forms a support for one of the first loop portion and the second loop portion and whose side opposite the support forms a boundary for the respective other of the first loop portion, wherein the reception space is formed with multiple tracks.

17. An apparatus for a single-track or multi-track providing of web-like interleaving sheet material at a cutting zone in which products supplied on one track or on multiple tracks are cut into slices and interleaving sheets are introduced that are cut off from the provided interleaving sheet material in the cutting zone, the apparatus having a removal device that is configured for a removal of the material web from a material store and having a loop store in which the material web forms a loop, the loop having a first loop portion at an incoming side of the loop store and a second loop portion at an outgoing side of the loop store, wherein the loop store comprises a reception space for the loop whose one side forms a support for one of the first loop portion and the second loop portion and whose side opposite the support forms a boundary for the respective other of the first loop portion and the second loop portion, wherein the reception space is formed with multiple tracks, wherein the reception space includes at least one dividing member extending in the longitudinal direction of the reception space to separate loops of material webs introduced on multiple tracks from one another, and wherein the at least one dividing member is adjustable in the transverse direction.

18. An apparatus for a single-track or multi-track providing of web-like interleaving sheet material at a cutting zone in which products supplied on one track or on multiple tracks are cut into slices and interleaving sheets are introduced that are cut off from the provided interleaving sheet material in the cutting zone, the apparatus having a removal device that is configured for a removal of the material web from a material store and having a loop store in which the material web forms a loop, the loop having a first loop portion at an incoming side of the loop store and a second loop portion at an outgoing side of the loop store, wherein the loop store comprises a reception space for the loop whose one side forms a support for one of the first loop portion and the second loop portion and whose side opposite the support forms a boundary for the respective other of the first loop portion and the second loop portion, wherein the reception space is formed with multiple tracks; and wherein at least two tracks have a suction zone for the respective loop and communicate with a common vacuum source to act on an outer side of a respective loop in the sense of a loop size increase.

19. An apparatus for a single-track or multi-track providing of web-like interleaving sheet material at a cutting zone in which products supplied on one track or on multiple tracks are cut into slices and interleaving sheets are introduced that are cut off from the provided interleaving sheet material in the cutting zone, the apparatus having a removal device that is configured for a removal of the material web from a material store and having a loop store in which the material web forms a loop, the loop having a first loop portion at an incoming side of the loop store and a second loop portion at an outgoing side of the loop store, wherein the loop store comprises a reception space for the loop whose one side forms a support for one of the first loop portion and the second loop portion and whose side opposite the support forms a boundary for the respective other of the first loop portion and the second loop portion, wherein the reception space comprises lateral guides for the loop.

20. An apparatus for a single-track or multi-track providing of web-like interleaving sheet material at a cutting zone in which products supplied on one track or on multiple tracks are cut into slices and interleaving sheets are introduced that are cut off from the provided interleaving sheet material in the cutting zone, the apparatus having a removal device that is configured for a removal of the material web from a material store and having a loop store in which the material web forms a loop, the loop having a first loop portion at an incoming side of the loop store and a second loop portion at an outgoing side of the loop store, wherein the loop store comprises a reception space for the loop whose one side forms a support for one of the first loop portion and the second loop portion and whose side opposite the support forms a boundary for the respective other of the first loop portion and the second loop portion, wherein the boundary is formed by a removable cover.

Description

(1) The invention will be described in the following by way of example with reference to the drawings. There are shown:

(2) FIG. 1 schematically, a side view of a slicer, having an interleaver in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 a schematic side view of a loop store of an interleaver in accordance with the invention;

(4) FIG. 3 a view from above of an embodiment of a loop store having a reception space for an interleaver in accordance with the invention operated on multiple tracks; and

(5) FIGS. 4 and 5 schematically in each case an exemplary embodiment of a loop store having a reception space of an interleaver in accordance with the invention.

(6) FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view, not to scale, of a high speed slicer, that is of an apparatus for slicing food products such as sausage, meat, or cheese, in conjunction with an interleaver. In this respect, both the high speed slicer and the interleaver can each be operated on one track or on multiple tracks.

(7) Products, not shown, provided on one track or on multiple tracks, are cut into slices in a cutting zone 59 of the high speed slicer by a cutting blade 47 that is operated via a drive 49. The cutting blade 47 can, for example, be a so-called scythe-like blade or spiral blade that has a cutting edge extending in scythe or spiral form and that only rotates about a blade axis, not shown. The cutting blade 47 can furthermore be configured e.g. as a so-called circular blade that has a circular cutting edge and rotates about its own blade edge and additionally revolves around in a planetary motion about an axis extending offset in parallel with the blade axis.

(8) The embodiment of an interleaves in accordance with the invention shown schematically here has a removal device 11 that serves for the removal of a material web 13 from a material store 15 and that is operated via a drive 45. The material web 13 is guided via one or more deflection rollers 57, two by way of example here, through an opening 27 into a loop store 17. This introduction of the material web 13 into the loop store 17 via a deflection roller 57 prevents possible damage to the material web 13 on the entry into the loop store 17. Alternatively to the guidance via a deflection roller 57, the material web 13 can also be introduced over a rounded edge to keep the load on the material web 13 as small as possible.

(9) The material web 13 there forms a loop 19 in the reception space 18 that is formed by the support 23 and the boundary 25 and extends in the longitudinal direction from the opening 27 up to the end 29. A loop portion 20 at the incoming side (cf. FIG. 2) extends in the embodiment shown along the boundary 25, while a loop portion 21 at the outgoing side (cf. FIG. 2) is guided lying on the support 23. Different loop sizes of the loop 19 in the reception space 18 are possible, with two possible loop sizes being shown by way of example here by a loop 19 shown by a solid line and a loop 19 shown by a dashed line.

(10) A plurality of suction apertures 35 via which the reception space 18 communicates with a vacuum source 33 are attached in the lower part of the support 23 in the embodiment shown. Provision can alternatively also be made to attach the suction apertures 35 in a rear wall forming the end 29 of the reception space 18. A suction zone 31 is produced by means of the vacuum source 33 in the lower part of the reception space 18 by which the loop formation can take place in a controlled manner and a desired size of the loop 19 can in particular be achieved.

(11) As already mentioned in the introductory part, provision can also be made to produce the suction zone 31 of every track in a multi-track operation of the interleaver with the aid of a common vacuum source 33, with it preferably being able to develop the same suction effect for each suction zone 31 (cf. also FIG. 3).

(12) In the upper part of the support 23, one or more sensors 41, two by way of example here, are located that can e.g. be configured as contact sensors or vacuum sensors. These sensors 41 permit a measure for the size of the loop 19 to be determined. Sensors 41 designed as contact sensors here react to a contact with the loop portion 21 at the outgoing side and can, for example, be capacitively, inductively, electromechanically, and/or electrostatically active. Sensors 41 designed as vacuum sensors register a vacuum that is produced when the loop portion 21 of the loop 19 at the outgoing side is disposed above the region covered by the sensor 41. Such a vacuum measurement can be carried out particularly advantageously when the support 23 is formed as air permeable, e.g. is provided with suction apertures 35, and communicates with a vacuum source or in particular with the vacuum source 33 shown here that produces the suction zone 31.

(13) The information on the size of the loop 19 acquired by the sensors 41 is sent to a control device 43 that allows the drive 45 of the removal device 11, the motor 55 of the conveying device 61, and the drive 49 of the cutting blade 47 to be coordinated. The conveying device 61 into which the web is here guided via a further deflection roller 57, but can also be guided via a plurality of deflection rollers 57, consists in the embodiment shown of a feed roll 51 and of a contact roller 53 and serves for the highly dynamic feed of the material web 13 into the cutting zone 59.

(14) The size of the loop 19 in the loop store 17 acting as the non-sluggish material store can be adapted by means of the control device 43 to the respective requirement for interleaving sheet material in the cutting zone 59. Provision can, for example, be made here to actuate the drive 45 of the removal device 11 as soon as the size of the loop 19 falls below a defined minimal value and to stop it when a defined maximum size of the loop 19 is registered. Provision can furthermore be made to form the loop 19 with a predefined desired size in the loop store 17 before the start of the feed of the material web 19 into the cutting zone 59, with this desired size being able to be calculated e.g. from the cutting speed and the sheet length and preferably being calculated automatically by the control device 43.

(15) A possible embodiment of a loop store 17 of an interleaves in accordance with the invention is shown schematically in FIG. 2, with the loop store 17 being designed in box shape in this example. This box-shaped loop store 17 provides a reception space 18 that is formed by the support 23 forming a base here and by the boundary 25 formed as a cover and is connected to its end 29 by a rear wall. The boundary 25 is provided at its free end with a rounded deflection edge 26 for the material web 13. The reception space 18 is also laterally closed by side walls not shown here (cf. FIG. 3). As FIG. 2 shows, the support 23 and the boundary 25 do not have to be of equal length, with this nevertheless being possible (cf. FIG. 1). The boundary 25 can be set back with respect to the end of the support 23 at the outgoing side. The inner sides of the reception space 18 provided by the support 23 and the boundary 25 are planar surfaces in this embodiment.

(16) The material web 13 is guided in the reception space 18 and forms a loop 19, with the loop portion 20 at the incoming side extending freely here and the loop portion 21 at the outgoing side extending lying on the support 23.

(17) The boundary 25 is transparent in an advantageous manner in this embodiment and is e.g. manufactured from antistatic plexiglass. This permits a simple optical monitoring of the loop formation during the operation of the interleaves.

(18) One or more suction apertures 35, four by way of example here, through which the support 23 communicates with a vacuum source 33 are located in the lower part of the support 23. This vacuum source 33 produces a suction zone 31 in the reception space 18 and permits the formation of the loop 19 to be monitored and controlled. It is advantageous for the formation of the suction zone 31 if the reception region 18 is closed by the support 23, the end 29, and the boundary 25, as well as by the side walls not shown here, with no absolute gas tightness of the reception space 18 being required.

(19) A plurality of sensors 41 are integrated in the support 23 that are here designed as vacuum sensors and communicate with a vacuum source 33, but can generally also act in a different manner. These sensors 41 register a vacuum that is produced when the loop portion 21 of the loop 19 at the outgoing side is disposed on the region of the support 23 covered by the sensor 41.

(20) A measure for the size of the loop 19 in the reception space 18 is determined by means of the sensors 41 and is sent to the control device 43 that coordinates the removal of the material web 13 and its feed and the cutting off of the products. The removal apparatus, not shown, of the material web 13 can thereby e.g. be caused to convey the material web 13 faster into the loop store 17 when the loop 19 falls below a defined minimal size or to stop the removal of the material web 13 when the loop 19 has reached a defined maximum size. In addition, the size of the loop 19 can e.g. be brought to a specific desired size that can e.g. result from the cutting speed and the sheet length and is preferably calculated automatically by the control device 43 before the start of the feed of the material web 13 into the cutting zone, not shown.

(21) Further suction apertures 35 via which the surface 39 at the outgoing side communicates with a vacuum source 33 are formed in a surface 39 of the support 23 at the outgoing side in the upper part of the support 23, that is the part at the opening side. The loop portion 21 at the outgoing side can be sucked toward the surface 39 at the outgoing side by means of these suction apertures 35 and the vacuum source 33 so that a braking effect on the material web 13 is produced. The vacuum source 33 having the surface 39 at the outgoing side and the suction apertures 35 thus form a braking device 37 that ensures that the material web 13 is always tensioned on the feed into the cutting zone and forces arising during the feed are transferred in a controlled manner to the material web 13.

(22) It can be particularly advantageous to arrange the vacuum sources 33 for forming the suction zone 31, for operating the vacuum sensors 41, and for providing the braking apparatus 37 not as shown here as separate vacuum sources 33, but rather to produce these effects by a single common vacuum source 33. This makes possible a simple and space saving installation and can furthermore reduce the production costs by minimizing the components required.

(23) FIG. 3 shows a view from above of a multi-track loop store 17 through the boundary 25 advantageously designed as transparent here. In this respect, the loop store 17 is divided by the web-like dividing members 30 into four separate reception spaces 18, with the material webs 13 of an interleaver operated with multiple tracks and individual tracks respectively forming a loop 19 in a respective one of the four reception spaces 18. In this respect, the material webs 13 enter into the reception spaces 18 through the opening 27, with the maximum loop length being defined by the end 29 of the loop store.

(24) The dividing members 30 are each displaceable in the transverse direction, i.e. in the direction of the double arrows, so that the loop store 17 can be adapted to differently wide material webs 13 and/or to specific track locations or track arrangements and can be quickly converted to a new application. Different tracks could thus also be fitted with material webs 13 of different widths. The width of the provided interleaver material can thus be adapted to the demands of the product processed in the respective track, in particular to its slice size, and products of different sizes and shapes can be simultaneously supplied with suitable interleaver material.

(25) It is also possible by the dividing members 30 to convert the loop store 17 in a simple manner to the respectively required number of tracks in that e.g. an outer dividing member 30 is simply shifted outwardly toward the respective side wall 32 and is thus so-to-say moved into a “parked position”. The remaining dividing members 30 can then be positioned in accordance with the respective application.

(26) Suction apertures 35 via which the reception spaces communicate with a vacuum source, not shown, that produces a respective suction zone 31 in the reception spaces 18 are located in the lower region of the reception spaces 18. The formation of the loops 19 in the reception spaces 18 can be monitored and controlled by means of this vacuum source, with it being able to be sufficient to form the respective suction zones 31 by means of a single vacuum source that produces the same nominal suction effect in each suction zone 31.

(27) The loop store 17 shown in FIG. 2 can be formed with multiple tracks in the manner described in connection with FIG. 3 here.

(28) FIGS. 4 and 5 show further possible embodiments of a loop store 17 of an interleaver in accordance with the invention. They can be used in dependence on the demand, in particular with respect to the available space. In this respect, the embodiments shown here should only illustrate possible aspects and orientations of the loop store, with other designs also being able to be conceivable and not thereby being precluded.

(29) The loop store 17 is oriented in FIG. 4 such that the loop portion 20 at the incoming side of the incoming material web 13, that forms a loop 19 in the loop store 17, lies on the support 23 and the loop portion 21 at the outgoing side only contacts the boundary 25. In this respect, the guidance of the material web 13 shown by a solid line and the guidance of the material web 13 shown by a dashed line show possible extents into and out of the loop store 17 that can be variable, in particular in view of the available space and the respective arrangement of the interleaver and slicer relative to one another and of the path of the material web 13 thereby resulting.

(30) FIG. 5 shows an embodiment in which the material web 13 is guided into the reception space 18 through a slit 63 in the boundary 25 to form a loop 19. The loop portion 21 at the outgoing side that here extends lying over the support 23 exits the reception space 18 here through the opening 27 that is arranged at a height different from that of the slit 63.

(31) These different heights of the inlet of the material web 13 into the loop store 17 and of its outlet can in turn be preferred in view of the respective space available. In this respect, different relations between the heights of the inlet and of the outlet of the material web 13 can be provided; the inlet of the material web 13 into the loop store 17 can in particular also be higher than the opening 27 through which the material web 13 exits. Different orientations of the loop store 17 and different guides of the material web 13, as shown by way of example in FIG. 4, can furthermore be provided.

REFERENCE NUMERAL LIST

(32) 11 removal device 13 material web 15 material store 17 loop store 18 reception space 19 loop 20 loop portion at the incoming side 21 loop portion at the outgoing side 23 support 25 boundary 26 deflection edge 27 opening 29 end 30 dividing member 31 suction zone 32 side wall 33 vacuum source 35 suction aperture 37 braking apparatus 39 surface at the outgoing side 40 device for determining a measure for the loop size 41 sensor 43 control device 45 drive of the removal device 47 cutting blade 49 drive of the cutting blade 51 feed roller 53 contact roller 55 motor 57 deflection roller 59 cutting zone 61 conveying device 63 slit