CUTTING BLADE AND METHOD FOR ITS MANUFACTURE

Abstract

The invention relates to a cutting blade, in particular to a scythe-like blade or to a spiral blade, for an apparatus for slicing food products, in particular for a high-speed slicer, the cutting blade rotating about an axis of rotation during a cutting operation, having a radially outer peripheral edge which acts as a blade edge and which has a curved extent about the axis of rotation; and having a plurality of cutting teeth which are arranged distributed following one another along the peripheral edge, wherein each cutting tooth has a blade edge which comprises a cutting surface and a cutting edge radially outwardly bounding the cutting surface; wherein each cutting surface extends inclined with respect to a spanned plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation and/or with respect to a cutting plane; and wherein the inclination of the cutting surfaces varies along the peripheral edge.

Claims

1. A cutting blade for an apparatus for slicing food products, the cutting blade rotating about an axis of rotation during a cutting operation, having a radially outer peripheral edge which acts as a blade edge and which has a curved extent about the axis of rotation; and having a plurality of cutting teeth which are arranged distributed following one another along the peripheral edge, wherein each cutting tooth has a blade edge which comprises a cutting surface and a cutting edge radially outwardly bounding the cutting surface; and wherein each cutting surface extends inclined with respect to a spanned plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation or with respect to a cutting plane and the inclination of the cutting surfaces varies along the peripheral edge.

2. A cutting blade for an apparatus for slicing food products, the cutting blade rotating about an axis of rotation during a cutting operation, having a radially outer peripheral edge which acts as a blade edge and which has a curved extent about the axis of rotation; and having a plurality of cutting teeth which are arranged distributed following one another along the peripheral edge, wherein each cutting tooth has a blade edge which comprises a cutting surface and a cutting edge radially outwardly bounding the cutting surface; wherein the cutting edges lie in a common cutting plane; and wherein the cutting surfaces each extend inclined with respect to the cutting plane and intersect the cutting plane at a tilt angle, with the cutting edges forming the respective intersection line between the cutting surface and the cutting plane.

3. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 2, wherein the cutting edges are each oriented such that the cutting surfaces are each angled facing in the intended direction of rotation.

4. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 2, wherein the tilt angle of the cutting surfaces along the peripheral edge is constant; and/or wherein the tilt angle is in a range from approximately 15 to 30.

5. A cutting blade for an apparatus for slicing food products, the cutting blade rotating about an axis of rotation during a cutting operation, having a radially outer peripheral edge which acts as a blade edge and which has a curved extent about the axis of rotation; and having a plurality of cutting teeth which are arranged distributed following one another along the peripheral edge, wherein each cutting tooth has a blade edge which comprises a cutting surface and a cutting edge radially outwardly bounding the cutting surface; wherein at least some cutting edges or each cutting edge includes/include a lead angle with a movement tangent in a cutting plane, with the movement tangent and the radius intersecting at a rear end point of the respective cutting edge; and/or wherein at least some cutting edges are respectively oriented such that a front end of the cutting edge viewed in the intended direction of rotation lies on a smaller radius than the rear end of the respective cutting edge; and/or wherein at least some cutting edges or each cutting edge includes/include a lead angle with a connection path, with the connection path connecting the two rear ends or the two front ends of a respective cutting edge and of the directly preceding or following cutting edge to one another.

6. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 2, wherein the cutting surfaces are each angled facing in the intended direction of rotation.

7. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 2, wherein the cutting surfaces are each at least substantially planar or extend in a curved manner without edges.

8. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 2, wherein at least some cutting edges or each cutting edge includes/include a lead angle with a movement tangent in the cutting plane, with the movement tangent and the radius intersecting at a rear end point of the respective cutting edge; and/or wherein at least some cutting edges or each cutting edge includes/include a lead angle with a connection path, with the connection path connecting the two rear ends or the two front ends of the respective cutting edge and of the directly preceding or following cutting edge to one another.

9. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 2, wherein the angle of the first cut of the cutting edges is constant along the peripheral edge and differs from zero.

10. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 2, wherein all the cutting edges lie in a common plane; and/or in that all the cutting edges and all the transition edges connecting a respective two cutting edges directly following one another jointly form an uninterrupted blade edge.

11. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 2, wherein the cutting edges and/or transition edges connecting a respective two cutting edges directly following one another are each in a straight line.

12. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 2, wherein at least some cutting edges are respectively oriented such that a front end of the cutting edge viewed in the intended direction of rotation lies on a smaller radius than the rear end of the respective cutting edge.

13. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 2, wherein the respective cutting edges of two cutting teeth directly following one another are connected to one another by a transition edge, with the transition edge being configured as a cutting edge.

14. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 2, wherein the respective cutting surfaces of two cutting teeth directly following one another are connected to one another by a transition surface.

15. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 14, wherein the transition surface is formed as a recess projecting backwards with respect to the cutting surfaces, the recess being formed as a notch, a channel, a furrow or a groove extending in the radial direction; and/or wherein the recess forms an undercut.

16. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 14, wherein the cutting surfaces transition into the transition surface over their total radial extent.

17. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 14, wherein a respective transition edge is present between the cutting surfaces and the transition surface.

18. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 14, wherein the transition surface is radially outwardly bounded by a transition edge connecting the two cutting edges of the cutting teeth.

19. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 14, wherein the transition surface in cross-section has an extent between the two cutting surfaces.

20. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 14, wherein the transition surface extends over a peripheral angular range which amounts to approximately 0.1 to 0.5 times the peripheral angular range of one of the cutting surfaces.

21. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 2, wherein the cutting edges have a constant peripheral length and/or a constant edge length.

22. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 2, wherein each cutting tooth has a peripheral length and/or a tooth length of approximately 3 mm to 7 mm.

23. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 2, wherein the pitch of the cutting teeth is constant; or wherein the pitch of the cutting teeth varies in the peripheral direction.

24. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 2, wherein the peripheral edge has at least one peripheral region of type I comprising a plurality of cutting teeth whose cutting surfaces have the same tilt angle.

25. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 2, wherein the peripheral edge has at least one peripheral region of type II comprising a plurality of cutting teeth whose cutting surfaces have a varying tilt angle.

26. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 25, wherein the tilt angle varies from a respective cutting tooth to a directly adjacent cutting tooth; or in that the tilt angle varies from a respective group of n>1 cutting teeth following one another and having the same tilt angle with respect to one another, to a directly adjacent group of m>1 cutting teeth following one another and having the same tilt angle with respect to one another.

27. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 25, wherein the peripheral edge between two peripheral regions of type I comprises a peripheral region of type II in which the value of the tilt angle varies from the tilt angle value of the one peripheral region of type I to the tilt angle value of the other peripheral region of type I.

28. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 2, wherein the cutting blade is a circular blade; wherein the tilt angle of the cutting surfaces is either constant over the total peripheral edge or varies along the peripheral edge; and wherein a plurality of peripheral regions are provided of which at least two peripheral regions differ with respect to the value of the tilt angle which is constant within the respective peripheral region, or with respect to the change behavior of the tilt angle within the respective peripheral region, or differ in that the tilt angle is constant in the one peripheral region and the tilt angle varies in the other peripheral region.

29. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 25, wherein the cutting blade is a scythe-like blade or a spiral blade; wherein the radius of curvature of the peripheral edge decreases from a maximum radius to a minimum radius viewed in the intended direction of rotation; and wherein the value of the tilt angle of the peripheral region of type II decreases from a larger tilt angle value to a smaller tilt angle value viewed in the direction of rotation.

30. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 29, wherein the larger tilt angle value of the one peripheral region of type I is in a range from 20 to 30 and the smaller tilt angle value of the other peripheral region of type I is in a range from 15 to 22, wherein each angular step is in a range from 0.2 to 1.

31. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 29, wherein the smaller tilt angle value amounts to approximately 18; and wherein either the larger tilt angle value amounts to approximately 26 and each angular step amounts to approximately 0.5 or the larger tilt angle value amounts to approximately 22 and each angular step amounts to approximately 0.25.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0095] The invention will be described in the following by way of example with reference to the drawing. There are shown:

[0096] FIG. 1 a plan view along the axis of rotation of a possible embodiment of a cutting blade in accordance with the invention;

[0097] FIG. 2 an enlarged view of a part of the toothed arrangement of the cutting blade of FIG. 1;

[0098] FIG. 3 different views of a cutting blade in accordance with the invention with enlarged detailed views for explaining the embodiment of the toothed arrangement of the blade;

[0099] FIG. 4 an enlarged detail of a toothed arrangement in accordance with the invention for explaining the geometry of the toothed arrangement; and

[0100] FIGS. 5a and 5b representations for explaining the clearance angle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0101] The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 of a cutting blade in accordance with the invention for a high-speed slicer for slicing food products, such as is generally known to the skilled person, is a scythe-like blade which rotates about an axis of rotation 11 in an intended direction of rotation Rot during a cutting operation.

[0102] The radially outer peripheral edge 13 of the cutting blade 10 which acts as a blade edge extends approximately over a peripheral angular range of almost 270, and indeed from a minimum radius Rmin up to a maximum radius Rmax.

[0103] In a slicing operation, a dipping region 33 of the rotating blade 10 dips into the respective product to be sliced, said dipping region, for example, extending over a peripheral angular range of 74 and having a peripheral length of approximately 317 mm. The dipping region 33 is adjoined by a transition region 32 which, for example, extends over a peripheral angular range of 41 and has a peripheral length of approximately 205 mm. This transition region 32 of the peripheral edge 13 is adjoined by a placement region 31 of the blade knife edge which extends over a peripheral angular range of approximately 150 and has a peripheral length of approximately 917 mm.

[0104] The blade knife edge having these three regions 31, 32 and 33 is provided with a toothed arrangement in accordance with the invention which will be looked at in more detail in the following. Each cutting tooth of the toothed arrangement inter alia has a cutting surface 17 (cf. FIG. 2) which faces toward the front side of the blade 10 and which has a specific inclination. The three regions 31, 32, 33 differ from one another with respect to the inclination of the cutting surfaces 17. This will be explained in more detail in the following.

[0105] FIG. 1 is a plan view of the front side of the blade 10 which, during the cutting operation, is remote from the respective product to be sliced or from the respective products to be sliced simultaneously. The axis of rotation 11 extends centrally through a circular reception opening 12 of the blade 10 by means of which the blade 10 can be attached to a blade holder of the slicing apparatus not shown here. The blade holder e.g. comprises a rotor hub of a high-speed slicer such as is generally known to the skilled person.

[0106] An end face 38 which is planar in this embodiment and extends perpendicular to the axis of rotation 11 adjoins the reception opening 12.

[0107] As the representations at the far left and at the far right in FIG. 3 also show, a slanted surface 37, from which the individual cutting surfaces 17 of the cutting teeth 15 (FIG. 2) extend radially outwardly, radially outwardly adjoins the end face 38. The tilt angle of the slanted surface 37, that is the angle between the slanted surface 37 and a spanned plane AE (cf. FIG. 3), is smaller than the smallest tilt angle provided at the cutting surfaces 17. In other words, the slanted surface 37 extends flatter than each cutting surface 17 such that an imaginary radial extension of the slanted surface 37 would intersect the spanned plane AE radially outside the peripheral edge 13 (FIG. 1).

[0108] FIG. 2 is a detail of FIG. 1, shown in enlarged form, in the dipping region 33 which shows the first nine cutting teeth 15 of the toothed arrangement at the top, starting from a minimum radius Rmin of the blade 10. As FIG. 2 shows, the cutting surfaces 17 are radially outwardly bounded by a respective cutting edge 19. Transitions 27 between the cutting teeth 15 formed as recesses are likewise radially outwardly bounded by a cutting edge 21 (FIG. 3) which connects a respective two cutting edges 19 of the cutting surfaces 17. It can furthermore be recognized in FIG. 2 that the transition from the slanted surface 37 into the cutting surfaces 17 of the cutting teeth 15 is formed by a respective straight inner edge 36 from whose end points a respective edge extends to the corresponding end point of the respective cutting edge 19. These edges 25 (FIG. 4) therefore each extend between the slanted surface 37 and the spanned plane AE. The inner edges 36 can respectively be configured as having sharp edges or as rounded.

[0109] As FIG. 1 shows, a transition edge 39 is also formed between the planar end face 38 and the slanted surface 37. The edge 39 can be configured as sharp or as rounded.

[0110] The geometry in accordance with the invention of the cutting teeth 15, in particular of the cutting surfaces 17 and of the transitions 27, will be explained in more detail in the following in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0111] In FIG. 3, the top middle representation with the section B-B shows an enlarged detail of the toothed arrangement of the blade 10 of FIG. 1 in the placement region 31. The representation beneath it shows an enlargement of the toothed arrangement in the transition region 32, whereas the representation disposed thereunder with the section C-C shows an enlargement of the toothed arrangement in the dipping region 33. The intended direction of rotation Rot of the blade 10 is indicated by a respective arrow. The cutting surfaces 17 are therefore not only tilted, i.e. connect the respective inner edge 36 disposed in the slanted surface 37 above the spanned plane AE to the spanned plane AE, but are also angled facing in the direction of rotation Rot.

[0112] In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the cutting surfaces 17 of the cutting teeth 15 are both tilted and angled in all three peripheral regions 31, 32 and 33 of the toothed arrangement of the blade.

[0113] With regard to the tilt angle KW, it can thus be seen from FIG. 3 that the tilt angle KW is comparatively large in the placement region 31 (top middle representation in FIG. 3). The tilt angle KW preferably amounts to 26 here. The tilt angle KW is smaller in the dipping region 33 (second-last middle representation in FIG. 3) than in the dipping region 31. The tilt angle KW preferably amounts to 18 here.

[0114] The cutting surfaces 17 consequently extend flatter or less steeply in the dipping region 33 than in the placement region 31. As already initially explained, compressions of the product can hereby in particular be avoided on the dipping of the blade 10, whereas an improved placement of the respective cut-off product slice can be achieved at the end of the cutting process due to the steeper cutting surfaces 17 in the placement region 31.

[0115] In the transition region 32, of which an exemplary detail is shown in the second middle representation of FIG. 3, the cutting surfaces 17 are tilted such that a respective three cutting surfaces 17 following one another have the same tilt angle KW. The tilt angle KW in this respect decreases by 0.5, starting from the value 26, in the transition region 32 from a respective group of three to a directly following group of three, wherein the last group of three before the dipping region 33 has a tilt angle KW of 18.5 and the cutting teeth 15 of the dipping region 33 then each adjoin it at a tilt angle KW of the cutting surface 17 of 18.

[0116] In an alternative embodiment, the tilt angle value in the dipping region 33 can in turn amount to 18, whereas the tilt angle value in the placement region 31 amounts to 22 and each angular step between directly consecutive groups of three of cutting teeth 15 in the transition region 32 has a value of 0.25.

[0117] The pitch a of the toothed arrangement is constant over the total peripheral region and amounts to 5 mm in this embodiment. Alternatively, the pitch of the toothed arrangement can vary as has already been shown in the introductory part.

[0118] Due to the angling of the cutting surfaces 17, cutting surfaces 17 directly following one another do not lie in a common plane and cutting surfaces 17 directly following one another do not transition directly into one another.

[0119] In the embodiment shown here, a transition 27 is present between a respective two cutting surfaces 17 directly following one another and is formed as a recess having a U-shaped cross-section and extending in the radial direction.

[0120] Each transition 27 (cf. also FIG. 4) comprises a transition surface 23 which transitions radially inwardly over a transition edge 35 into the slanted surface 37 and which is radially outwardly bounded by a transition edge 21 which lies in the cutting plane SE.

[0121] A special feature of this embodiment now comprises that these transition edges 21 connect the cutting edges 19 of the adjacent cutting surfaces 17 and are themselves configured as cutting edges. All the cutting edges 19 and all the transition edges 21 connecting a respective two cutting edges 19 directly following one another hereby jointly form a continuous, uninterrupted total cutting edge.

[0122] A further special feature in this embodiment comprises that this uninterrupted cutting edge jointly formed by the cutting edges 19 and the transition edges 21 lies in the cutting plane SE in a continuous manner. This is illustrated by the last two middle representations in FIG. 3, wherein the last bottommost middle representation schematically shows a section D-D perpendicular to the cutting plane SE through the chain-dotted line of the representation disposed above it.

[0123] The chain-dotted line extends through the bottommost point of the transition surface 23. The points 1 and 2 are the points of intersection of the chain-dotted line with the cutting plane SE (point 1) or with the slanted surface 37 (point 2). The points 3 and 4 are the points of intersection of a first transition edge 25 with the cutting plane SE (point 4) or with the slanted surface 37 (point 3), whereas the points 5 and 6 are the points of intersection of a second transition edge 25 with the cutting plane SE (point 5) or with the slanted surface 37 (point 6). The two transition edges 25, the cutting edge 19 and the inner edge 36 span the respective cutting surface 17 which is planar in this example, that is does not have a curved extent of any kind.

[0124] As can be seen from the sectional representation, the points 1, 4 and 5 as well as the cutting edge 19 connecting the points 5 and 4 and the transition edge 21 connecting the points 4 and 1 lie in the cutting plane SE, whereas the points 2, 3 and 6 as well as the inner edge 36 connecting the points 6 and 3 and the transition edge 35 connecting the points 3 and 2 lie in the slanted surface 37.

[0125] In this respect, the points 6 and 3measured in the radial directionare differently far away from the axis of rotation 11, wherein the point 6 is disposed radially further outward than the point 3 andsince the slanted surface 37 extends inclined with respect to the cutting plane SEis therefore located closer to the cutting plane SE than the point 3, i.e. the point 6 is disposed lower than the point 3. The point 2 is in turn disposed radially further inward than the point 3 and is consequently higher than the point 3 and higher than the point 6.

[0126] Accordingly, the point 1 is disposed radially further inward than the point 4 which is in turn disposed radially further inward than the point 5. All three points 1, 4 and 5 are, however, located at the same level since they lie in the common cutting plane SE.

[0127] Furthermore, the specific lengths and relative positions of the edges 19, 25, 36 of the respective cutting surface 17 that connect the points 3, 4, 5 and 6 are selected in this embodiment such that the cutting surface 17 is not only tilted, but is also angled, and indeed such that the cutting surface 17 faces in the direction of rotation Rot.

[0128] It can also be seen from FIG. 4 that the cutting surfaces 17 are each angled in the embodiment shown such that the cutting surfaces 17 face in the intended direction of rotation Rot.

[0129] Due to the angling of the cutting surfaces 17, a vertical offset or a jump between a respective two cutting surfaces 17 directly following one another in the region of the respective transition 27 results radially inside the cutting edges 19, 21 in the peripheral direction.

[0130] In the embodiment shown here, the four corner points 19a, 19b, 36a and 36b lie in a common plane, namely in the plane of the planar cutting surface 17. A planar cutting surface 17 is, however, not compulsory. The cutting surface 17 can also be concave or curved in the same relative arrangement of the named corner points. Provision can also be made that not all of the named corner points lie in a common plane. The cutting surface 17 is then correspondingly curved.

[0131] FIG. 4 shows, purely by way of example, the possibilities of unambiguously defining the orientation of the cutting surface 17 in a reference system having a fixed blade.

[0132] In FIG. 4 the end 19b of the cutting edge 19 which is at the rear viewed in the intended direction of rotation Rot forms the reference point. The movement tangent T at the rear end 19b is perpendicular to the radius R through the rear end 19b and is identical to the movement vector of the rear end 19b. The cutting edge 19 is inclined by an angle with respect to this movement vector T, and indeed such that the cutting edge 19 faces in the direction of rotation Rot.

[0133] A further alternative possibility for defining the slanted position of the cutting edges 19 and thus of the lead angle AsW is likewise shown in FIG. 4.

[0134] As mentioned in the introductory part, the lead angle AsW can be defined as the angle between a cutting edge 19 and e.g. that connection path V (chain-dotted in FIG. 4) which connects the rear end 19b of the respective cutting edge 19 and the rear end 19b of the cutting edge 19 which is directly adjacent in the intended direction of rotation Rot to one another.

[0135] As likewise mentioned in the introduction, all of these connection paths V together form a polygonal chain which approximates an imaginary constant curve which is not a circle and on which all the rear ends 19b of the cutting edges 19 are disposed and which at least approximately corresponds to the cutting edge of a conventional non-toothed scythe-like blade. The front end 19a of each cutting edge does not lie on the respective connection path V in this embodiment, but rather on a smaller radius, i.e. closer to the axis of rotation of the blade than each point on the connection path V. The cutting edge can, however, also lie on the connection line V.

[0136] It is generally also possible for the cutting surfaces 17 to each comprise a plurality of individual surfaces which are respectively planar and/or curved, for example convexly or concavely curved. The cutting surfaces 17 can in particular have edged or rounded transitions between the individual surfaces. When they are curved, the cutting surfaces 17 are, however, preferably a respective portion of a surface which is regular or differentiable in a mathematical sense and consequently do not have any edges.

[0137] FIG. 5a shows the definition of the so-called clearance angle FW in a respective section perpendicular to the cutting plane SE defined by the cutting edge SK and in parallel with the axis of rotation, not shown, for the example of conventional blades. In the left representation, FW=0, i.e., at the rear side RS of the blade, a surface FL adjacent to the cutting edge SK lies in the cutting plane SE. In contrast, the right representation shows a blade having a clearance angle FW which differs from zero.

[0138] It can be seen from FIG. 5b that the cutting edges 19 and the transition edges 21 (and thus the points 1, 4 and 5 in accordance with FIG. 3) no longer lie in a common plane with a blade in accordance with the invention and a clearance angle FW differing from zero. The right representation shows the two sections a-a and b-b in accordance with the left representation.

[0139] The invention comprises both blades with FW=0 and with FW0, wherein FW=0 is the preferred embodiment.