Dicing machines and methods of use

Abstract

Machines and methods capable of producing diced products from a variety of materials. Such a machine includes a knife adapted to slice food product to produce slices, a circular cutter comprising knives that are adapted and arranged to cut the slices into strips, a cross-cutter comprising knives that are adapted and arranged to produce a cross-cut in the strips, and a shear plate that is at least partially between the circular cutter and the cross-cutter. The shear plate defines a first shear edge in proximity to the knives of the cross-cutter and is adapted to ensure dicing of the strips received by the cross-cutter from the circular cutter. A support bar supports the shear plate, and a feature is provide for adjusting the proximity of the first shear edge relative to the knives of the cross-cutter.

Claims

1. A machine comprising: a knife adapted to slice food product to produce slices; a circular cutter comprising knives that are adapted and arranged to receive the slices from the knife and cut the slices into strips; a cross-cutter comprising knives that are adapted and arranged to receive the strips from the circular cutter and produce a cross-cut in the strips; a shear plate that is at least partially between the circular cutter and the cross-cutter, the shear plate defining a first shear edge in proximity to the knives of the cross-cutter and adapted to ensure dicing of the strips received by the cross-cutter from the circular cutter; a support bar supporting the shear plate; and means for adjusting the proximity of the first shear edge relative to the knives of the cross-cutter to cause the first shear edge to move toward and away from the cross-cutter and thereby reduce and increase, respectively, a distance between the first shear edge and the knives of the cross-cutter.

2. The machine according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting means tilts the shear plate relative to the support bar.

3. The machine according to claim 1, further comprising means for locking the adjusting means.

4. The machine according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting means comprises a camming feature having a camming surface disposed between the shear plate and the support bar.

5. The machine according to claim 4, wherein the camming feature tilts the shear plate relative to the support bar and thereby causes the first shear edge of the shear plate to move toward and away from the cross-cutter and to reduce and increase, respectively, a distance between the first shear edge and the knives of the cross-cutter.

6. The machine according to claim 4, wherein the camming feature comprises an axle and the camming surface tilts the shear plate relative to the support bar by rotation of the camming feature about the axle.

7. The machine according to claim 6, wherein the axle is received in a complementary recess in the support bar.

8. The machine according to claim 4, further comprising means for locking the camming feature.

9. The machine according to claim 4, wherein the camming feature is adapted to cause movement of at least 380 micrometers at the first shear edge.

10. A method of using the machine of claim 4, the method comprising rotating the camming feature about an axis thereof to cause the camming surface to tilt the shear plate relative to the support bar.

11. The machine according to claim 1, wherein the shear plate further comprises a second shear edge and slots that receive the knives of the circular cutter, the second shear edge comprising individual edges between adjacent pairs of the slots for removing the strips from between adjacent pairs of the knives of the circular cutter.

12. The machine according to claim 1, wherein the machine is a dicing machine that dices solid and semisolid materials.

13. A method of using the machine of claim 1, the method comprising rotating the adjusting means about an axis thereof to tilt the shear plate relative to the support bar and thereby adjust the proximity of the first shear edge relative to the knives of the cross-cutter.

14. A machine for dicing solid and semisolid materials, the machine comprising: a knife adapted to slice food product to produce slices; a circular cutter comprising knives that are adapted and arranged to receive the slices from the knife and cut the slices into strips; a cross-cutter comprising knives that are adapted and arranged to receive the strips from the circular cutter and produce a cross-cut in the strips; a shear plate at least partially between the circular cutter and the cross-cutter and having slots that receive the knives of the circular cutter, the shear plate defining a first shear edge in proximity to the knives of the cross-cutter and adapted to ensure dicing of the strips received by the cross-cutter from the circular cutter, the shear plate further comprising a second shear edge comprising individual edges between adjacent pairs of the slots for removing the strips from between adjacent pairs of the knives of the circular cutter; a support bar supporting the shear plate; and means for adjusting the proximity of the first shear edge relative to the knives of the cross-cutter to cause the first shear edge to move toward and away from the cross-cutter and thereby reduce and increase, respectively, a distance between the first shear edge and the knives of the cross-cutter.

15. The machine according to claim 14, wherein the adjusting means tilts the shear plate relative to the support bar.

16. The machine according to claim 14, wherein the adjusting means comprises a camming feature having a camming surface disposed between the shear plate and the support bar.

17. The machine according to claim 16, wherein the camming feature tilts the shear plate relative to the support bar and thereby causes the first shear edge of the shear plate to move toward and away from the cross-cutter to reduce and increase, respectively, a distance between the first shear edge and the knives of the cross-cutter.

18. The machine according to claim 16, wherein the camming feature comprises an axle and the camming surface tilts the shear plate relative to the support bar by rotation of the camming feature about the axle.

19. A method of using the machine of claim 16, the method comprising rotating the camming feature about an axis thereof to cause the camming surface to tilt the shear plate relative to the support bar.

20. A method of using the machine of claim 14, the method comprising rotating the adjusting means about an axis thereof to tilt the shear plate relative to the support bar and thereby adjust the proximity of the first shear edge relative to the knives of the cross-cutter.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 schematically represents an example of an Affinity dicer machine.

(2) FIG. 2 represents a fragmentary longitudinal cross-sectional view of a cross-cutter of the Affinity dicer machine of FIG. 1.

(3) FIG. 3 represents a fragmentary exploded view of a dicing unit of the Affinity dicer machine of FIG. 1.

(4) FIG. 4 represents a fragmentary perspective view of a shear plate and support bar suitable for use in a dicing unit, for example, of the Affinity dicer machine of FIG. 1.

(5) FIG. 5 is a detailed view of a camming feature of the shear plate in FIG. 4.

(6) FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the shear plate and support bar of FIG. 5, including a cross-section of the camming feature thereof.

(7) FIG. 7 is an end view of a dicing unit in which the shear plate and support bar of FIGS. 4 through 6 are installed, and evidencing an adjustment capability for the camming feature.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(8) FIG. 4 through 7 depict a shear plate 32 and support bar 34 configured as components of a dicing unit adapted to be installed on a dicing machine, as a nonlimiting example, the Affinity dicer represented in FIG. 1. The dicing unit is adapted to cut a sliced product in a direction transverse to the cut that produced the sliced product (a cross-cut) to achieve a dicing effect and produce a diced product. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the dicing unit and its benefits are not limited to such uses, nor limited to the Affinity dicer.

(9) As represented in FIGS. 4 through 7, the dicing unit comprises components, including the shear plate 32 and support bar 34, that are similar to that shown for the Affinity dicer in FIGS. 1 and 3. The terms shear plate and support bar will be used in reference to the shear plate 32 and support bar 34 represented in FIGS. 4 through 7, though it should be understood that these terms encompass other means capable of the functions of the shear plate 32 and support bar 34, for example, means capable of stripping products (strips) from a first cutting device, means capable of ensuring complete cutting of the products from a second cutting device, and support means therefor. Furthermore, in the nonlimiting embodiment represented in FIGS. 4 through 7, the shear plate 32 and support bar 34 are configured to permit their use as part of a retrofit unit for the Affinity dicer of FIGS. 1 through 3, in that the dicing unit primarily comprises components that can be additional to or substituted for components shown in FIG. 1 through 3. However, it should be appreciated that the dicing unit could also be provided as original equipment on a dicing machine. Because of the similarities between the dicing unit and its shear plate 32 and support bar 34 (hereinafter collective referred to as a shear unit 35) of FIGS. 4 through 7 and the dicing unit of FIGS. 1 and 3, the following discussion of FIGS. 4 through 7 will focus primarily on aspects of the dicing and shear units of FIGS. 4 through 7 that differ from the dicing unit of FIGS. 1 and 3 in some notable or significant manner. Other aspects of the dicing and shear units of FIGS. 4 through 7 not discussed in any detail can be, in terms of structure, function, materials, etc., essentially as was described for the dicing and shear units of FIGS. 1 and 3. Furthermore, consistent reference numbers are used in the figures to identify the same or functionally equivalent elements.

(10) The shear plate 32 is at least partially between the circular cutter 20 and cross-cutter 22, and is accurately positioned relative to the circular cutter 20 and cross-cutter 22 in order to remove products (strips) from the circular cutter 20 and its knives 31 (FIG. 7) prior to the strips being cut by the knives 30 of the cross-cutter 22 in a transverse direction to the cuts made by the knives 31, resulting in what is termed herein as dicing to produce a diced product. In particular, upper and lower shear edges 47 and 48 of the shear plate 32 are disposed between the circular cutter 20 and cross-cutter 22. As evident from FIG. 7, the slots 46 in the shear plate 32 individually accommodate the knives 31 of the circular cutter 20, so that individual edges of the upper shear edge 47 between adjacent slots 46 remove strips from between adjacent knives 31. Furthermore, as evident from FIG. 7, the lower shear edge 48 of the shear plate 32 is in close proximity to the knives 30 of the cross-cutter 22 to ensure complete dicing of the strips received from the circular cutter 20.

(11) The shear unit 35 of FIGS. 4 through 7 is intended to permit greater precision with respect to the placement and proximity of the lower shear edge 48 of the shear plate 32 relative to the knives 30 of the cross-cutter 22 to ensure complete dicing of strips received from the circular cutter 20 and its knives 31. To enable adjustment of the distance between the shear edge 48 and knives 30 of the cross-cutter 22, FIG. 4 represents a pair of camming features 52 partially disposed between the support bar 34 and a back edge 54 of the shear plate 32 opposite its shear edges 47 and 48. As evident from FIG. 6, each camming feature 52 is configured to have a disk-shaped head on an axle 60, both of which are received in complementary-shaped recesses in the support bar 34. As depicted in FIGS. 4 through 6, the head of each camming feature 52 may have a frustoconical-shaped edge that defines a camming surface 56 (FIG. 5), which as seen in FIGS. 4 through 6 bears against the back edge 54 of the shear plate 32. The axial extent of the camming surface 56 gradually varies so that rotation of the camming feature 52 about an axis defined by its axle 60 causes displacement of the back edge 54 of the shear plate 32 relative to the support bar 34. In turn, this movement of the shear plate 32 causes the shear plate 32 to tilt relative to the support bar 34. As evident from FIG. 7, increased tilting of the shear plate 32 in this manner causes the shear edge 48 of the shear plate 32 to move toward the cross-cutter 22, thus reducing the distance (clearance) between the lower shear edge 48 of the shear plate 32 and the knives 30 of the cross-cutter 22. As a nonlimiting example, movement of a distance (d1) of about 0.001 inch (about 25 micrometers) at the back edge 54 of the shear plate 32 may result in movement of a distance (d2) of about 0.002 inch (about 50 micrometers) at the shear edge 48 of the shear plate 32. In preferred embodiments, the camming feature 52 is capable of causing movement of at least 0.015 inch (about 380 micrometers) at the shear edge 48. Once a desired clearance is attained, a fastener 58 can be installed through one of several preformed through-holes 62 in the head of the camming feature 52 and, as depicted in FIG. 5, threaded or otherwise engaged with the support bar 34 to lock the rotational position of the camming feature 52 on the support bar 34. The entire shear plate 32 is supported and secured to the support bar 34, for example, with at least one bolt 36 shown in FIG. 6.

(12) The ability to finely adjust the clearance between the lower shear edge 48 of the shear plate 32 and the knives 30 of the cross-cutter 22 as described above promotes the versatility of the shear unit 35 and a dicing unit in which it is installed. As a nonlimiting example, the adjustability of the lower shear edge 48 promotes the capability of producing diced products from a variety of solid and semisolid materials of varying consistencies, texture, hardness, etc., including but not limited to food products such as meat with connective tissue.

(13) While the invention has been described in terms of a specific embodiment, it is apparent that other forms could be adopted by one skilled in the art. For example, the physical configurations of the dicing machine, dicing unit, shear unit 35, and/or their components could differ from those shown, and various materials and processes could be used in their manufacture. Therefore, the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims.