Patent ID: 6070509
Filing Date: 2000-06-06
Classification: B26D,Y10S,Y10T

Abstract:
A method of ultrasonic cutting of food product by moving an ultrasonic knife assembly to the food product for movement therewith during cutting, the method comprising the steps of:(a) providing a series of independent food product spaced apart from one another and moving the series of food products on a conveyor from an infeed end to an outfeed end;(b) providing an ultrasonic knife assembly having a blade adapted for cutting the food product;(c) sensing a proximity of one of said food products within a cutting range of the knife assembly;(d) moving the knife assembly to the one of said food products in a cutting position therewith when the conveyor has moved the one of said food products within the cutting range and maintaining a rate of speed for the knife assembly synchronous to a rate of speed of the moving conveyor for maintaining the cutting position to allow the ultrasonic knife assembly to effectuate a series of preselected cuts;(e) cutting the one of said food products with the blade of the knife assembly by vibrating the blade at an ultrasonic frequency while moving the blade into the food product; and(f) providing rotary movement of the knife assembly, and effectuating the series of preselected cuts by cutting the food product with a series of cuts intersecting one another, each cut being formed by an elongated edge of the blade being moved downward along a z-axis and retracted from the food product with the rotary movement rotating the knife assembly and the blade from its initial position to its next required position between cuts while continuously moving the knife assembly and blade at the rate of speed of the moving conveyor.