Patent ID: 6148702
Filing Date: 2000-11-21
Classification: B26D,Y10T

Abstract:
A method of cutting food products into uniform thickness slices using a rotary cutting wheel fitted with radially extending, circumferentially spaced, tensioned and forwardly pitched bevel sharpened cutter blades rotating in a cutting plane and extending between a central hub and an annular rim, the blades producing a first velocity of advancement of unsliced food product across the cutting plane for each revolution of the cutting wheel and a given slice thickness during slicing of food product advanced through the cutting plane, comprising the steps of:a) fitting an appropriate number of blades to the rotary cutting wheel to produce the given slice thickness of food products at the operational rotational velocity of the cutting wheel and rotating the cutting wheel at an operational rotational velocity to produce said first velocity of advancement of unsliced food products through the cutting plane;b) feeding the food products to the cutting plane of the blades of the cutting wheel at a second velocity;c) selecting a configuration and tension for the blades for effecting maximum stiffness and resistance of the blades to both longitudinal and transverse flexure during cutting of food products; andd) advancing the unsliced food products to the cutter blades with said second velocity corresponding closely to about 101.5% of the first velocity.