Abstract:
Cutting wheels equipped with knife assemblies suitable for performing size reduction operations on products, methods of operating cutting wheels, knife holders for such knife assemblies, methods of manufacturing knife holders, and slicing machines capable of utilizing such cutting wheels. The knife assemblies each have a leading edge that faces a direction of rotation of the cutting wheel, a trailing edge oppositely disposed from the leading edge, and a cutting edge on the leading edge. Each knife assembly further has a knife holder having a first surface that faces the products advanced toward the cutting wheel in a feed direction and a registration surface formed in the first surface. The registration surface is defined by at least a first recessed planar surface that is recessed a distance relative to the first surface and defines with the first surface at least a first step therebetween.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/143,380, filed Apr. 6, 2015, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention generally relates to methods and equipment for performing size reduction operations on products, including but not limited to food products. 
         [0003]    Various types of equipment are known for reducing the size of products, for example, slicing, strip-cutting, dicing, shredding, and/or granulating food products. Certain types of equipment are sometimes referred to as transverse slicers that, as schematically represented in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , utilize a rotating cutting wheel  10  having radially-extending cutting knives or blades  12  that define a cutting plane through which products  16  are advanced, for example, on a conveyor belt  18 , toward the wheel  10  in a feed direction. The cutting wheel  10  typically rotates about a horizontal axis  14  to define a vertical cutting plane. A particular cutting wheel disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,992,284 and 6,792,841 is commercially known as the Microslice®, manufactured by Urschel Laboratories, and utilized in a variety of size-reduction machines offered by Urschel Laboratories. The blades of the Microslice® cutting wheel transversely slice products advanced through the cutting plane in a rapid manner to enable high volume production of product slices  20 , for example, food slices, of substantially uniform thickness. 
         [0004]      FIG. 3  depicts certain aspects of cutting wheels of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,992,284 and 6,792,841. Similar to the cutting wheel  10  of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ,  FIG. 3  represents a cutting wheel  22  having a rim portion  24  surrounding a hub portion  26 , which together support truncated triangular-shaped cutting knife assemblies  28  by means of fasteners  30  so that each knife assembly  28  spans the radial distance between the rim and hub portions  24  and  26  of the cutting wheel  22 . Each knife assembly  28  includes a knife blade  32  (shown with hidden lines) carried by a knife holder  34 . As evident from  FIG. 3 , each knife holder  34  has a truncated triangular shape such that the holders  34  have wider and narrower ends, with their wider ends  44  connected to the rim portion  24  and their narrower ends  46  connected to the hub portion  26 . Only the cutting edges  36  of the blades  32  are visible in  FIG. 3 , as the view is that of the side of the cutting wheel  22  facing products as they approach the wheel  22 , with the rotation of the wheel  22  indicated by the arrow. Each knife holder  34  defines a registration surface  38  (also referred to as a gauging surface) against which products abut and register during slicing thereof. Each registration surface  38  terminates at a trailing edge  40  that is oppositely-disposed from the cutting edge  36  of the same knife assembly  28 , faces the cutting edge  36  of the next adjacent (trailing) knife assembly  28 , and cooperates with the cutting edge  36  of the trailing knife assembly  28  to define a gate  42  therebetween. The registration surface  38  and trailing edge  40  of each knife assembly  28  are offset from the cutting edge  36  of the trailing knife assembly  28  in the feed direction (perpendicular to the cutting plane of the wheel  22 ), such that the gate  42  therebetween defines a slice thickness gap that determines the thickness of a slice produced by the trailing knife assembly  28 . 
         [0005]      FIGS. 4 and 5  depict views of a knife assembly  28  of the type shown in  FIG. 3 , and  FIGS. 6 through 9  depict various views of the knife holder  34  of the knife assembly  28 . The knife holder  34  is generally planar, its trailing edge  40  is relatively blunt, and its oppositely-disposed leading edge  96  has a beveled surface  94 . Other than the beveled surface  94  and the registration surface  38  (recessed as discussed below), the holder  34  has a uniform thickness, t 1  between oppositely-disposed surfaces  64  and  66  thereof ( FIGS. 7 through 9 ). The knife holder  34  includes fastener receiving apertures  98  through which appropriate fasteners may be received for securing the assembly  28  to the rim and hub portions  24  and  26  of the cutting wheel  22 . A knife retainer or clamp  100  is provided, having fastener-receiving apertures  102  through which fasteners  104  extend for assembling the knife clamp  100  to the surface  64  of the knife holder  34  opposite the registration surface  38  and therefore facing away from products approaching the cutting wheel  22 . The knife blade  32  is mounted on the beveled surface  94  of the knife holder  34  and secured by the knife clamp  100  and fasteners  104 , which are received in threaded apertures  110  in the knife holder  34 . The blade  32  preferably further includes apertures  112  that can be aligned with studs  114  on the knife holder  34  to accurately locate the blade  32  on the knife holder  34  and prevent movement of the blade  32  relative to the knife holder  34  after the knife clamp  100  has been secured on the knife holder  34  by the fasteners  104 , as illustrated in  FIG. 5 . The knife clamp  100  may include bores  116  that accommodate the studs  114  and may also engage the studs  114  for alignment and securing purposes. 
         [0006]    The registration surface  38  of the knife holder  34  is visible in  FIGS. 6 through 9 . Relative to the surface  66  at the ends  44  and  46  of the holder  34 , the registration surface  38  is recessed in the holder  34  by machining or forming the holder  34  to slope progressively from the leading edge  96  of the knife holder  34  toward its trailing edge  40 . The knife holder  34 , as noted previously, includes a relatively wider end  44  and a relatively narrower end  46 . In order to obtain a uniform slice thickness gap at the gate  42  ( FIG. 3 ) adjacent the trailing edge  40  that will yield slices of uniform thickness produced by the following knife assembly  28 , the thickness (t 3 ) of the trailing edge  40  where it intersects the registration surface  38  must be uniform between the wider and narrower ends  44  and  46  of the holder  34 . Therefore, the registration surface  38  tapers from the leading edge  96  toward the trailing edge  40  so that its depth (t 2 ) is uniform at its intersection with the trailing edge  40  between the wider and narrower ends  44  and  46  of the holder  34  ( FIG. 7 ). Consequently, the slope of the registration surface  38  must progressively increase from the wider end  44  ( FIG. 9 ) toward the narrower end  46  ( FIG. 8 ) due to the shorter distance that the slope traverses. As a result, the registration surface  38  does not lie in a flat plane, but instead is a twisted or curved surface whose curvature is important for proper and stable registration of products during the slicing operation. A technique for generating the progressively increasing slope of the registration surface  38  is to fixture the knife holder  34  so that a twist is induced in the holder  34  prior to machining the holder  34  to form the registration surface  38 . The degree of twist is carefully established and maintained during machining of the holder  34  so that when the holder  34  is released from the fixture, the slope of the registration surface  38  progressively increases corresponding to the degree of twist during machining. 
         [0007]    As shown in  FIG. 10 , unsliced products  48  are advanced on a conveyor belt  50  toward the wheel  22  in a feed direction. The products  48  are conveyed in a manner such that each product  48  is individually supported in a zone between a terminus of the conveyor  50  (the region of the conveyor  50  where the food product  48  separates from the conveyor  50  as it engages the cutting wheel  22 ). Within this zone, each product  48  is sliced by the blades  32  of the cutting wheel  22  while supported by a supporting surface  54 , represented in  FIG. 10  as being defined by an “apron” (or shear edge) member  52  that has a shear edge  56  at which the supporting surface  54  terminates. The aforementioned slice thickness gap defined by the axial offset between the registration surface  38  at the trailing edge  40  of one knife assembly and the cutting edge  36  of the blade  32  of the trailing knife assembly  28  is evident from  FIG. 10 , as is the uniform thickness of a slice  58  produced by the trailing knife assembly  28 . As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,792,841, the apron member  52  promotes the ability with which the cutting wheel  22  is able to precisely and uniformly slice round products, in part as a result of its supporting surface  54  sloping downwardly away from the conveyor  50 . It is believed that the downward-sloping supporting surface  54  enables gravity to assist in moving the products  48  toward the knife assemblies  28  and to maintain engagement between the food products  48  and the registration surfaces  38  of the assemblies  28  as the food products  48  leave the conveyor  50 . The food products  48  are initially supported by the terminal end of the conveyor  50  and then progressively supported by the supporting surface  54  of the apron member  52  while the food product  48  moves downwardly toward the shear edge  56 . 
         [0008]    Refinements to the radial cutting blades of slicing machines of the type described above have enabled production of precise, thin, uniform-thickness slices of various products. However, certain challenges are encountered when larger cutting wheels are required for cutting relatively large products, for example, cabbages, lettuce, potatoes, and meat products exceeding about 10 cm. For example, slicing of large products requires a more positive registration of the product against the registration surface  38  of each knife assembly  28  because the linear speed at the outermost radial extent of a larger wheel  22  is relatively greater and the product plane face (the planar surface generated on the product once it is sliced) will need a larger registration surface  38  in order to maintain a high degree of precise slice thickness. Furthermore, the rate at which the slope of the registration surface  38  progressively increases is different for knife holders  34  sized for use in wheels  22  of different diameters, and the machining or forming of the registration surfaces  38  and their progressively increasing slopes incur manufacturing costs. 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The present invention provides cutting wheels equipped with knife assemblies suitable for performing size reduction operations on products, including but not limited to food products, and further provides methods of operating such cutting wheels, knife holders suitable for such knife assemblies, methods of manufacturing such knife holders, and slicing machines capable of utilizing such cutting wheels. 
         [0010]    According to one aspect of the invention, a rotatable cutting wheel includes a hub portion, a rim portion surrounding the hub portion, and a plurality of knife assemblies each having a leading edge facing a direction of rotation of the cutting wheel and extending between the hub and rim portions, a trailing edge oppositely disposed from the leading edge and extending between the hub and rim portions, and a cutting edge on the leading edge. Each knife assembly further has a knife holder having a first surface that faces the products advanced toward the cutting wheel in a feed direction and a registration surface formed in the first surface. The trailing edge intersects the registration surface and defines a gate with the cutting edge of a next adjacent knife assembly located in a direction opposite the direction of rotation of the cutting wheel. The gate is substantially constant and determines a thickness of the slices of the product produced by the cutting wheel. The registration surface is defined by at least a first recessed planar surface that is recessed a distance relative to the first surface and defines with the first surface at least a first step therebetween. 
         [0011]    Other aspects of the invention include a knife holder comprising the elements described above, slicing machines capable of utilizing a cutting wheel comprising the elements described above, and methods of operating such a cutting wheel to cut slices from products as the products are advanced towards the cutting wheel in the feed direction. 
         [0012]    Yet another aspect of the invention is a method of manufacturing the knife holder that entails machining the first surface of the knife holder to form the first recessed planar surface and the registration surface formed thereby, wherein the knife holder is not twisted during the machining of the first recessed planar surface. 
         [0013]    Another aspect of the invention is a slicing machine capable of utilizing a cutting wheel comprising the elements described above. The slicing machine includes a cutting wheel comprising a hub portion, a rim portion circumscribing the hub portion so as to define an annular space therebetween, and knife assemblies extending between the hub and rim portions, removably attached to the hub and rim portions, and lying in a cutting plane of the cutting wheel. The slicing machine further includes means for stabilizing a product being fed through the cutting wheel in a feed direction transverse to the cutting plane. The stabilizing means comprises a shear edge against which a slicing action of each knife assembly occurs and a supporting surface that supports the product while the product is being sliced by the knife assemblies. The supporting surface comprises a serrated pattern that promotes the ability of the stabilizing means to grip and stabilize each of the products, maintain an orientation of the product while the product is being sliced by the knife assemblies, and maintain a slicing plane of the product relative to the cutting plane of the cutting wheel. 
         [0014]    Technical effects of the various aspects described above preferably include the ability to produce precise, thin, uniform-thickness slices of various products, including relatively large products (e.g., food products exceeding about 10 cm in cross-section), by promoting a positive registration of such products against the registration surface of each knife assembly, and the ability to make use of a registration surface that is not curved and can therefore be manufactured without the requirement for inducing a twist during the machining of the registration surface. 
         [0015]    Other aspects and advantages of this invention will be further appreciated from the following detailed description. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]      FIGS. 1 and 2  show side and perspective views of a cutting wheel for slicing products and equipment for delivering the products to the cutting wheel. 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is an elevation view of a cutting wheel of a type known in the art. 
           [0018]      FIGS. 4 and 5  respectively show perspective views of a disassembled and assembled knife assembly of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0019]      FIGS. 6 and 7  respectively show plan and edge views of a knife holder of the knife assembly of  FIGS. 4 and 5 . 
           [0020]      FIGS. 8 and 9  are section views taken along lines  8 - 8  and  9 - 9 , respectively, in  FIG. 6 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 10  is a side elevation view showing a product undergoing slicing by the cutting wheel of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0022]      FIG. 11  is an elevation view of a cutting wheel with knife assemblies in accordance with a nonlimiting embodiment of the invention, wherein the knife assemblies comprise knife holders. 
           [0023]      FIG. 12  is an opposite elevation view of the cutting wheel of  FIG. 11 , wherein registration surfaces of the knife assemblies are visible. 
           [0024]      FIG. 13  is an elevation view showing the cutting wheel of  FIGS. 11 and 12  mounted in a machine frame in accordance with a nonlimiting embodiment of the invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 14  is an isolated perspective view of one of the knife assemblies depicted in  FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 . 
           [0026]      FIGS. 15 and 16  respectively show plan and edge views of a knife holder of the knife assembly of  FIG. 14 . 
           [0027]      FIGS. 17 and 18  are section views taken along lines  17 - 17  and  18 - 18 , respectively, in  FIG. 15 . 
           [0028]      FIG. 19  is an isolated perspective view of a shear edge member depicted in  FIG. 13 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0029]      FIGS. 11 through 19  represent various components and other aspects of a slicing apparatus such as of the type represented in  FIGS. 1, 2 and 10 .  FIGS. 11 through 13  particularly show a cutting wheel  122  that is capable of use in a slicing apparatus of the type represented in  FIGS. 1, 2 and 10 ,  FIGS. 14 through 18  represent knife assemblies  128  and holders  134  of the wheel  122 , and  FIG. 19  represents a shear edge member  152  that is preferably, though not necessarily, used in combination with the wheel  122 . The cutting wheel  122  and various components thereof are represented in  FIGS. 11 through 18  as being similar in general construction to the cutting wheel  22  and components represented in  FIGS. 3 through 10 , and the shear edge member  152  is represented in  FIG. 19  as being similar in general construction to the apron member  52  represented in  FIG. 10 . As such, the following discussion will focus primarily on certain aspects and features of the cutting wheel  122  and components (particularly its knife assemblies  128 , and knife holders  134 ) and the shear edge member  152 , whereas other aspects not discussed in any detail may be, in terms of structure, function, materials, etc., essentially as was described for these components in reference to  FIGS. 3 through 10 . In  FIGS. 11 through 19 , consistent reference numbers are used to identify elements that are the same or functionally equivalent to elements shown in  FIGS. 3 through 10 , but with the numerical prefixes “1” added. 
         [0030]      FIGS. 11 and 13  show the side of the cutting wheel  122  that faces away from products as they approach the wheel  122 , such that knife retainers or clamps  200  are visible for securing knife blades  132  to beveled surfaces  194  formed on knife holders  134  mounted to the wheel  122 .  FIG. 12  represents the opposite side of the cutting wheel  122 , in other words, the side facing products as they approach the wheel  122 . Each knife clamp  200  is mounted to a surface  164  of its knife holder  134  opposite a registration (gauging) surface  138  formed on the holder  134 . As such, the surface  164  and knife clamps  200  are visible in  FIGS. 11 and 13  and the registration surfaces  138  of the holders  134  are not, whereas the registration surfaces  138  are visible in  FIG. 12  and the surface  164  and knife clamps  200  are not. The cutting edges  136  of the blades  132  are visible in  FIGS. 11 through 13 , and face the direction of rotation of the wheel  122  as indicated by the arrows. Additional components of the cutting wheel  122  include a rim portion  124  surrounding a hub portion  126 , which together support the knife assemblies  128  by means of fasteners  130  so that each knife assembly  128  spans the radial distance between the rim and hub portions  124  and  126  of the cutting wheel  122 . The knife holder  134  of each knife assembly  128  has a truncated triangular shape such that each holder  134  has wider and narrower ends  144  and  146 , as well as trailing and leading edges  140  and  196  extending therebetween. The registration surface  138  of each holder  134  terminates at the trailing edge  140 , which faces a direction opposite the direction of rotation of the wheel  122  and cooperates with the cutting edge  136  of the next adjacent trailing knife assembly  128  to define a gate  142  therebetween. The registration surface  138  and trailing edge  140  of each knife assembly  128  must be offset from the cutting edge  136  of the next adjacent trailing knife assembly  128  in a feed direction, transverse and typically perpendicular to the cutting plane of the wheel  122 , such that the gate  142  therebetween defines a slice thickness gap that determines the thickness of a slice produced by the trailing knife assembly  128 . 
         [0031]    The cutting wheel  122  shown in  FIGS. 11 through 13  is larger than the cutting wheels  10  and  22  represented in  FIGS. 1 through 4 , and is therefore capable and adapted to cut relatively large products, for example, food products such as cabbages, lettuce, potatoes, and meat exceeding about 10 cm in cross-section. For this reason, the knife assemblies  128  may be equipped as shown in  FIGS. 11 and 13  with two knife clamps  200  to secure one or more blades  132  to each knife holder  134 , for example, two blades  132  as represented in  FIGS. 11, 13 and 14 . However, a single knife clamp  200  may be used to secure one or more blades  132  to the knife holder  134 . In the event that a blade  132  or clamp  200  must be replaced due to damage or wear, the clamping of multiple blades  132  with one or more knife clamps  200  enables selective replacement of the individual blade  132  and/or clamp  200  in a production environment. The installation of multiple blades  132  on a knife holder  134  also allows shorter blades  132  sized for installation on existing knife holders (e.g.,  FIGS. 3 through 9 ) to be installed on the longer knife holder  134 . 
         [0032]    To maintain a high degree of precise slice thickness, the cutting wheel  122  and its knife assemblies  128  and knife holders  134  are configured to promote positive registration of products against the registration surface  138  ( FIG. 12 ) of each knife assembly  128 . However, the ability to maintain proper product registration is complicated by the relatively higher linear speed at the outermost radial extent of the wheel  122 , which for a given rotational speed is greater than the linear speed at the outermost radial extent of the smaller wheels  10  and  22  shown in  FIGS. 1 through 4 . To maintain a high degree of precise slice thickness on the relatively large wheel  122  of  FIGS. 11 through 13 , the registration surface  138  of the knife holder  134  is not twisted or curved as described for the cutting wheel  22  of  FIG. 3 , but instead the registration surface  138  is defined by one or more pockets or recesses  160 , each defined by a planar surface  162  instead of the curved registration surface  38  described for the knife holder  34  of  FIGS. 3 through 10 , whose slope progressively increased from the wider end  44  ( FIGS. 6 and 7 ) toward the narrower end  46  ( FIGS. 6 and 8 ) of the holder  34 . In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 16 through 18 , the planar surfaces  162  of the recesses  160  are approximately parallel to each other and to the oppositely-disposed surfaces  164  and  166  (each of which is preferably planar) of the knife holder  134 , so that each recess  160  has a different but uniform depth (d 1  or d 2  in  FIGS. 17 and 18 ) relative to the surface  166  of the holder  134  located on the same side of the holder  134  as the registration surface  138  ( FIG. 15 ). Though it is within the scope of the invention that either or both surfaces  162  could slope toward the trailing edge  140 , neither surface  162  is required to be curved as a consequence of having a slope that progressively increases from the wider end  144  ( FIG. 18 ) toward the narrower end  146  ( FIG. 17 ) of the holder  134 , as was described for the knife holder  34  of  FIGS. 3 through 10 . Therefore, the registration surface  138  and its planar surfaces  162  are not formed by the prior practice of fixturing the knife holder  134  so that a twist is induced in the holder  134  during machining of its surface  164 . As a result, the knife holder  134  can be manufactured and modified at lower manufacturing costs by allowing for the use of common fixturing to hold the knife holder  134  while being machined to generate the planar surface(s)  162  of the registration surface  138 . 
         [0033]    In the embodiment of  FIGS. 15 through 18 , two recesses  160  are depicted, with the recess  160  closer to the trailing edge  140  being deeper (d 2 ) than the recess  160  closer to the leading edge  196 . As evident from  FIG. 15 , the registration surface  138  entirely extends to the trailing edge  140 , such that registration surface  138  at the trailing edge  140  will be offset from the cutting edge  136  of the next adjacent trailing knife assembly  128  and the gate  142  therebetween will define the slice thickness gap that determines the thickness of a slice produced by the trailing knife assembly  128 . However, the registration surface  138  is represented in  FIG. 15  as approaching but short of the leading edge  196 , such that a step  168  is defined between the registration surface  138  and the adjacent surface  166  of the knife holder  134  that was machined to generate the registration surface  138 . In the embodiment portrayed in  FIGS. 15 through 18 , a second step  170  is defined between the two planar surfaces  162  of the two recesses  160 . Whereas the step  168  between the registration and adjacent surfaces  138  and  166  of the knife holder  134  is parallel to the leading edge  196 , the step  170  between the two planar surfaces  162  of the registration surface  138  is represented as parallel to the leading edge  196 . Either or both steps  168  and  170  may be defined by a filet, as seen in  FIGS. 15, 17 and 18 , or may be more abrupt. Furthermore, other orientations for the steps  168  and  170  (or single step  168  or  170 ) are also within the scope of the invention, and the depths (d 1 , d 2 ) of the steps  168  and  170  and their distances from the trailing and leading edges  140  and  196  could differ from what is shown in  FIGS. 15 through 18 . 
         [0034]    The configuration of the registration surface  138  of the knife holder  134  enables the depth (d 2 ) at the trailing edge  140  to be tailored to obtain a desired slice thickness, and has the further ability to permit additional machining of the holder  134  to change (increase) the original manufactured depth (d 2 ) at the trailing edge  140  to obtain a larger slice thickness, thereby enabling a knife holder  134  to be machined and even subsequently modified specifically for a certain product, while also promoting more precise registration of that product. 
         [0035]      FIG. 13  is a fragmentary view that depicts the cutting wheel  122  mounted on a frame of a slicing machine along with a shear edge assembly  172 . The shear edge assembly  172  serves to stabilize a product being fed through the wheel  122  in a feed direction transverse and typically perpendicular to the cutting plane of the wheel  122  and through the annular space between the hub  126  and rim  124 . The shear edge assembly  172  is shown as being made up of a shear edge member  152  mounted to a V-shaped shear edge holder  176 . The shear edge member  152  corresponds to the apron member  52  of  FIG. 10 . Similar to the description of  FIG. 10 , as unsliced products are advanced (for example, on a conveyor belt) toward the wheel  122  in a feed direction, each product is sliced by the blades  132  of the cutting wheel  122  while supported by the shear edge member  152 , which has a supporting surface  154  terminating at a shear edge  156  against which the slicing action of each blade  132  occurs. Similar to what was described for the apron member  52  of  FIG. 10 , the shear edge member  152  represented in  FIG. 13  promotes the ability with which the cutting wheel  122  is able to precisely and uniformly slice products in part as a result of its upper supporting surface  154  sloping downwardly away from products entering the wheel  122 , which promotes and maintains engagement between the products and the registration surfaces  138  of the knife assemblies  128 . 
         [0036]    The shear edge  156  enables products to be wedged against the wheel  122  during slicing. For certain spherical-shaped products, for example, cabbages, lettuce, potatoes, etc., as the wheel  122  reduces the diameter of the product during slicing, the product may have a tendency to spin, which changes the slicing plane of the product as the product is being pulled into the wheel  122 . To counteract this tendency, the supporting surface  154  of the shear edge member  152  is represented in  FIG. 19  as having a stair-step or serrated pattern  158  that promotes the ability of the shear edge member  152  to grip and stabilize a product, such that the orientation of the product is maintained while the product is being reduced in length (in the feed direction) and the slicing plane of the product is maintained relative to the cutting plane of the wheel  122 . In this manner, the supporting surface  154  is also able to maintain engagement and pressure of the product pressure against the registration surfaces  138  of the wheel  22  during the slicing process. As evident from  FIG. 19 , the serrated pattern  158  is defined by individual serrations or teeth, each of which is shown in  FIG. 19  as inclined toward the shear edge  156  relative to the plane of the supporting surface  154 . The inclination of the teeth in this manner is believed to further promote the ability of the serrated pattern  158  to grip and stabilize a product. 
         [0037]    While the invention has been described in terms of specific or particular embodiments, it is apparent that other forms could be adopted by one skilled in the art. For example, the slicing machine, cutting wheel  122 , and components thereof could differ in appearance and construction from the embodiments described herein and shown in the drawings, functions of certain components of the slicing machine and wheel  122  could be performed by components of different construction but capable of a similar (though not necessarily equivalent) function, and various materials could be used in the manufacturing of the slicing machine, wheel  122 , and their components. Accordingly, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to any embodiment described herein or illustrated in the drawings. It should also be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed above are for the purpose of describing the illustrated embodiments, and do not necessarily serve as limitations to the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims.