GB2290218A

GB2290218A - Process and device for stacking and transporting extruded products cut into discs

Info

Publication number: GB2290218A
Application number: GB9509535A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Uwe Reifenhaeuser
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-06-16
Filing date: 1995-05-11
Publication date: 1995-12-20
Anticipated expiration: 2015-05-11
Also published as: IT1276697B1; ITMI951233A1; DE4421116C1; ITMI951233A0; GB2290218B; GB9509535D0

Abstract

The system uses a feed member (1), engaging at the upper end of the elongated material (9), which is height-adjustable and with a height-adjustable accommodation device (3) is cyclically connectable such that it synchronised and has a constant velocity. As coupling and drive device (5) for the feed member and the accommodation device a lift belt (23) which is endless, directed vertically and provided with a drive (25) is guided over an upper and a lower deflector roller (24,26). The belt is provided with horizontally directed connecting arms (10,19). The accommodation device comprises a thrust belt (14), endless, and provided with a drive, and guided horizontally over at least three deflector rollers (15,16,17). First and second deflector rollers (15,16) in the thrust direction are located in a common bearing chair (18), from which a connecting arm (19) emerges to the lift belt.

Description

2290218 1 - PROCESS AND DEVICE FOR STACKING AND TRANSPORTING EXTRUDED

PRODUCTS CUT INTO DISCS The invention concerns a process for stacking and transporting of sausage, meat or similar extruded product cut into discs and includes a device for the performance of such a process. Here, successive discs are cut from a lower end of the extruded product aligned with its longitudinal axis vertical and exposed to the action of a feed device. During this process, the extruded product to be cut is moved downwards and the cut discs form a vertically aligned stack on a holder device which is also moving downwards. Finally, cyclic horizontal movements of the holder device transport the completed stack away.

Such a process can be carried out with a stacking device known f rom DE 37 34 844 C2 f or a machine f or cutting loaf shaped foodstuffs. Here the extruded product is fed via a fixed position feed device into a conventional cutting device.

The feed device consists of a pair of endless feed conveyor belts aligned vertically which hold the extruded product upright between them. The drive of the feed conveyor belts causes the strands facing each other to run downwards at a specified speed and feed the extruded product into the cutting device accordingly. The holder device for the discs cut from the extruded product consists of two stack carriers which can move alternately between the cutting device and a separate transport device and consisting of a conveyor belt in a position directly below the cutting station. The cut discs fall onto the stack carrier in the collection position and form a stack. The two stack carriers are supported to move up and down on both sides of the transport conveyor belt and controlled such that each stack carrier can perform a movement in the shape of a closed loop. When the stack carrier loaded with a stack is in its lowest position above the conveyor belt, it is briefly and rapidly swivelled horizontally with a force which exceeds the friction force predominating between the underside of the stack and the top of stack carrier so that the stack is essentially moved freely down onto the conveyor belt of the transport device.

This known process requires for its performance very costly equipment and is also liable to faults and maintenance.

Even a slight slippage in the friction connection between the feed device and the extruded product can disrupt the production of discs of equal thickness. Deviations between the feed speed of the extruded product and the lowering speed of the stack carriers however also change the drop height of the cut discs. If the drop height increases so much that the disc, at the time of complete separation from the extruded product, is not supported on the stack at any part and is therefore not held, the cutting force applied to the disc will include a horizontal movement component.

Gravity is then not sufficient to enable the disc to fall vertically onto the stack. Consequently the production of an adequately vertical stack is then excluded.

The invention is based on the task of improving a process of 25 the type initially described such that extruded product can be cut into discs of fully even thickness with adequate safety, and the discs can form stacks with a central axis aligned absolutely vertically.

Claims

To solve this task, a basic process of the type specified in the preamble

of Claim 1 is taken and according to the invention it is proposed to proceed according to the features given in the characteristic part of Claim 1.

3,5 Whereas the downward movement of the extruded product carried out a constant speed guarantees its division into discs of virtually constant thickness, the synchronized 3 - downward movement of the stack at the same constant speed means that the top is always at a constant distance from the underside of the disc being produced. Because it is maintained constant, this distance may be set to the minimum necessary for the cutting process so that each disc, due to its flexibility, has already adhered to the top of the stack over a large area before becoming fully separated from the extruded product.

This process can be performed by a device consisting of a feed device for an extruded product aligned with its longitudinal axis vertical and moving downwards, a cutting device with which the discs can be cut in horizontal alignment from the lower end of the extruded product and a holder device with which the resulting stack can be lowered and the completed stack transported away, where according to the invention the feed device acting on the upper end of the extruded product is adjustable in height and can cyclically be coupled in a force-transmitting manner to the heightadjustable holder device.

The f orce- transmitting coupling of the feed device and the holder device means that only one drive is required to synchronise the downward movement of both devices.

In one design of the device according to the invention, the forcetransmitting coupling and drive device for the feed device and the holder device consists of a vertically aligned endless lifting belt fitted with a drive unit and guided over an upper and a lower deflection roller, and horizontally aligned connecting arms which are rigidly connected or can be coupled on one side with the strand of the lifting belt facing the feed device and holder device, and on the other with the feed device or holder device.

Depending on the direction of rotation of the drive, the feed device and the holder device can be moved downwards - 4 with the lif ting belt via the connecting arms, at the same speed and over the same path, as the stack forms.

In a further design of the invention, the holder device 5 consists of an endless push belt f itted with a drive and guided essentially horizontally over at least three deflection rollers where a first and a second deflection roller in the push direction are mounted on a common bearing block, from which a connecting arm extends to the lifting belt, which arm can be connected in a force-transmitting manner with the lifting belt for the duration of the downward movement.

With this design, the push belt of the holder device can be lowered with part of its upper strand running between the first and second deflection rollers while retaining its horizontal extension, and, after pushing a stack, raised into the starting position to form the next stack, where the connecting arm projecting from the bearing block is now coupled to the lifting belt for the duration of the lowering movement.

Preferably one of the deflection rollers of the push belt can be connected cyclically with a drive motor, where the first and second deflection rollers in the push direction can be lowered f rom an upper end position by at least the maximum stack height to a lower end position in which the upper strand of the push belt forms a common tangent to all deflection rollers of the push belt.

With this design, any stack formed can be moved over the entire conveyor path of the push belt in a vertically aligned position.

In a final design of the invention, the last deflection roller of the push belt in the direction of push is mounted in a fixed position in the immediate vicinity of, and associated with, the first deflection roller of an endless conveyor belt constituting a transport device.

With this design, the push belt acting as a holder device can transport the product stack by stack onto the conveyor belt of an otherwise conventional transport device.

The drawing shows a design example of a device for performance of the process according to the invention in a side view and described in more detail below:

The device essentially consists of a feed device 1, a cutter device 2, a holder device 3, a transport device 4 and a coupling and drive device 5.

is The feed device 1 is mounted on bearings to move up and down in a vertical feed shaft 6 shown in partial section and fitted with sickleshaped hooks 7 projecting from its lower side, which hooks can be swivelled by the action of a lever 8 such that the hook tips penetrate into the upper end area of a vertically aligned sausage which represents the extruded product 9, and hold it by force. A horizontally aligned connecting arm 10 projects sideways from the feed shaft and is firmly connected to the feed device 1 and guided in a side slot of the feed shaft 6.

The cutting device 2 is conventionally designed and essentially consists of a disc-shaped cutter 11 attached to a vertical drive shaf t 12 and driven via a toothed gear 13.

The cutter 11 is designed and arranged such that its cutting area extends over the outlet cross section of the feed shaft 6 and after each cut clears this outlet cross section for the advance of the extruded product 9.

The holder device 3 is arranged below the feed device 1 and the cutting device 2 and essentially consists of an endless push belt 14 which runs over three deflection rollers 15, 16, 17. The first and second deflection rollers 15 and 16 in the push direction are mounted on a common bearing block 18 to be adjustable in height by means of a connecting arm 19 projecting to the side of this block. The second deflection roller 16 is larger in diameter than the first and third deflection rollers 15 and 17 which have the same diameter. The amount by which this diameter is larger corresponds to the difference in level between the first deflection roller 15, shown in its highest position, and the third deflection roller 17, which is not adjustable in height. In the highest position of the holder device 3, as shown, the push belt 14 runs in a parallelogram shape where a part of the upper strand forms a horizontal holder plateau. If the first and second deflection rollers 15 and 16 are lowered together with the bearing block 18, the horizontal extension of the holding plateau is retained without changing the length of the deflected section of the push belt 14, such that its tension remains constant.

The transport device 4 shown in partial section conventionally consists of an endless conveyor belt 19 with a first deflection roller 20 in the transport direction which follows immediately after the third deflection roller 17 of the push belt 14.

When a stack 21 of discs 22 cut f rom the extruded product 9 is to be transferred f rom the push belt 14 to the conveyor belt 19, the deflection rollers 15 and 16 are lowered such that the upper strand of the push belt 14 f orms a common tangent to the deflection rollers 15, 16 and 17, thus guaranteeing an equal level and hence faultless transfer of stack 21.

The coupling and drive device 5 is arranged to the side of 35 the feed device 1 and holder device 3 and essentially consists of a vertically extended endless lifting belt 23. This is guided via an upper deflection roller 24 and a lower deflection roller 26 which can be coupled to a drive 25. The connecting arm 10 of the feed device 1 is firmly screwed to the strand of the lifting belt 23 facing the feed device 1 and the holder device 3, whereas the connecting arm 19 of the holder device 3 is connected in a force- transmi tt ing manner to this strand by a switchable coupling, not shown in detail, for the duration of the stack formation.

The connecting arm 19 is coupled to the lifting belt 23 as soon as the bearing block has reached its upper end position by means of a hydraulic lifting device 27. In this position, the plateau formed by the push belt 14 maintains a certain parallel distance from the cutting plane of the cutter 11. The freely selectable size of this parallel distance corresponds to the parallel distance between the upper side of the stack being formed and the cutting plane. This constant distance is guaranteed in that the vertical downward movement of the extruded product 9 and that of the stack being formed are synchronised and take place at the same speed and consequently over an identical travel distance.

CLAIMS Process f or stacking and transporting of sausage, meat or similar extruded product cut into discs, where discs are cut in succession f rom a lower end of an extruded product aligned with its longitudinal axis vertical and exposed to the action of a feed device, where the extruded product to be cut is moved downwards and the cut discs form a vertically aligned stack on a holder device which is also moving downwards, which leads to the transport of the completed stack by cyclical horizontal shifts, characterised in that the extruded product is connected in a force-transmitting manner with the f eed device and this is connected in a forcetransmitting manner with the holder device and the vertical downwards movement of the extruded product and the vertical downwards movement of the resulting stack are synchronised and take place at the same constant speed.
2. Device consisting of a feed device for an extruded product to be moved downwards and aligned with its longitudinal axis vertical, a cutting device with which horizontally aligned discs are cut from the lower end of the extruded product, and a holder device with which the resulting stack can be lowered and the completed stack transported away, for the performance of the process in Claim 1, characterised in that the feed device (1) acting on the upper end of the extruded product (9) is adjustable in height and can cyclically be coupled in a forcetransmitting manner with the height-adjustable holder device (3).
3. Device according to Claim 2, characterised in that the force- transmi tt ing coupling and drive device (5) for the feed device (1) and the holder device (3) consists of a vertically aligned endless lifting belt (23) f itted with a drive (25) and guided via an upper and a lower deflection roller (24, 26), and horizontally aligned connecting arms (10, 19), which can be rigidly connected or coupled in a f orce- transmitting manner on one side with the strand of the lifting belt (23) facing the feed device (1) and the holder device (3), and on the other side with the feed device (1) and holder device (3).
Device according to one of Claims 2 or 3, characterised in that the holder device (3) consists of an endless push belt (14) fitted with a drive and guided essentially horizontally over at least three deflection rollers (15, 16, 17), where a first and a second deflection roller (15, 16) in the push direction are mounted on a common bearing block (18) from which a connecting arm (19) extends to the lifting belt (23), which arm can be connected in a force-transmitting manner with the lifting belt (23) for the duration of the downwards movement.
Device according to Claim 4, characterised in that one of the deflection rollers (24, 26) of the lifting belt (23) can be coupled cyclically with a drive motor (25) and the first and second deflection rollers (15, 16) in the push direction can be lowered from an upper end position by at least the maximum stack height to a lower end position in which an upper strand of the push belt (14) forms a common tangent to all deflection rollers (15, 16, 17) of the push belt (14).
6. Device according to Claim 4 or Claim 5, characterised in that the last deflection roller (17) of the push belt (14) in the push direction is mounted in a f ixed position in the immediate vicinity of, and associated with, the first deflection roller (20) of an endless conveyor belt (19) forming a transport device (4).