A method and apparatus for cutting articles such as potatoes into helical strips wherein the potato is held against rotation and aligned by a plurality of fingers and moved longitudinally against a rapidly rotating cutting head. The cutting head may include a hollow central cutting tube mounted at its axis of rotation. A feed mechanism is provided to feed potatoes to the holder for cutting and automatic sensing and sequencing control system controls the loading and feeding of potatoes. A plurality of holding and cutting mechanisms can be simultaneously fed and operated by the control system.
A cut food piece formed in the shape of a helical split ring (10) by means of first cutting a slot in the whole food product by slot cutter (30) prior to urging the whole food product into engagement with cutter blade assembly (20) having wheel plate (21) rotating about central axis (23). Said cutter blade assembly (20) further having a plurality of ring cutters (24) attached to and extending normally out from wheel plate (21) for cutting continuous concentric helical spirals in the whole food product. Shear blade (25) extends angularly out from wheel plate (21) for cutting concentric helical rings of food product off the whole food product.
A method and apparatus for holding a loaf food product in order to allow an automatic slicing system to slice the loaf to preset slice thicknesses. The loaf food product is securely held by a pair of loaf engaging members which are fastened to the inner edges of conveyor guide rails a short distance from the slicing apparatus. The members prevent the butt end of the loaf from being improperly sliced.
An apparatus for slicing objects, such as potatoes, with a rotatably mounted knife assembly. Objects (such as potatoes) to be sliced are conveyed downward toward the knife assembly between a gripper chain and a feed chain. A pair of springs provide a biasing force which urges the chains together, thereby ensuring that the conveyed potatoes are fed positively and uniformly toward the knife assembly. Preferably, two feed rolls having teeth are mounted between the lower ends of the chains and the knife assembly (each feed roll at the end of a rotating, slidable shaft). The teeth of the rotating feed rolls grip each potato conveyed against them by the chains, and force each such potato downward against the rotating knife assembly. Preferably, a support and retaining plate is fixedly mounted to the feed mechanism to constrain vertical movement of the feed rolls as they rotate with a potato gripped between them.
A support plate mounts a matrix of tubular cutters orthogonally mounted to the plate, with the tubular cutters projecting through the plate, whereupon projecting of the tubular cutters through an associated potato projects cylindrical segments rearwardly of the plate for use as "French-fry" type potatoes. The plate includes interfitting projections received within associated recesses to position and maintain the plate relative to an associated die table, wherein the die table includes crossed support bars to support a potato thereon, and wherein the support bars are received through the matrix of cutting tubes and wherein the recesses each include a respective floor spaced from a die table floor a spacing substantially equal to an associated projecting tubular cutter.
The present invention discloses an apparatus for slicing a food product such as a potato into helical strips such as curlicue potato fries. The potatoes are pumped with water by a centrifugal food pump to a tapered elastic tubular delivery tube. The tube expands as the potato progresses along the tube. The delivery tube allows the potato to be gently forced against a circular rotating cutting head assembly. The cutting head assembly cores the potato, scores concentric cuts and then slices the potato to produce helical cut segments.
