A system for cutting blocks of food product into bars of substantially equal weight. The system includes a cutter conveyor configured to receive incoming blocks of food product and move the blocks along an in-line processing path in a plane for cutting; a programmable logic controller coupled to the cutter conveyor; and, multiple stations associated with the cutter conveyor. One such station is a camera vision system configured to create an image of the slab portion, and further including a camera controller coupled to the vision system and the PLC, and configured to determine an optimized cut solution of the slab portion from the image and data related to the food product, and is configured to provide the cut solution to the PLC. The PLC is configured to control the cutting of the food product, based on the optimized cut solution, into bars of substantially equal weight.
B26D 7/00 - CUTTING; DETAILS COMMON TO MACHINES FOR PERFORATING, PUNCHING, CUTTING-OUT, STAMPING-OUT OR SEVERING - Details of apparatus for cutting, cutting-out, stamping-out, punching, perforating, or severing by means other than cutting
B26D 1/46 - Cutting through work characterised by the nature or movement of the cutting member; Apparatus or machines therefor; Cutting members therefor involving a cutting member which does not travel with the work having an endless band-knife or the like
A47J 43/00 - Implements for preparing or holding food, not provided for in other groups of this subclass
H04N 7/18 - Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
A system for cutting blocks of food product into bars of substantially equal weight. The system includes a cutter conveyor configured to receive incoming blocks of food product and move the blocks along an in-line processing path in a plane for cutting; a programmable logic controller coupled to the cutter conveyor; and, multiple stations associated with the cutter conveyor. One such station is a camera vision system configured to create an image of the slab portion, and further including a camera controller coupled to the vision system and the PLC, and configured to determine an optimized cut solution of the slab portion from the image and data related to the food product, and is configured to provide the cut solution to the PLC. The PLC is configured to control the cutting of the food product, based on the optimized cut solution, into bars of substantially equal weight.
B26D 7/00 - CUTTING; DETAILS COMMON TO MACHINES FOR PERFORATING, PUNCHING, CUTTING-OUT, STAMPING-OUT OR SEVERING - Details of apparatus for cutting, cutting-out, stamping-out, punching, perforating, or severing by means other than cutting
B26D 1/46 - Cutting through work characterised by the nature or movement of the cutting member; Apparatus or machines therefor; Cutting members therefor involving a cutting member which does not travel with the work having an endless band-knife or the like
A47J 43/00 - Implements for preparing or holding food, not provided for in other groups of this subclass
H04N 7/18 - Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
3.
Exact weight cutting and destacking system for food products
A system for cutting blocks of cheese or other food product into chunks includes conveyors for moving the blocks along an automated, continuous, in-line processing path. A block cutter cuts the blocks longitudinally and or vertically to provide one or more stacks of slabs which are destacked by a vacuum transfer apparatus. A transverse cutter cuts the individual slabs to create chunks of cheese or other food product. The conveyors include a stack conveyor located in the processing path for conveying successive stacks of slabs from the block cutter to the product destacking apparatus in succession, and a slab conveyor located in the processing path for conveying successive slabs from the product destacking apparatus to the transverse cutter. A trim cutting module includes a rotating mechanism that rotates a block during the trim operation, allowing trim to drop to a trim disposal conveyance.
B26D 1/553 - Cutting through work characterised by the nature or movement of the cutting member; Apparatus or machines therefor; Cutting members therefor involving a cutting member which does not travel with the work having a wire-like cutting member with a plurality of wire-like cutting members
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