Laitram, LLC

Andrew A Corley

David C Weiser

Kyle J Sedlacek

Sandra A Christiana

Robert S Lapeyre

Angela Longo Marshall

Ronald H Burch

Mitchell G Pansano, Jr

Philip J Wunsch

Eric W Morales

Daryl Marse

Kirk T Selenberg

Ryan M Jones

Dax Wilson-Boyer

Daryl J Marse

A modular spiral belt and method for molding belt modules for constructing a heat-resistant belt. The spiral belt is constructed of a series of hingedly interconnected belt modules. The modules have single hinge links at the outside of a turn and dual hinge links elsewhere. All the hinge links extend outward from opposite faces of a central transverse spine. The dual hinge links, which each have a pair of parallel legs joined at a distal end by a yoke, are separated by a transverse pitch greater than the transverse pitch of the single one-legged hinge links at the outside of a turn. When molded from a blend of a thermoplastic polymer and a nanoclay, belt modules are useful in heat-resistant applications without sacrificing beam stiffness.

Modular plastic spiral belt

A plastic conveyor belt module with a unitary sideguard. The sideguard extends upward perpendicularly from the top conveying surface of a plastic module body. The sideguard extends longitudinally along the conveying surface with a leading edge laterally offset from a trailing edge. Wedge-shaped indentations formed at the leading and trailing edges allow the sideguards of leading and trailing belt modules in a conveyor belt to mesh and to overlap without interference as the belt backflexes.

Plastic conveyor belt modules with unitary sideguards

Modular plastic conveyor belts constructed of split belt modules. Each module includes a first piece and a second piece. Side-by-side first pieces mate with side-by-side second pieces to form a row of belt modules. Each row has sets of hinge eyes along opposite ends. Hinge pins extending through the hinge eyes at the ends of each row connect the pieces in the row together to adjacent belt rows. Other components, such as rollers, can be inserted into and removed from the unmated pieces and retained in place by retention structure when the module pieces are mated.

Modular conveyor belts with split belt modules

A modular plastic conveyor belt hingedly interconnected by hinge pins made of a highly oriented polymer material. The hinge pins are preferably extruded from a material including a highly oriented polymer, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or nylon. Alternative materials include highly oriented acetal or polyurethane. Plastic hinge pins made with these polymers having their long molecules oriented along the axis of the shaft of the hinge pin are exceptionally strong and resistant to deformation.

Oriented polymer hinge pins in modular plastic conveyor belts

A modular conveyor belt constructed of a series of rows of belt modules with a hinge formed in each row and aligned in the direction of belt travel with hinges of adjacent rows. The hinge allows the belt to conform to a non-coplanar carryway support to form, for example, a trough. In some versions, the hinge is a living hinge formed by flexible or thinned-out regions of the belt between rigid regions. In other versions, the hinge is formed by interleaved hinge eyes between modules along each row interconnected by a hinge pin along an axis oriented in the direction of belt travel.

Modular trough conveyor belt and modules

A module for a modular conveyor belt has a plurality of projections on its top surface for supporting objects. The module may include drainage openings through which fluids can drain from objects disposed on the projections. The projections can be used to prevent objects from adhering to the top surface of the module and/or to immobilize the objects during movement of a conveyor belt including the module.

Modular conveyor belt

Split belt modules used to construct modular plastic conveyor belts. Each module includes a first piece and a second piece, each of which has sets of hinge eyes on opposite ends. The module pieces mate to form complete belt modules. Hinge pins extending through the hinge eyes at the ends of each module connect the pieces together. Other components, such as rollers, can be inserted into and removed from the unmated pieces and retained in place by retention structure when the module pieces are mated.

Split belt modules in modular conveyer belts

A low backline pressure conveyor belt and modules therefor characterized by modules having thin upstanding supports supporting a transverse axle on which article-conveying rollers are rotatably mounted in a closely-spaced relationship.

Roller-top conveyor belt and modules with closely-spaced rollers

Apparatus and method for subdividing a fish body into a loin-containing portion and a viscera-containing portion. The apparatus includes a carrier, a cutting assembly, and a runway connecting the two. The cutting assembly and a fish body supported on the carrier are advanced relative to each other along the runway. Blades at the cutting assembly flank the runway and form a pair of angled cuts intersecting to form a V-cut that opens toward the ventral side of the fish body. The planes of the blades are separated by an angle of between 80.degree. and 160.degree., depending on fish species and size, to minimize the amount of loin meat separated with the viscera. Means are provided for setting the tilt of the longitudinal axis of the fish body relative to the path of the vertex of the V-cut so that the path extends between the backbone of the fish and its visceral cavity substantially from the vent to a point on the outside surface of the fish body in the vicinity of the eyes. In this way, a wedge-shaped belly section containing the viscera and belly bones is cut from the remaining loin-containing sections of the fish body. The two sections are thereby made available for downstream processing at separate stations.

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Harahan, LA, United States of America

Andrew A Corley