Acrometal Products, Inc.

Other

University of Minnesota

Twin City Surgical, Inc.

Clarence I Steinback

Ralph S Hodges

Wayne O Duescher

Gary W Schukar

Louis R Amundsen

Robert P Patterson

Willis E Dahlman

Glenn N Scudder

Tanya L Baxter

A device and method for incising a cylindrical shaped meat product in which a motor rotates a tubular shaped cutter housing around the longitudinal axis of the tubular housing. Inclined blades are mounted on the inner surface of the cutter housing. An injector transports the meat product into the rotating cutter housing inlet at a velocity V,and an ejector transports the incised meat product from the rotating cutter housing at velocity V,. In operation, a cylindrical meat product is inserted into the injector which prevents the meat product from rotating and transports it into the rotating blades that incise a pattern of helical spiral cuts into the surface of the meat product. The action of the blades upon the meat product pushes the meat product along the longitudinal axis at a velocity V,. An ejector prevents the meat product from rotating and transports the incised meat product from the cutting blades. The incising device maintains velocities V,, V,and V,equal to prevent subjecting the meat product to longitudinal stresses.

Ultra high speed hot dog incisor

A tool for incising a cylindrical shaped meat product with superficial spiral cuts includes a tubular shaped base which is formed with a lumen and which has an inner surface and an outer surface. A plurality of cutting blades are mounted on the base to protrude inwardly from the inner surface. Further, the blades are inclined at an angle .alpha. relative to the longitudinal axis of the tool. A grip can be formed on the outer surface of the tool. In its operation, the meat product, such as a hot dog, is inserted into the lumen of the tool, and rotated while it is being advanced through the lumen. The result is a pattern of spiral incisions which are cut into the meat product and which extend along the length of the product.

Spiral slicer for weiner type products

An abrasive surfacing machine is disclosed that is specifically intended to debur and polish hard components (e.g., metal and plastic). The machine includes a horizontal component conveyor with an overlying abrasive surfacing head. The abrasive head has a large disk with a substantially planar abrading surface that is substantially parallel to the workpiece carrying surface of the conveyor. The diameter of the disk is appreciably larger than the width of the conveyor, so that every workpiece will be engaged by the abrasive medium in at least two directions, notwithstanding its position on the conveyor belt. The abrasive medium may be formed from a uniform, lofty, open, non-woven, three-dimensional web of fibrous members, or may be formed from a plurality of bristles impregnated with abrasive particles. The multidirectional abrasive engagement insures complete deburring of each component, notwithstanding its size, and also provides for continuous, uniform dressing of the abrasive medium.

Abrasive surfacing machine

An apparatus and method for isometric muscle strength testing using a chair apparatus (40) having a support frame structure (42), a seat assembly (46), a foot rest assembly (60) and load cells (100) interconnected to the support frame structure (42) for measuring the isometric force exerted by any of a plurality of muscle groups in a human subject's body. The load cells (100) are possibly positioned on six track systems; a posterior track (80a), left and right lateral tracks (80b,c) an anterior track (80d), a forward upper track (80e) and a forward lower track (80f) to enable alignment with the muscle group selected for testing. A thorax restraint assembly (120), a sacral pad assembly (140), a pelvic restraint assembly (150), a thigh restraint assembly (160) and a calf restraint assembly (170) are present for selectively engaging and immobilizing parts of the human subject's body, including the pelvis, thorax, thighs and legs, as required to enable the muscle group selected for testing to be tested while isolated from the other muscle groups of the human subject's body.

Method and apparatus for measuring the isometric muscle strength of

A device for setting the position of a workpiece relative to the endless abrasive belt of an abrasive grinding machine. The device employs a first sensor that can be extended to engage and sense the position of the endless abrasive belt when it is at rest. The device also utilizes a second sensor that can be moved to a position of engagement with the workpiece when it is at rest on a workpiece conveyor. The first and second sensors are constructed and arranged so that the position of one is mechanically related to the position of the other. A movable indicator senses the position of one of the first and second sensors and indicates such position relative to a reference position. The workpiece conveyor can be raised or lowered until the indicator is in the reference position, at which point the distance between the second sensor and the workpiece conveyor corresponds to the distance between the grinding portion of the endless abrasive belt and the workpiece conveyor. Further adjustments to the workpiece conveyor can thereafter be made to surface the workpiece in a desired manner or remove a desired amount of stock.

Position setting device for abrasive belt grinding machine

A surface grinding method in a first embodiment of which a workpiece supported on a surface (56) is rotated about a vertical axis while being translated along ways (46, 47) past a cutting head (22) comprising an abrasive belt (71) driven about a drum (72) to have a working edge (17) skewed with respect to the direction of the ways. In other embodiments the workpiece (100) is fed axially into the belt (106), which may be oscillated transversely to the direction of feed, and the workpiece may be moved, in the direction of the working edge, out of engagement with the belt while the belt and workpiece are in motion.

Method and apparatus for surface grinding

An abrasive grinding machine (11) is disclosed which comprises workpiece conveying means (14) carried in a horizontal position by a frame (12) with a grinding head (15) disposed in overlying relation thereto. The conveying means (14) includes a flexible endless conveyor belt (22) the upper flight of which passes over a rigid planar backing surface. The grinding head (15) includes an abrasive belt (27) that moves in a direction opposite the conveyor belt (22). A back-up roller (31) is rotatably disposed in a recess (21) in the bed (13) in opposition to a drive roller (28) of the grinding head (15). The back-up roller (31) slightly elevates the conveyor belt (22) from the rigid support surface of the bed (13). The belt (22) is thus able to deflect and conform to a warped or twisted workpiece as it moves through the grinding area, resulting in uniform deslagging of each workpiece.

Abrasive grinding machine

An abrasive grinding machine is particularly suited for the removal of slag surrounding the edges of metal workpieces torch-cut from flat stock. The grinding machine includes a longitudinal conveyor that is tilted about a longitudinal axis so that one longitudinal edge is lower than the lower. A fence is positioned along the lower edge to retain and guide workpieces as they are carried forward by the conveyor. A grinding head consists of an endless grinding belt carried and driven by upper and lower parallel rollers. The lower contact roller is positioned in spaced relation to the upper flight of the conveyor. The contact roller is positioned with its rotational axis at a predetermined acute angle measured clockwise from the forward line of conveyor movement. The rollers are driven so that the grinding belt moves toward the fence, creating a major component of movement perpendicularly toward the fence and a minor component of movement in the direction of conveyor belt movement. In an alternative embodiment, the contact roller is positioned at an acute angle that is measured counterclockwise from the line of forward conveyor movement. This produces a major component of movement perpendicularly toward the fence and a minor component of movement opposite the direction of forward conveyor movement. In either case, the grinding head is constructed and positioned so that it provides the additional function of a pinch roller, permitting small workpieces to be efficiently and uniformly ground.

Growing community of inventors

Edina, MN, United States of America

Clarence I Steinback