Method of manufacturing food loaf slice groups

Abstract

A high speed food loaf slicing machine slices two food loaves simultaneously, using one cyclically driven knife blade; the slices are stacked or shingled in groups on a receiving conveyor located below the slicing station. Independent loaf feed drives are provided; slices cut from one loaf may be thicker than slices from the other. Each loaf feed drive includes two 'short' conveyors each driven at a predetermined speed; the conveyor speeds may be different. In each machine cycle the receiving conveyor is moved down to accommodate an increasing number of slices; when a slicing cycle is completed, the receiving conveyor rapidly discharges the slice groups onto a deceleration conveyor and moves back up to start a new slicing operation. The loaf feed drives are reversed at the end of a slicing cycle, stopped, and then reversed again before the next slicing cycle. In each machine cycle previously cut groups of slices are weighed as they traverse a scale conveyor; the weights thus determined control two transfer conveyors, one for each loaf sliced. The weights also control the loaf feed drives that determine slice thickness.