GB2201883A

GB2201883A - Apparatus for cutting off individual pieces for a material strand

Info

Publication number: GB2201883A
Application number: GB08804183A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Werner Kmoch; Peter Pietsch
Original assignee: Nagema VEB
Current assignee: Nagema VEB
Priority date: 1987-03-03
Filing date: 1988-02-23
Publication date: 1988-09-14
Anticipated expiration: 2008-02-23
Also published as: GB2201883B; GB8804183D0; DE3801492A1; IT1219460B; DE3801492C2; IT8847650A0; JPH0688232B2; DD258173A1; BR8800967A; JPS63232993A

Description

1 1 f 18 E z_.1 Apparatus for cutting off Jldividual pieces from a

material strand This invention relates to an apparatus for cutting off individual pieces from a material strand of a plastically deformable sweet (candy) material, which is conveyed at constant velocity and theindividual pieces are out off from the material strand by cutting knives.

Apparatuses are already known for cutting individual pieces from a soft plastic material strand, the material strand being also continuously conveyed and individual pieces being cut from. it by a revolving knife.

The knife has two segments. which exe,cute the cut and simultaneously fulfil a conveying function. The apertures between t.ne segments of the knife permit the forward feed of the strand until the cut takes place.

A solution of this class is apparent from DE-OS 32 16 770. A disadvantage in this solution is that a clean and approximately perpendicular cut can only be achieved by the stationary, revolving knife at a low conveying speed of the material strand. Th.Ls means that only short individual pieces (lengths of sweet or candy) tan be cut off, with the result that the range of use of such machines is very restricted. ft ffurther apparatus oC t"-,iis class is described 01 in DE-PS 206 067. In this'ksolution, one stripper drum, driven during the cutting operation in the direction of conveying of the material strand, is mounted oneither side of the strand in the region of the cutting position, the drum being constructed open at one end, bearing with its outer, cylindrical surface against the material strand, and posSiessing at least one transverse, slit-shaped opening for the cutting knife, which is mounted on the free end of a coupler. The cutting knives move in opposed directions through the apertures of the stripper drums and through the moving material strand, until they meet in the middle and slightly overlap. The disadvantage of this solution lies in the fact that a speed difference is present between the continuous conveying movement of the strand and the entering knives. This speed difference means that the piece to be cut off is torn or upset and thus a flat cut surface and exact geometrical form of the cut-off individual pieces is not achieved, which has an adverse effect upon the succeeding operations, such as packing into a fold or rod packing.

For separating toffees from a toffee strand and pushing them into a toffee wrapping machine, a further apparatus is known, which is described in DD-PS 99 335. In this solution, a cut is made by a cutting knife in a vertical direction through the toffee strand situated in the region of the cutting device. This apparatus is accompanied by the disadvantage that, during the cutting operation, the conveying of the toffee strand in interrupted and thus only a limited output can be achieved.

11 k The objective Of the present invention is to improve the quality of the cut surface, to achieve an exact geometrical form of the cut-off individual pieces, to widen the range of possible formats and considerably to increase the performance of machines of this class.

The task of the invention consists in cutting-off individual pieces transversely to the conveying direction from a continuously uniformly moving strand of material, without a hold-up at the cutting position.

According to the invention, this result is achieved in that a grooved cam is mou-nted fixed, obliquely to the strand conveyirg trou,gh, on an axle fixed to the housing and that this cam is surrounded by a knife carrier disc rotatably mounted on the axle, on the circumference of which (disc) a cutting knife is fixed on at least one pivotally mounted knife carrier and, inside the knife carrier disc, a lever arm is fixed on the knife carrier, the cam roller of which lever arm is in operative connection with the cam track of the grooved cam. The edge of the cutting knife is of curved form and a distance exists between the centre of the strand conveyingtrough and the vertical centre-line through the knife carrier disc.

It is thus possible to achieve an exact 7eo!ne'tri.c,-il form of the cutoff individual pieces accompanied by hip.h. quality of the cut I, 1 surface, and substantially'o improve the performance of machines of this class together with coverage of a wide format range.

The invention will be explained in greater detail below by reference to an example of embodiment thereof.

The Figures in the accompanying drawings show: Fig. 1 a plan on the cutting apparatus, Fig. 2 an elevation of the cutting apparatus transversely to the strand at the cutting position.

The apparatus consists essentially of a stationary strand conveying trough 1, with which are associated the strand conveying wheels 2; 3.

L Beneath the strand conveying trough 1, the axle 5 is fixed in the housing 4, the axle being inclined to the strand conveying trough 1. Inside the knife carrier disc 6, the grooved cam 7 is connected fixed to the axle 5, the knife carrier disc 6 being rotatably journalled on the axle 5. On the periphery of the knife carrier disc 6, the knife carriers 8 are pivotally mounted. Outside the knife carrier disc 6, the cutting knives 9 are fixed to the knife carriers 8, and inside the knife carrier disc 6 the lever arms 10,with cam rollers 11. which are in engagement with the cam track of the grooved cam 7, are fixed to the knife carriers. Inside the housing 4, the drive unit 12 is also connected to the knife carrier disc 6.

01 1 The method of functioning Of the apparatus is now described.

The material strand S, continuously arriving in the strand conveying trough 1 from the strand forming device, not shown, is conveyed onwards by the strand conveying wheels 2; 3 into the region of the cutting apparatus. Individual pieces are cut from the material strand S, during the conveying movement, by the revolving knife carrier disc 6, at the periphery of which the knife carriers 8 with the cutting knives 9 are mounted. By the oblique arrangement of the axle 5 and thus of the knife carrier disc 6. rotatably journalled thereon, relative to thb strand conveying trough 1, and the oblique arrangement of the pivotal movement of the cutting knives 9 in the strand conveying direction that takes place during the cut, by cooperation of the lever arms 9, fixed on the knife carriers 8, with cam rollers 11 which are in engagement with the can track of the stationary grooved cam 7, the individual pieces S are cut, off perpendicularly to the conveying direction from the material strand, the cut surface having a high quality. The length of the cut-off individual pieces E can be adjusted within a certain format range, by varying the speed of the material strand S or modifying the peripheral speed of the knife carrier disc 6.

I, 1 1

Claims

Claims

Apparatus for cutting off individual pieces from a material strand of a plastically deformable sweet (candy) material, which is conveyed at constant speed and the individual pieces are cut off by cutting knives from the material strand, characterized in that a grooved cam (7) is mounted fixed obliquely to the strand conveying trough (1) on a axle (5) fixed on the housing (4), and this (grooved cam) is surrounded by a knife carrier disc (6), rotatably journalled on the axle (5), at the periphery of which (disc) a cutting knife (9) is fixed to at least one pivotally mounted knife carrier (8) and, inside the knife carrier disc (6), a lever arm (10) is fixed to the knife carrier (8), the cam roller (11) of which lever arm is in operative connection with the cam track of the grooved cam (7).
2. Apparatus according to Clai.m ly characterized in that the cutting edge of the cutting knife (9) is of curved form.
3.

Apparatus according to Claim 1, characterized in that a distance exists between the centre of the strand conveying trough (1) and the vertical centre line through the knife carrier disc (6). - Apparatus for cutting off individual pieces from a material strand, substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

01 Published 1988 at The Patent Office, State House, 66171 High Holborn, London WC1R 4TP. Further copies may be obtained from The Patent Mice, Z