Abstract:
A flexible meat slicing blade and support therefor is provided for utilization in apparatus such as pizza forming machines to provide accurately and uniformly sliced meat products of specified thickness for deposit on a surface of a pizza shell. An elongated flexible meat slicing blade of this invention, which may be a continuous band, is supported for longitudinal movement in a cutting plane with the blade disposed at an angle with respect to that cutting plane. A cutting edge of the blade is beveled at an angle which is slightly less than the angle of inclination of the blade to the cutting plane. A support is provided for the portion of the blade passing through the cutting plane to maintain the flexible blade in precise position with respect to the cutting plane. This support includes a structurally rigid bar having a longitudinal groove in which the effective cutting portion of the blade is disposed for relative sliding movement. This groove is angularly oriented with respect to positioning of the support to receive and maintain the blade at the desired angular position with respect to the cutting plane and maintain the surface of the beveled cutting edge thereof in predetermined relationship to the cutting plane.
Abstract:
A machine which receives and holds a group of sausage sticks over a pizza with their axes vertical and substantially perpendicular to the pizza and with their lower ends spaced above the pizza. The group of sausage sticks is moved laterally relative to a band-type cutting blade and the pizza is simultaneously moved therewith so that as the sausage slices are severed from the lower ends of the sticks, they drop in a predetermined pattern on the pizza.