CLIPPING MACHINE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING SAID CLIPPING MACHINE

• Main Author: HANTEN, JUERGEN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 01.06.2012
• Subjects: BUTCHERING; CONVEYING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; HUMAN NECESSITIES; MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGINGARTICLES OR MATERIALS; MEAT TREATMENT; PACKING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PROCESSING MEAT, POULTRY, OR FISH; PROCESSING POULTRY OR FISH; STORING; TRANSPORTING; UNPACKING

The present invention relates, besides a method for controlling a clipping ma-chine, to a clipping machine for producing sausage-shaped products, containing a flowable filling material, like a sealing compound, in a tubular casing material (M). The clipping machine (C) comprises a filling tube (10; 110; 210) for feeding filling material into the tubular casing material (M) stored on the filling tube (10; 110; 210) and being closed at the front end by a closing clip (CC), a clipping device for placing and closing at least one closing clip (CC) on the back end of a tubular casing material (M) just filled, and a control unit (40; 140; 240) for control-ling the clipping machine (C). The clipping machine (C) further comprises a first sensor (50; 150, 190; 250) for measuring the pull-off length of the tubular casing material (M) pulled off from the filling tube (10; 110; 210) as well as a second sensor (60, 60a; 160; 260) for measuring the movement of the filling material while being fed to the tubular casing material (M). The first and second sensors (50; 150, 190; 250; 60, 60a; 160; 260) are adapted for intercommunicating with the control unit (40; 140; 240) and the control unit (40; 140; 240) is adapted to create a ratio between the pull-off length of the tubular casing material (M) when pulled off the filling tube (10) and the movement of the filling material while being feed to the tubular casing material (M), both captured by the first and second sensors (50; 150, 190; 250; 60, 60a; 160; 260). The control unit (40; 140; 240) is further adapted to generate a control signal to act on the clipping machine (C) based on the ratio between the pull-off length of the tubular casing material (M) and the movement of the filling material.