Sandwich Forming and Packaging

Sandwich Forming and Packaging: Cutting, Sterilization, and Sealing

Standardized Cutting: The ‘Precise Shaper’ for Sandwich Forming

In the forming process of sandwich factories, the automatic cutting machine is the core equipment that connects the “assembly embryo” and the “finished product form”. Its core value lies in “precise control of cutting consistency, protection of ingredient integrity, and balancing hygiene and efficiency”, completely solving the pain points of “irregular shape, scattered ingredients, and rough cutting surface” in household manual cutting. It is a key link in ensuring product appearance and standardization in industrial production.

From the perspective of equipment structure, mainstream sandwich automatic cutting machines usually consist of four core modules:

• High precision conveying platform: Made of food grade stainless steel material, covered with anti slip silicone pads on the surface, and equipped with “infrared positioning baffles” and “synchronous belt transmission system” on both sides, it can smoothly transport the assembled sandwich blanks at a constant speed of 0.5m/s, with positioning error controlled within ± 1mm – ensuring that the cutting position of each sandwich is completely consistent (such as diagonal cutting, the deviation of the two oblique edges does not exceed 2mm), avoiding the problem of “too much ingredient on one side and too little on the other” due to positional deviation.
• Multi functional cutting module: This is the core component of the equipment. Traditional models are often equipped with “circular rotating blades” (made of food grade high-speed steel, with a hardness of HRC58-62 and a sharpness that can maintain continuous cutting for 8 hours). The blade diameter is adapted according to the sandwich size (commonly 150-200mm), and supports “detachable adjustment” – by changing the blade angle or adjusting the cutting mechanism, it can achieve various forms such as diagonal cutting (the most mainstream, accounting for over 80%), rectangular cutting (for square packaged products), triangular cutting (commonly used for children’s models), etc. The switching time only takes 5-10 minutes, meeting the production needs of multiple categories.
• Intelligent screening system: After cutting is completed, the conveyor belt will send the product to the “visual inspection+weight sensing” dual screening unit – the high-definition industrial camera (resolution of 12 million pixels) above will take real-time photos of the cut surface, identifying non-conforming products such as “exposed ingredients (such as fire leg slices exceeding the edge of the bread by more than 5mm), irregular shapes (such as a length difference of more than 10mm between the two sides of a triangle), and uneven cut surfaces (such as obvious faults in the bread layer)”; The weight sensor below assists in detecting whether some ingredients are missing due to cutting deviation. Once an abnormality is identified, the equipment will trigger the “pneumatic push rod” on the side to quickly push the non-conforming products to the waste collection bin, with a screening accuracy of over 99.5%.
• Automatic disinfection mechanism: In order to comply with food hygiene standards (GB 14881), the equipment is equipped with a “timed disinfection module” – it will automatically pause cutting operations every hour (or during production intervals), and disinfect the blades and cutting areas in two ways: one is “high-temperature hot air disinfection” (blowing 80 ℃ hot air for 30 seconds to kill surface microorganisms); The second is “food grade alcohol atomization disinfection” (spraying 75% edible alcohol through a nozzle, covering the contact surface of the blade and conveyor belt, and naturally evaporating after 30 seconds without residue). At the same time, there is a “debris collection tank” under the blade, which can be removed and cleaned every 2 hours to avoid the accumulation of bread crumbs and the growth of bacteria.

Ultrasonic automatic cutting machine: the core advantage of upgraded cutting equipment

In some mid to high end sandwich factories (especially those producing “soft bread+multiple sauces/fragile ingredients” products), traditional rotary blade cutting machines are gradually being replaced by ultrasonic automatic cutting machines. Its core advantage lies in “ultrasonic vibration cutting technology” (which uses high-frequency mechanical vibration of 20-40kHz per second to produce small amplitude at the cutting edge, achieving “pressure free cutting”), perfectly adapting to the product characteristics of sandwich “multi-layer, soft, and easy to squeeze”:

1. Protect the integrity of ingredients and avoid pain points such as “squeezing deformation”
When traditional rotating blades are used for cutting, the blades will exert downward pressure on the sandwich, which can easily cause the sauce in the middle (such as salad dressing, Thousand Island dressing) to be squeezed out of the edge, vulnerable vegetables (such as lettuce leaves, tomato slices) to be crushed, and the flowing egg/cheese slices to “layer and break”. However, the “no pressure vibration cutting” of the ultrasonic automatic cutting machine allows the cutting edge to quickly separate the food fibers through high-frequency vibration when in contact with bread, with almost no squeezing force. Actual test data shows that after using ultrasonic cutting, the overflow rate of sauce has decreased from 12% in traditional cutting to below 1.5%, and the integrity of tomato slices and lettuce leaves has been improved to 98%, especially suitable for high-end sandwich production such as “flowing heart style” and “multi sauce style”.

2. Reduce bread crumbs and maintain a smooth and beautiful cut surface
The moisture content of sandwich bread (especially soft bread preforms) is between 35% and 40%. When cutting with traditional blades, the friction between the cutting edge and the bread fibers can easily cause “edge chipping” (the amount of chipping is about 0.3-0.5g per piece of bread), which not only affects the appearance of the product, but also generates a large amount of bread crumbs that need to be cleaned; The high-frequency vibration of the ultrasonic automatic cutting machine forms a “small air gap” at the cutting edge, reducing friction with the surface of the bread. At the same time, the vibration can “cut off fibers instead of tearing them”, making the cut surface smooth and without burrs. The amount of slag can be controlled within 0.05g, greatly improving the product’s appearance and reducing the cleaning frequency of the debris collection tank (from once every 2 hours to once every 4 hours).

3. Improve cutting efficiency and reduce equipment maintenance costs
After continuous cutting for 8 hours, the sharpness of traditional rotating blades will decrease, and the machine needs to be stopped to replace the blades; The cutting edge of the ultrasonic automatic cutting machine is not a traditional metal blade, but is composed of a “titanium alloy vibration head”, which has high hardness and strong wear resistance. Under normal use, it can work continuously for more than 300 hours without replacement, and the maintenance cycle is extended by more than 10 times. At the same time, ultrasonic cutting speed is faster – traditional models can cut up to 60 sandwiches per minute, while ultrasonic models can increase it to 80-100 sandwiches per minute. Due to the “non stick blade” characteristic (sauce and breadcrumbs are not easily attached to the vibrating head), there is no need to frequently shut down to clean the blade edge, effectively reducing production interruption time.

4. Additional hygiene protection, in compliance with food grade safety requirements
The high-frequency vibration of ultrasound generates a “small ultrasonic cavitation effect” during the cutting process – an instantaneous high pressure is formed around the cutting edge, which can kill some surface microorganisms (such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus). The measured sterilization rate is about 30% -40%, which is equivalent to adding an “additional hygiene barrier” in the cutting process; At the same time, the vibration head of the equipment is made of “food grade titanium alloy” material, which is acid and alkali resistant, corrosion-resistant, and can directly contact food. During disinfection, the attached residue can be completely peeled off by ultrasonic vibration, which is more thorough than the disinfection effect of traditional blades and further reduces the risk of microbial contamination.

It is precisely with these advantages that ultrasonic automatic cutting machines have become the preferred equipment for high-end sandwich factories, especially those producing refrigerated and customized products. They can ensure the consistency of product appearance and taste, and bring practical economic benefits to factories by improving efficiency and reducing maintenance costs, perfectly meeting the core requirements of industrial production for standardization, high efficiency, and high safety.

About Cheersonic

Cheersonic manufactures the leading portioning equipment for bakeries producing fresh and frozen desserts. Since 1998 bakers have used Cheersonic machines to cut, slice and portion cheesecake, pie, layer cake, loaves, butter, cheese, pizza, sandwichs, and more. Cheersonic offers ultrasonic cutting solutions that support start-up bakeries and high production commercial facilities alike. Small standalone machines can be used in manual baking facilities and large inline robotic solutions aid in high speed production.

Cheersonic offers many ultrasonic slicing models, both inline and offline applications, with production speeds of 80 to 1,500 cakes or pies per hour.

Cheersonic’ latest offline introductions include ultrasonic cutting with or without divider inserts between each slice. This improves the quality of the cut and makes for a much better product presentation for the customer. In addition, robotic arm improves the speed, efficiency, and accuracy of the cutting process, producing professional looking products every time.

Chinese Website: Cheersonic Provides Professional Ultrasonic Cutting Solutions