POULTRY SKINNER BELT PROFILE
An endless conveyor belt may include a belt body having a belt longitudinal axis and an exterior side. A plurality of protrusions project from the exterior side of the belt body and extend across a width of the belt body substantially transversely to the belt longitudinal axis. A plurality of corresponding valleys are defined between each of the plurality of protrusions and extend across the width of the belt body substantially transversely to the belt longitudinal axis. When a piece of poultry is positioned on the exterior side of the belt body, substantially only a skin portion of the piece of poultry is received within the valleys, and an underlying fat portion and a meat portion of the piece of poultry remains disposed substantially above a top surface of the plurality of protrusions.
1 . An endless conveyor belt for an automated skin removal machine configured to skin a piece of poultry having a skin portion and an underlying meat portion and fat portion, the endless conveyor belt comprising:
a belt body having a belt longitudinal axis and an exterior side;
a plurality of protrusions projecting from the exterior side of the belt body and extending across a width of the belt body substantially transversely to the belt longitudinal axis; and
a plurality of corresponding valleys defined between each of the plurality of protrusions and extending across the width of the belt body substantially transversely to the belt longitudinal axis,
wherein when a piece of poultry is positioned on the exterior side of the belt body, substantially only a skin portion of the piece of poultry received within the valleys, and wherein an underlying fat portion and a meat portion of the piece of poultry remains disposed substantially above a top surface of the plurality of protrusions.
2 . The endless conveyor belt of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of protrusions has a cross-sectional shape generally of a truncated isosceles triangle.
3 . The endless conveyor belt of claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of protrusions has a first protrusion side extending upwardly from a bottom side extending along the belt body and a second protrusion side extending upwardly from the bottom side, the first and second protrusion sides substantially equal in length and longer than a length of the bottom side.
4 . The endless conveyor belt of claim 2 , wherein each valley defines a curved surface extending between adjacent protrusions.
5 . The endless conveyor belt of claim 1 ,
wherein a first opening flight angle is defined between first and second adjacent protrusions when the endless conveyor belt is in a substantially flat configuration, and
wherein a second opening flight angle greater than the first opening flight angle is defined between first and second adjacent protrusions when the endless conveyor belt wraps around a roller of a conveyance system.
6 . The endless conveyor belt of claim 5 , wherein the first opening flight angle is about eighty-five degrees (85°), and wherein the second opening flight angle is about ninety degrees (90°).
7 . The endless conveyor belt of claim 3 , wherein the first and second protrusion sides each have a length of about 6.91 mm, and the bottom side has a length of about 9.37 mm.
8 . The endless conveyor belt of claim 3 , wherein a first angle defined between the first protrusion side and the bottom side is about forty-seven and a half degrees (47.5°), and a second angle defined between the second protrusion side and the bottom side is about forty-seven and a half degrees (47.5°).
9 . The endless conveyor belt of claim 3 , wherein each of the plurality of protrusions has a height extending between the bottom side and a truncated top surface of about 4 mm.
10 . The endless conveyor belt of claim 9 , wherein a width of the truncated top surface is about 3.18 mm.
11 . The endless conveyor belt of claim 1 , wherein each valley has a width of about 2.16 mm, 3.35 mm, 5.07 mm, or 7.21 mm.
12 . The endless conveyor belt of any of claim 1 , wherein a distance between adjacent valleys is about 12.67 mm, 13.86 mm, 15.58 mm, or 17.71 mm.
13 . An automated skin removal machine, comprising:
a skinning station, comprising:
a pinch block including an arcuate pinch surface; and
a hold down structure positioned above the pinch block and configured to impose a downward force on a piece of poultry passing through the skinning station;
an infeed conveyor for transporting poultry pieces to the skinning station, the infeed conveyor having the endless conveyor belt of claim 1 , wherein the endless conveyor belt is configured to wrap around an end roller positioned adjacent to the arcuate pinch surface of the pinch block, the endless conveyor belt comprising:
a belt body having a belt longitudinal axis and an exterior side;
a plurality of protrusions projecting from the exterior side of the belt body and extending across a width of the belt body substantially transversely to the belt longitudinal axis, wherein a truncated top surface of the plurality of protrusions is configured to substantially engage the arcuate pinch surface of the pinch block when the endless conveyor belt wraps around the end roller; and
a plurality of corresponding valleys defined between each of the plurality of protrusions and extending across the width of the belt body substantially transversely to the belt longitudinal axis,
wherein when a piece of poultry is positioned on the exterior side of the belt body, substantially only a skin portion of the piece of poultry is received within the valleys, and wherein an underlying fat portion and a meat portion of the piece of poultry remains disposed substantially above the truncated top surface of the plurality of protrusions, and
wherein when the piece of poultry passes over a leading edge of the arcuate pinch surface of the pinch block, the skin portion becomes entrapped between the exterior side of the belt body and the arcuate pinch surface of the pinch block such that upon continued translation of the endless conveyor belt, the skin portion is pulled away from the meat portion and at least some of the fat portion; and
an outfeed conveyor for transporting skinned poultry pieces away from the skinning station.
14 . The automated skin removal machine of claim 13 , wherein each of the plurality of protrusions has a cross-sectional shape generally of a truncated isosceles triangle.
15 . The automated skin removal machine of claim 14 , wherein each of the plurality of protrusions has a first protrusion side extending upwardly from a bottom side extending along the belt body and a second protrusion side extending upwardly from the bottom side, the first and second protrusion sides substantially equal in length and longer than a length of the bottom side.
16 . The automated skin removal machine of claim 15 , wherein each of the plurality of protrusions has a height extending between the bottom side and a truncated top surface of about 4 mm.
17 . The automated skin removal machine of claim 16 , wherein a width of the truncated top surface is about 3.18 mm.
18 . The automated skin removal machine of claim 13 , wherein each valley has a width of about 2.16 mm, 3.35 mm, 5.07 mm, or 7.21 mm.
19 . The automated skin removal machine of claim 13 , wherein a distance between adjacent valleys is about 12.67 mm, 13.86 mm, 15.58 mm, or 17.71 mm.
20 . A method for skinning a piece of poultry having a skin portion and an underlying meat portion and fat portion, the method comprising:
loading a piece of poultry skin-side down onto the endless conveyor belt of claim 1 at a product feed inlet end, wherein the skin of the piece of poultry engages protrusions extending from an exterior side of the endless conveyor belt;
conveying the piece of poultry in a substantially flat orientation toward a skinning station, wherein the skin of the piece of poultry is at least somewhat received in valleys between adjacent protrusions, and wherein the underlying meat portion and fat portion remain substantially above a top surface of the protrusions;
upon reaching the skinning station, applying a downward force on the piece of poultry;
trapping a portion of the skin in a gap defined between the exterior side of the endless conveyor belt and a pinch surface of a pinch block as a leading end of the piece of poultry falls downwardly over an upstream end of the endless conveyor belt and passes beneath an upper, leading edge of the pinch block;
pulling the skin downwardly away from the underlying meat portion and fat portion of the piece of poultry upon continued conveyance of the endless conveyor belt, wherein the skin is pulled downwardly away with substantially no portion of the underlying meat portion and fat portion of the piece of poultry becoming trapped between the endless conveyor belt and the pinch block; and
conveying a substantially intact meat portion and fat portion of the skinned piece of poultry away from the skinning station on an outfeed conveyor.