EN 16743:2016

Food processing machinery - Automatic industrial slicing machines - Safety and hygiene requirements EN 16743:2016

Publication date:   Apr 18, 2016

Scope

1.1 General
This European Standard specifies requirements relating to the design and construction of automatic industrial slicing machines and auxiliary components.
The automatic industrial slicing machines covered by this standard are used for the cutting of meat and sausage products, cheese or other sliceable food products that can be cut using one or more blades. Automatic industrial slicing machines are designed to cut slices.
A sickle blade or an eccentrically moving blade is used for cutting. As a rule, the product only moves along one axis during the cutting process.
The auxiliary components covered by this standard are used for conveying slices from the cutting zone, for weighing or for sorting.
This European Standard covers all the significant hazards, hazardous situations and hazardous events identified by means of risk assessment associated with automatic industrial slicing machines and auxiliary components if they are used in accordance with regulations and under the conditions of reasonably foreseeable misuse defined by the manufacturer (see Clause 4).
This standard covers hazards which can arise during the commissioning, operation, cleaning, servicing and decommissioning of the machine.
This standard only applies to automatic industrial slicing machines and auxiliary components that were manufactured after the date of publication of this standard.
This standard applies to automatic industrial slicing machines and auxiliary components designed for industrial use. These are machines which are usually used in food processing facilities. The machines are normally permanently installed in one place.
This standard does not apply to cutting machines with moving infeed slides, slicing machines that are used in for example shops, restaurants, supermarkets, canteens etc. and are already covered in EN 1974.
This standard does not apply to portion cutting machines which are manufactured and put on the market in accordance with the requirements specified in EN 13870.
1.2 Machine description
This standard covers the following designs (see Figure 1 to Figure 7):
Design variations in the feed area:
- automatic industrial slicing machine with manual feed;
- automatic industrial slicing machine with automatic feed;
- automatic industrial slicing machine with continuous feed.
Design variations in the outfeed area:
- automatic industrial slicing machine with outfeed conveyor, without depositing unit and without subsequent auxiliary components;
- automatic industrial slicing machine with depositing unit and if necessary with subsequent auxiliary components.
1.3 Machine design
Automatic industrial slicing machines mainly consist of machine housing, product support with automatic or manually operated grippers, downholder, blade housing, blade, outfeed device, associated drives and electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic components. Furthermore optional features can be added.
Automatic industrial slicing machines in the scope of this standard may be equipped with the following auxiliary components:
- feeder;
- interleaver;
- outfeed conveyor;
- depositing unit;
- check weigher;
- sorting components (e.g. rocker);
- positioning devices (e.g. wheels).
1.4 Intended use
The intended use of automatic industrial slicing machines and auxiliary components, in accordance with this document, in accordance with regulations (as defined in EN ISO 12100:2010, 3.23) is described in 1.1.
The product is manually placed on the product base or automatically fed to the product base with a loading device. The product is supplied to the blade by automatic or manually operated grippers or conveyor slide or belt and the cutting process begins. The slices fall onto an outfeed conveyor or a depositing unit where they are arranged into formations, followed by the transport out of the cutting area.

Related legislation

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