Berkel ham slicer

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WA van Berkel
Berkel ham slicer

Berkel ham slicers had been in production since the late 19th century and were the world's first slicers .

patent

The Rotterdam butcher Wilhelmus Adrianus van Berkel invented in the 1890s, a machine with automatic hand to ham, sausage and meat precise and faster to cut than before. The Berkel patent consisted of a handwheel setting a movable table slide in motion that slid towards a sharp, curved, rotating blade.

history

On October 12, 1898, Berkel founded the world's first factory for slicing machines in Rotterdam . In 1899 he was already selling and shipping 84 slicers.

Berkel's cutting machine was quickly developed. Later models were equipped with grinding heads so that the blades remained sharp. The models L and R or R 1 from the first years of the 20th century have become rare collector's models.

In 1907 and 1908 van Berkel expanded abroad and was very successful. In 1908 he was already delivering 2,734 slicers, about half of which went to England and the British colonies . There were Berkel machines in Russia , India , China , Egypt, and South America .

The need for mechanically operated machines grew steadily, so that worldwide expansion took place in the following decades. In addition to the headquarters and the main production facility in Rotterdam, subsidiaries were founded in the metropolises of European countries. In North America, it was first manufactured in Chicago in cooperation with the American Slicing Company, then independently in Laporte Indiana (Illinois). Toronto was the head office in Canada and Buenos Aires was the manufacturing center in South America. The production locations can be assigned to the individual machines by applying appropriate badges.

American production

In 1909, another manufacture was founded near Chicago in the United States , which was soon expanded and relocated to La Porte , Indiana , in 1915 . From 1915 to 1928, the probably smallest Berkel machine was built there, the Berkel model Indiana or model B , which despite its compact dimensions of 47 × 45 × 68 cm (W × L × H) has a cutting width of 20 cm can.

In 2001, the manufacturing facility was relocated again, this time to South Bend , Indiana.

Models

It all started with Model A from 1898. This was continuously improved and adapted to the needs of butchers . One of the best-known is the L model and its sister model K, which differ from this only in the larger cut. In these machines the carriage moved on four wheels; in model 1 and R 1 the slide is moved by an arm. Model 3 is the last one with an openwork wheel; afterwards, only closed flywheels were installed for easier cleaning.

List of construction time of European models:

  • Models A – D 1898–1906
  • Models L / K / M 1906–1916
  • Model 1 1907-1918
  • Model 3 1918–1922 (the last one with an openwork wheel - "Flower Wheel")
  • Model 5 1922-1926
  • Model 7 1925-1928
  • Model 8 1928–1948 (Also known in variants as Model 8-21 or 21)
  • Model NL early 1930s (predecessor of Model 9)
  • Model 9/11 1936–1969 (only difference between 9 and 11 is the curved body of the machine)
  • Model 10 Successor to the Model 8-21
  • Model 12 1950s and 1960s successor to Model 10 (mix of model 5, 21 and 8, there was no technical improvement)
  • Model 115 1960s – 1980s (model 115 (manual), 115 E (electric) and 115 EP (electric with disc stacking system))
  • Model 114 330 mm knife (current model)
  • Model 116 370 mm knife (current model)

In the early years, major development steps were possible when changing models. Improvements have been added to each model to make cleaning and operation easier.

The model 21 and the smaller model 9 have been technically and mechanically improved; they are some of the best working machines. The clippings can be fixed steplessly, and the holder, which is open at the front, made it easier to load a large ham. The sharpening mechanism has been made smaller.

List of construction time of the US Berkel models (US Slicing Machine Company):

  • No 1 1908–1914 almost identical to the European model 1
  • Model 50 1915–?
  • Model 70 1914-1916
  • Model B80 1916-1919
  • Model B 1916–1928 Smallest machine from Berkel built in different versions, nicknamed Indiana or Baby
  • Model B100 1919-1927
  • Model B100ST 1919–1927 The model B100 had a disk stacking system
  • Model B110 1927–1930 Successor to Model B100 with only minor changes
  • Model 7 1927–1931 Slightly smaller machine, successor to Model B
  • Models C / D / E / F From 1931. The Model E with a disc stacking system was identical to the English Model 20
  • Model 125ST mid-1930s. Electric machine with flywheel, successor to the B100 ST model
  • Model 150
  • Model 170
  • Model 180 Today's industrially used machine with slice stacking system and conveyor belt

List of models built in England (Berkel & Parnalls London):

  • Model M 1906–1916 Largest machine built in England
  • Model K 1906–1916 Slightly smaller than M, but larger than L
  • Models 20/21/22/23 The higher the number, the bigger the machine
  • Models 31/32/33 Successor to models 20–23

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Erastus Long Austin, Odell Hauser: The Sesqui-Centennial International Exposition. A record based on official data and departmental reports (America in two centuries. An inventory). Arno Press, New York 1976, ISBN 0-405-07670-3 (unmodified reprint of Current Publications, Philadelphia PA 1929).
  2. ↑ About Us on berkelequipment.com
  3. ↑ U.S. Patent 628,742